Home Setups That Serve You: Designing the Kitchen

There's a reason the kitchen is called the heart of the home. People are drawn to it, and it’s a place where families end up congregating — not just to cook and eat, but to be together in it. Since it’s likely that your kitchen is used for a lot more than cooking, there’s no reason for you to limit it to the basics.

I have clients who think they need to organize their home a certain way because that’s how everyone else does it. Guess what? “Everyone else” doesn’t live in your house — you do. So instead of setting up your kitchen the way you think it should be, set it up in the way that it will work best for you, because it’s your kitchen.

What Do You Use Your Kitchen For?

Remember when I said that your kitchen isn’t just a place where people cook and eat? To really make the room work for you, you'll need to figure out what else you’re using it for. Does your partner chat with you while you’re cooking? A spot with a stool can keep him or her comfortable (and out of the way) while you prepare dinner.


If your family tends to gather in the kitchen to chat and cook, consider going beyond bar stools. I recently put a love seat and two cozy chairs in a kitchen, and the setup has been a huge hit.


Never use that counter space? It might be exactly where you need a desk or a printing station. Remember that the key to organization that works is making it fit your life. If you need a place to check email while you wait for your dinner to heat in the microwave, that’s what you should give yourself.


Kids' Stations

Do your kids use the table for homework or art projects? Embrace whatever the other uses are and give those things organizational space. Set aside a cabinet for homework supplies and make sure there’s comfortable seating.



Give things like art supplies and notebook paper a home in your kitchen, and you'll cut down on the mess when it’s time to set the table.

See more of this dining nook


These setups will also encourage your kids to spend time engaged with you in the kitchen. Even if you’re cooking dinner and they’re working on a project, you’re spending time together. Isn’t that the most important thing about a family home?


If you don’t have enough built-ins to house these other supplies, don’t be afraid to use furniture you normally see in bedrooms or living rooms. A bookcase can be used in place of cabinets to hold anything.


Drink Stations

If you’re a big coffee drinker, then it might make sense to set up a coffee station. Keep your mugs, filters, sugar, coffee and stirrers all together.

Having an open layout with dishes in clear view helps cut down on those “Where on earth is the blasted sugar bowl?” moments of frustration. But do you still hang on to the notion that all your silverware needs to live together in the same drawer? I promise it won’t hurt the spoons' feelings if some are separated from the rest of the silver. And instead of hurrying all over your kitchen to make one cup of coffee, you will have mornings that are a bit easier.


This kind of station is also helpful if you have multiple coffee drinkers in the family or frequent guests, who will be saved the awkward scavenger hunt for packets of Splenda.

This idea works just as well for wine and spirits. And the setup doesn’t have to be out in the open; if you prefer having it tucked away, then that’s what you should do. In addition to using built-in cabinet space, you can use something like a vintage armoire or the Pax wardrobe system from Ikea.


Baking Stations

If you’re a frequent baker, separate dry ingredients and baking paraphernalia that are used only when you bust out the bread maker or whip up your famous snickerdoodles.

By keeping them together, you’ll be able to quickly figure out what you have and what you need for your next culinary masterpiece, and your space will be much easier to clean when you’re done.


If baking is more than a hobby, then by all means keep your tools and go-to ingredients in a special setup. A bar cart can be transformed into a rolling baking station that you can push all over the kitchen. This option is also great for people who have trouble getting ingredients from high shelves or lifting heavy containers. Again, it’s all about finding solutions that serve you best.


It’s likely that your own kitchen has uses that I didn’t touch on. You are unique, so the organization in your kitchen should be too. Remember to think about your needs (without judgment — it doesn’t matter how your sister-in-law does it) and set up the heart of your home in a way that makes sense for you and the people who share it.

By embracing your natural tendencies, you'll end up encouraging those behaviors even more through design. And spending time with the people you love is a great tendency to encourage.

More:
12 Great Kitchen Styles: Which One's for You?
How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Find a Kitchen Designer Near You

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