Function Vs Design

The kitchen has become a space that we spend a great deal of time – often referred to as the heart of the home.

A functional kitchen that is timeless and stylish requires a keen eye for detail, planning and use of space. Our top four key points to keep in mind when blending function with design are below.

Space allowing; opening up a home allows spaces to appear attractive, brighter and contemporary while also allowing for even the smallest of spaces to be utilised. Open concept living may require more renovation work; but it is highly beneficial for turning small, cramped kitchens into contemporary living spaces.

Being able to do many activities in one space as a family allows natural interactions whilst doing individual tasks such as cooking, watching TV or even homework!

Adding an island to the kitchen is a natural way to introduce a different colour, texture or add a functional zone to a room. 

Neutral or bold, entirely up to you. Colour is possibly the best way to bring personality into any space and ensure it really reflects the people who use those spaces the most. 

For those designing with a mind of future property sale, you may choose to go for a muted colour palette that enables potential buyers to envision themselves in your property.

However; if you are designing a kitchen completely for yourself you may decide to mix and match colours and textures. You may even decide to look at a bespoke colour; with many of our suppliers offering options for RAL colour paints.

A big trend for this year; plants can be a great way to bring colour to a kitchen and an indoor herb garden blends functionality with design perfectly. (for more trends please see our blog post design trends for 2022)

Having enough storage in your kitchen is something we keep in mind with every kitchen project. Looking at ways to utilise every inch of potential storage space is an art in itself; often we turn to smart storage ideas to help overcome this age old issue.

A few proven customer favorite’s for maximising storage include; Le-Mans corner pull outs, Orgastore larder drawer units and built in bins. To give you more than ample storage why not consider a separate walk in corner pantry.

There are many ways to bring light to your kitchen space; because dimly lit spaces are not desirable in any room.

The main lighting should be focused over areas that will see the most activity. Lighting underneath wall units and shelving is an excellent way to ensure there is adequate worktop lighting for activity like food preparation.

Add ambient and decorative lighting to the essential task lighting to add intrigue and make your kitchen features stand out. The key here is to see what works for your space; this may mean adding or removing lighting until you find what works best for each space.

Materials can accentuate lighting; for instance a high gloss finish on doors will reflect any natural light as well as artificial lighting; making a space feel brighter during peak times of the day.

We would like to thank Multiwood for the inspiration for this Blog post!