Dream Kitchen - Top Picks

Everyone has their dream kitchen that they’re looking to make a reality. We’ve put together my top picks for remodeling or designing your next kitchen.

1) Ample Work Space

If you love to cook, having a dream kitchen wouldn’t just be for show. It needs to look great of course, but needs to function well. Entertaining is also a big consideration, as we do host frequently, into the design of the kitchen as people tend to flock to the kitchen area. Having ample work space and generously spaced aisles are key to the ultimate kitchen.

A minimum recommended aisle width is 42 inches for a good working environment. An ideal and more comfortable width (and the minimum I try to design to, is 48 inches or 4 feet). If you have a household that always has more than one cook in the kitchen, expanding the aisle way to between 52 and 54 inches is not a bad idea. The extra space will make it easier to function around the tight spots such as around the sink, stove and fridge. But don’t go too big as bigger isn’t always better in this situation. Much wider than 54 inches will create more walking than necessary.

2) Separate Full-size Fridge & Freezer – Stainless Steel

If designing a large kitchen, I love the look and functionality of separate full-size refrigerator and freezer. It works great for people who host or have a large family as it gives extra storage that is easily accessible.

A great option for location of a full-size fridge and freezer is into a pantry wall. This way you can have the option of matching the depth of the pantry for a finished, built-in look.

3) More Drawers, Not Doors

I always find that drawers in the kitchen are more functional than doors on base cabinets. Given the option I’d choose doors in a second. You can organize and find things with pulling the drawers out instead of bending down and searching deep into the cabinets.

If your kitchen space/design allows for this, think about extra-deep drawers as these can be great for storing pots and pans, serving plates, or any other larger items that you may have difficulty finding a place for. And if drawers aren’t your favorite, look to incorporate wide cabinets (36inches) as those will be able to hold nearly any item in your kitchen.

4) Extra Large Island

Extra-large islands are perfect to give homeowners ample work space to prepare meals. The typical depth of standard countertop is 24inchces, but with an island you can expand to 36 or 48 inches. This extra 12 to 24 inches allows for more space for prepping and entertaining. For taller individuals raising the island height from the standard 36 inch height to 40 inches can take some stress of the back.

Kitchen islands tend to serve multiple duties. Namely an eating area. Think about adding seating on two sides of the island so you, your family and/or guests can face one another easier.

5) Remove Wall Cabinets and Add Some Windows

Everyone likes to bring in some natural light into their home. It gives the home a warm, open feeling and as bonus, the extra daylight shining through can cut down your electricity bill as artificial lighting isn’t required as often. So when designing a home or kitchen remodel prioritizing windows over upper cabinets is something I look to do. It can visually open up the kitchen, making it feel even bigger.

If storage and space is extremely important and you can’t afford to lose upper cabinets, maybe adding a horizontal strip window under the cabinetry replacing the backsplash. Or if love the custom concept of adding a backsplash all your own, perhaps a bank of windows at the top of wall above the upper cabinets could bring in the natural light to the kitchen.

 6) Walk-In Pantry

Storage is a concern for a number of kitchens. And if selecting to do windows instead of cabinetry (such as in number 6 above) you will need to find an area to store your food and other items. I personally like to design a walk-in pantry, accessible from the kitchen that can store food, appliances, vacuums, etc…to help keep your home organized. If the home does not allow for a small walk-in pantry having design a pantry wall in the kitchen is the next best thing. This makes the kitchen efficient with a dedicated are for storage.

7) Large Induction Range

If you’re looking for that high-end restaurant kitchen, look no further than adding a large induction range. Some people prefer to have a separate single or double wall-mounted oven, which works great in a large kitchen, but does cost more. The cheaper alternative is to have the large induction range as an all-in-one. It serves the same purpose and looks great. Also, added perk, boils water in seconds!

8) Wine Fridge & Beverage Center

Loving to host friends and family for dinner and drinks, the fridge becomes extremely full when you start adding a couple bottles of wine and a 6-pack of beer in it. Having a separate built-in fridge dedicated for wine and another just for beverages will add elegance to your kitchen as well as make it more organized.

As wine enthusiasts know, it’s important to keep wine at peak conditions. This is a great way without spending thousands of dollars on a wine cellar. Also, the beverage center can be used not only for beer and alcohol; you can store bottles of water or juice boxes for the kids that they can easily access.

9) Quiet Dishwasher

Open concept floor plans are great, but they do allow for noise to transfer room to room much easier. Having a quiet running dishwasher in your open-concept kitchen will help minimize any noise pollution moving out of the kitchen. Look for a decibel level below 45. These are a little pricier, but it makes a difference when you don’t have to shout at each other when you’re having a conversation or crank up the TV to drown out the noise of the dishwasher.

10) Hands-free Faucet

The hands free faucet is an item that works great for cooks in the kitchen and for the messy children coming in from playing. They work by merely touching anywhere on the faucet, and you can even use your forearm or elbow if your hands are dirty. Some also have sensors embedded in the neck of the faucet that you just have to wave your hand in front of to turn it on and off. This wish-list item will make you wonder why you didn’t make the change earlier.

11) Large Single-bowl Sink

Having a large sink in a kitchen I feel is very important. You need the space for pots and pans, dishes and the area to work and clean. Having a double-bowl sink limits your space and ability to fit things into the sink to clean. Look for the range of 24-30inches for the width of the sink for adequate space.

There a numerous sizes, materials and colours these sinks can come in to fit into the kitchen design. Stainless or dark granite composite are the best for maintenance and stains. Undermount the sink for the easiest cleanup around the sink.

12) Durable & Low-maintenance Flooring

Keeping a kitchen clean is tough work that takes time. Putting in durable and low-maintenance flooring is key, as I think the flooring in the kitchen needs to be able to take a beating due the traffic and furniture being moved all around on it. I like to look to porcelain tiles for kitchens. They are strong and come in a variety of sizes and colours to fit into the design of your kitchen. The porcelain tile to go for is colour-body or through-body. This means the tile colour goes through the tile versus a glazed where there is just a coating on top which shows scratches and chips more.

13) Nana-wall Folding Doors & Windows

Nana Wall is a company that designs engineered glass wall systems, my favorite being the Folding Glass Wall System. They act in an accordion aspect folding each door into one another to a small area given the room an open feeling and brings the outdoors in. Nana Wall has also recently designed a folding door system that can be linked with a folding window system. Both options bring your kitchen design to the next level and add tons of natural light into the space. It can also double as a bar opening to the exterior, depending on the home design.