Blog originally published on August 7, 2017. Updated on January 10, 2023.
If you're like most people, the kitchen is where you and your family spend the majority of time in your home. So why not make it as bright and inviting as possible?
Everyone knows the usual home improvement recommendations — like adding a kitchen island with bar stools, refinishing some sleek dark wood cabinets, laying a new natural stone or wood floor, or upgrading to new stainless steel appliances — but today we're featuring some more unique and simple ideas.
Spice up your kitchen with these five innovative kitchen design tips and make the most of your kitchen space! For more kitchen layout tips and interior design ideas for a beautiful living space, contact Holland Kitchens & Baths today.
1. Maximize Natural Light and Build an Herb Garden in Your Kitchen Windows
With a built-in herb garden in your kitchen, you will always have quick and easy access to fresh herbs to use in your everyday cooking. Herbs like basil, sage, and rosemary are all hearty and easy to grow, even for those who don’t have a green thumb. To accomplish this super cute kitchen DIY project, just install several shelves in your kitchen windows and purchase mini pots of herbs from your local nursery.
2. Use Towel Racks to Hang Cooking Tools
Who doesn't love more storage space!? During the course of cooking any meal, you know you’ll use a variety of implements. Make cooking a pleasure by keeping them within reach and hanging your spoons, spatulas, and ladles where you can easily grab them. Install towel racks along your backsplash and use S-hooks to hang the tools you use most often.
3. Use Ceiling Space
All kitchen layouts should strive to maximize floor space and countertop space so that moving, navigating, and cooking will be a breeze for anyone who enters. That said, the kitchen ceiling is one of the most underutilized storage areas. Instead of storing pots and pans in cupboards and kitchen cabinets, install a beautiful hanging pot rack over your kitchen island for extra storage. Pots and pans will be easily accessible and you’ll be able to show off your copper-bottomed cookery.
Pendant lights are also an attractive and simple addition to your ceiling — perfect for spotlighting a kitchen island spread.
4. Display Cookbooks with Built-In Shelving
Cookbooks belong in the kitchen where they are used – not in the living room shelves, the study, or crammed in your upper cabinets. Have built-shelving installed on the ends of cabinets to hold your favorite tomes of recipes, propped open to your favorite page for easy reference. This also helps you free up counter space.
5. Install Under-Cabinet Lighting
Task lighting is an underrated upgrade that makes life so much easier! Under-cabinet lighting helps illuminate the tasks you perform most often in the kitchen, including cutting, mixing, stirring, and blending. At night, under-cabinet lighting pulls double-duty as a night light for those seeking a midnight snack.
For More Kitchen Design Tips, Reach Out to Holland Kitchens & Baths Today!
These five kitchen design tips will help to make your kitchen more functional as well as more inviting for you and your family and friends. Alternatively, another way to spice up your kitchen or dining room is to remodel and give it a beautiful update. Whether you want new quartz countertops, trendy window treatments, or a total kitchen remodel, we're here for you.
If you're interested in custom kitchen remodeling services, contact a kitchen design contractor at Holland Kitchens & Baths today. We'd love to hear all about your dream kitchen — and help you bring it into reality!