10 Home Renovation Tips First-Time Homeowners Should Know

5 Design Hacks That Will Elevate Your Kitchen Experience
June 15, 2021 hometrust

5 Design Hacks That Will Elevate Your Kitchen Experience

Kitchen is a key part of every home. It is the place many memories are made and also the part of the home where bodies, minds and souls of the family is fuelled and replenished. Not just that, the kitchen is also the first thing on the mind of a prospective buyer when considering whether to buy over your home.

Given the importance of the kitchen for a home, it is important to elevate your kitchen experience with the right design hacks. If you are looking for some kitchen renovation inspiration, here are 5 kitchen design hacks that will help you elevate your kitchen experience.

1. Optimise The Cabinet, Countertop Height

tampines ave 4 kitchen cabinets
Tampines Ave 4 ($56,000) by U-Home Interior Design Pte Ltd

As the saying goes, the devil lies in the details. For the kitchen, measurements are where all the details lie. From the cabinet height to the width and depth of the cabinet, every measurement needs to be accurate and precise. And it is not just the cabinet that needs precise measurement.

The countertop is another essential kitchen installation that not only needs to be precise, but it also needs to be optimised. In particular, you need to ensure that the height of the countertop is optimised to your height so that you can rest your arms nicely on the countertop while whipping up your next dish. If you over or underestimate the countertop height, it can create unnecessary discomfort. In the long run, it may even lead to long-term impact on your wrist or your back.

2. Pull-Out Tables For More Space

scandi bedok central 5 room hdb
Bedok Central ($49,000) by U-Home Interior Design Pte Ltd

Countertop space is crucial when it comes to the kitchen. That’s because you need the space to put your ingredients while preparing your next dish or the completed masterpiece that you just whipped up. But with the growing trend of smaller home units, you may not have the luxury of having more countertop space. Luckily, there is a solution for this modern day problem: Pull-out tables.

Pull-out tables are tables that are integrated into the drawer compartment of the cabinet. They are great additions to small kitchens because they bring additional space when needed. At the same time, they don’t take up the limited floor area in the kitchen. When you don’t need the space on the pull-out table, you can simply tuck it back into its spot in the drawer.

Plus, pull-out tables can also double as your work desk when you need to work-from-home, just in case your other half is taking an important call in your usual work-from-home spot.

3. Kitchen Island For Both Your Meal Prep And Meal

tampines greenridges kitchen design
HDB BTO 5-Room Tampines Greenridges
($68,000) by Space Atelier Pte Ltd

If you are not into the idea of a pull-out table and prefer a much bigger space for your meals and meal prep, perhaps you might fancy a kitchen island. Kitchen island is a freestanding unit that lets you do everything, from meal prep to casual dining to storage. It can also be THE spot for your next gathering when you have friends over.

For kitchen islands, there are many functional and aesthetically pleasing concepts for you to choose from. Depending on the space you have in the kitchen, there’s bound to be a kitchen island design that can be designed for your needs.

For instance, if space is not an issue, you can adopt the typical kitchen island. But if you have limited space, there’s the possibility of making the kitchen island movable and tucked under the countertop in the cabinet space. Alternatively, you can also choose a design that lets you integrate the kitchen island with your dining table to extend your dining space when friends come over.

Need inspiration for kitchen island? Get some photo inspiration from Hometrust to find the kitchen island design for your next home renovation.

4. Kitchen Bar/Island For Live Cooking, Dining Experience

kew crescent landed house
Landed House – 63 Kew Crescent ($400,000) by Design Clinic

Having friends over to dine, wine and chill is one of the greatest perks of having your own home. For those who love to have friends over for a great time, you might want to consider taking a leaf out of those teppanyaki restaurants where you have a live cooking and dining experience.

Having a kitchen island/bar lets you fulfil that dream of doing live cooking in front of your friends. Your friends can sit and chill at the kitchen bar while you whip up a delicious meal for them as though you are the famed chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant. The kitchen island also augments as a space for you to serve the piping hot dish to your friends when you are done with your culinary show.

5. Semi Open Concept Kitchen For The Best Of Both Worlds

429 clement ave 3 asian style
429, Clementi Ave 3 ($20,000) by 9 Creation Pte Ltd

Open concept kitchens is one of the hypes for recent renovation trends. And it’s not surprising to know why. The open concept allows for much more efficient use of space and makes the kitchen feel more spacious by creating an illusion of space. For small apartments, open concept kitchen is a great design choice.

But with all design choices, it comes with its own limitations. For open concept kitchens, the biggest limitation is that it limits your cooking options. Because of the open concept, the cooking smell can easily drift into your rooms and furniture. Overtime, it can also lead to oil stains in the space near the kitchen.

Rather than a fully open concept kitchen, opt for a semi-open concept kitchen instead by installing movable sliding doors. Having a semi-open concept kitchen gives you the flexibility to close off your kitchen when you are about to do any heavy, zichar-style cooking. When you are not cooking, you can open it up to make your home feel spacious once more. With a semi-open concept kitchen, you are essentially getting the best of both worlds.

Browse For More Design Hacks On Hometrust

Still undecided on which kitchen design hacks that you like? Why not browse for more design hack ideas on Hometrust?

At Hometrust, we understand that homeowners sometimes need visual cues to help you decide what kitchen designs you like the most. That’s why we have painstakingly curated photo inspirations for the kitchen, from kitchen cabinet to kitchen island to countertop. For more kitchen inspiration, check out our curated photo inspirations.

For homeowners who already know what you want, the next step is to shortlist a trusted and experienced interior design firm for your renovation project. Use Hometrust to shortlist the right interior design firm for you today.

Renovating soon? Speak to top rated interior designers.

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