12 Ideas for a Family-Friendly Kitchen

The kitchen is so often the center of home activity, and it’s even more so when there are kids around. But setting up a space that can handle everything from homework and play dough to family dinner takes a little thinking. Here are 12 ideas for designing and organizing your kitchen to make it the bustling but not chaotic (at least most of the time) hub of family life you want it to be.

Half wall. Carving out a half- or third-height wall will give you the easy flow of an open-plan space without giving up much storage. Install cabinets on the kitchen side and slide your dining table up near the other. The top of the partial wall can also act as a buffet, perfect for setting out plates and dishes of food when dinner is ready.


Barn-door cabinets. Does your family have a cabinet-door-closing problem? If you are tired of walking into the kitchen to see every single cabinet door flung wide open, perhaps it’s time to ditch the doors. Barn-style sliding doors are the perfect compromise between traditional doors and open shelving — they let you hide the mess but leave some things open and airy. And no one will ever forget to close the doors again.



Easy-care surfaces. Marble counters are gorgeous, but they stain — and it’s not fun to be constantly reminding (read: nagging) others to wipe up spills immediately. Avoid tile, or if you must have tile, choose forgiving dark grout rather than white. Stainless steel, Corian and engineered quartz are great tough countertop materials; butcher block is great too, if you can embrace the inevitable scratches as part of the charm. Classic linoleum and Marmoleum floors are easy to maintain; wood is fairly easy too, although spills should be wiped up right away.

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Grab-and-go activities. Having a few little trays or buckets ready to grab with easy activities can be a lifesaver when you need to get the kids busy in a hurry. Try a tray with cookie cutters and a jar of homemade play dough, an art tray or a dishpan filled with water toys or baby dolls for washing.



Family bulletin board. Make a place for kids’ artwork, family snapshots and party invites on a bulletin board in the kitchen. A board hung low on the wall, like this one, invites kids to participate in curating the display.


Recipe door. If you have a family-favorite recipe, why not make it official? Use permanent marker to write it out on the inside or outside of a cabinet, and you’ll never need to go hunting for Grandma’s recipe for scrumptious blueberry cake again. The one shown here was done in chalk, but I wouldn’t advise leaving a beautiful chalk-written recipe sitting around in a houseful of kids … at least, not if you expect it to last!


Visible, consistent storage. Cut down on calls of “Where is the … ?” by storing the most frequently used food and supplies in pullout drawers, wire baskets and open-top bins. By the same token, try to store things in the same place every time — your family members will (one would hope) eventually get to know where things are if they are always in the same place. For young kids just beginning to learn how to help themselves to a snack, store all of the things they need for snack time in one place and label it with a picture.

The 15 Most Popular Kitchen Storage Ideas on Houzz


Helping stool. No kitchen with kids should be without a helping stool — make sure yours is tall enough to let your smallest child reach the sink for hand washing. Keep at least one section of counter cleared of potentially dangerous items (like the knife block) and make that your child’s special helping spot. A basket of kid-size cooking tools and an apron would make a nice addition.



Good-looking, secure baby gate. There are times when it’s just better for wee ones to be out of the kitchen, and for those times, you need a baby gate. Why not make it an attractive one? You can even have one designed to slide away beneath the counter when not in use.

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Homework zone. If your kids end up doing homework in the kitchen, it can be helpful to carve out a dedicated spot for schoolwork and supplies. Consider adding shelving for books, outlets for a laptop and a paper file.


High shelving to keep dangers out of reach. While accessible storage is great for dishes, inaccessible storage is just as important when you have small children at home. Keep priceless, fragile and potentially dangerous items in high cupboards that cannot be reached by kids even if they stand on a chair or footstool.


Comfy seating. If you have the room, include a cushy armchair or loveseat — people love hanging out in the kitchen, and this just makes it more appealing. Use indoor-outdoor upholstery fabric or have a washable slipcover made, and you won’t have to fret about spills.



Tell us: How is your kitchen working (or not working) for your family? Share your family-friendly kitchen tips, ideas and quandaries in the Comments.

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