If you’re someone who loves to cook and entertain, having a well-designed kitchen is crucial. Planning and designing your perfect kitchen can be overwhelming, so here are some features we recommend when it comes to custom house design.
An Open Layout
One feature you need in your custom house design is an open layout kitchen, especially if you want to be cooking and entertaining. You want your layout to allow guests to flow through the kitchen while providing plenty of space for cooking and gathering.
So think about the space between countertops, so guests can go through and you can open drawers and cupboards comfortably. Decide if you want an island and how many guests you want it to seat. The layout is crucial in hosting and cooking, so it’s important to consider all your needs while laying out the blueprints for your kitchen.
The Right Storage
Though it’s not an exciting feature, thoughtfully planned storage spaces can enhance the flow of your kitchen as both a cooking and gathering space. So think about your storage needs, and your builder will help design purposeful and handy storage.
For example, take a corner shelving area and turn your doors into a slide-in feature that, when opened, reveals a perfect coffee and tea nook with your mugs, sugar, coffee maker, and water kettle. Another example is having your garbage cans in their own pull-out cabinet. And don’t forget about having pull-out drawers with tiered rows for spice racks. Having designated storage spaces for these items not only helps hide clutter but it makes everything highly accessible and clean, too.
Layered Lighting
Different tasks in the kitchen call for different kinds of lighting. Cooking at the stove, chopping vegetables, washing dishes, chatting with friends, doing homework – these all require different light sources. Layering your lighting helps cover every area with the right kind and amount of lighting.
So this may include recessed ceiling lights for ambient light, spotlights to illuminate work areas like the sink and stove, pendant lights to light up an island or peninsula, and windows to let natural light in during the day.
Walk-In Pantry
Including a walk-in pantry in your custom home design adds a whole new dimension of convenience and comfort to your kitchen. It will also help keep clutter at bay! You can use your pantry for large food items without sacrificing space in your kitchen cabinets. A pantry also provides plenty of room to keep frequently used items at eye level and space to store appliances (mixers, air fryers, blenders) that you don’t use as often.
Pot Filler
This feature seems small, but it makes a huge impact on function. There are few people who regret including this detail in their kitchen plans! Whether you’re filling up a pot of water for pasta or filling your tea kettle, this feature will fill up your cookware with water without needing to be carried around. So not only is this amazing for convenience’s sake, but if you have trouble lifting heavier items like a full pot of water, you no longer have to worry about doing that. These fixtures come in a variety of styles and materials, so they can fit your taste and décor style with no problem.
Warming Drawers
Again, if you love to host, adding in warming drawers will help make your parties even more of a success. Just as the name suggests, warming drawers help to keep food and dinnerware warm. If you’re a baker, you’ll also love this feature as it will help you proof your dough. With a warming drawer in your custom house design, you’ll be more than happy to host Thanksgiving dinner for the whole family.
The Latest Kitchen Technology
Smart kitchen technology can help make planning and preparing meals easier than ever! Smart ovens pre-heat remotely and automatically adjust temperature and cooking times. And smart microwaves and motion-activated faucets offer other ways to incorporate technology into your new kitchen. When you embrace smart-home tech in your kitchen, you create a more functional space you’ll love.
Ready to Build Your Custom Home?
We hope these features inspire you for your kitchen design! If you’re ready to turn your custom home design dreams into reality, Ridgeline Homes is ready to help.
At Ridgeline Homes, we don’t just build you a house; we build you the beautiful custom-design home of your dreams. We help you make your vision come to life and will assist you in choosing the perfect lot all the way down to the small details, like knobs on your cabinets. We also schedule several walk-throughs throughout the building process and send you notifications when milestones are achieved. Let us show you how simple and enjoyable custom homeownership can be. We’re ready to start this exciting process with you.
