This year has seen the kitchen become the hub of the home more than ever before. The kitchen is the focal point not only for preparing meals, but also for Zoom meetings, school work, and spillover offices. But, spending more time in the kitchen has made many homeowners realize that their kitchens are outdated, inspiring them to give serious consideration to a remodeling project. If you feel like your kitchen is not up to scratch, here’s how you can upgrade it to make it look and feel more futuristic.
Make it a social space
The role of the kitchen has evolved dramatically over the years. The kitchen used to be a room simply used for cooking but has now become the heart of the home, where meal preparation is accompanied by entertaining, socializing, dining and working. If your kitchen is still enclosed, you can start your remodeling project by knocking down the walls to make it more open plan. This ensures that the cook can see what’s happening in other areas of the house and participate in conversations. However, to avoid causing structural damage to your home when getting rid of the walls, avoid taking on this task yourself, and use remodeling contractors, who can take your ideas into account while working around the specific limitations of the building. You can also add a counter to open up opportunities to chat as you cook and provide a more relaxed environment for dining.
Upgrade your appliances
Kitchen appliances have also been evolving over the years, thanks to advancing technology. For example, countertop burners are getting replaced by touch-activated induction heating hobs that not only look better, but also improve the cooking process by heating pots evenly and allowing you to select the exact heating temperature you want. You can also replace your current fridge with a smart fridge that will keep track of whatever is inside and send notifications to your smartphone when someone opens it. A smart oven will also allow you to turn it on remotely via a smartphone app so that you find it ready to go when you get home from work or the supermarket.
Choose your materials carefully
When remodeling your kitchen, pay close attention to the materials you use, as they will affect how it looks and how durable it is. For example, when it comes to countertop materials, people are choosing engineered quartz or porcelain over the more traditional marble and granite. Porcelain is creeping into more kitchens since it’s scratchproof, stainproof and burnproof, while engineered quartz is preferred for its superior strength and incredible durability, not to mention its beauty.
With a few smart upgrades, you can breathe new life into your kitchen and make it a place where every member of the family loves to be. But make sure that your choices in material, layout, appliances, and other features not only look futuristic, but also maintain the functionality you need to cook amazing meals.