You have been living in your house for a while, and you decide that it is time to transform your kitchen with a new renovation project. It is not enough just to make your kitchen look more aesthetically pleasing; you want more. You want to transform your kitchen into something modern and fresh, but you have no idea what you want or where to start.
The kitchen is the centerpiece of the home, so it is essential that your kitchen renovation transforms your kitchen into something appealing, safe, and functional for you and your family. Keep reading to learn ten modern renovations that you can do to go the next step in your kitchen’s transformation and really bring it into the modern era.
Add a Kitchen Island to Increase Your Kitchen’s Functionality
A kitchen island is usually one of the first ideas that come to mind when brainstorming about kitchen renovations. Islands are highly customizable and have the ability to do the following:
- Open up your kitchen space
- Provide more seating for family or guests
- Increase the storage space in your kitchen
If your kitchen is incased in three walls and closed off to the rest of the house, an island with a support beam could provide you with an open floorplan concept without losing the support for the home.
In addition, an island is useful to have when hosting events. Not only does it provide extra seating for your guests, but it also increases the counter space for greater prep and food display areas.
Install New Cabinets to Individualize your Kitchen
During a kitchen renovation, new cabinets speak for themselves. They are highly customizable and can flow with the contemporary look of your house or dare to be different with popping colors and funky designs. Either way, it adds a touch of personality to the house.
You can upgrade your new cabinets to have soft-close or gentle-open features. This is becoming more popular because it can reduce wear, stop that ear-deafening sound of wood slamming against wood, and add a taste of luxury to your kitchen.
You can also change the height of your cabinets to maximize accessibility and usage. If you have limited mobility or if there is a significant height difference among the members of your household, adjusting the height and/or functionality of your cabinets during your kitchen renovation may help tailor your kitchen to your individual needs.
New Countertops Can Keep You Safe and Spruce Up Your Kitchen
When renovating your kitchen, new countertops are a must-have. You can trade-in your stained and scratched countertops and add a new layer of freshness to your kitchen. Countertops are customizable and most commonly come in granite, quartz, or marble.
- Granite, or stone, countertops are made from all-natural stone and sealed to protect them from scratches, heat, and wear. They are not stain-resistant, however, so be careful with that delicious pasta sauce.
- Quartz is made from pressed and sealed natural stone and has become popular in modern times. Unlike granite, it is not heat resistant, but once it is in place in your kitchen, it does not need continuous maintenance.
- Marble is beautiful and a staple of luxury to most homeowners, but it does not perform well when it comes to staining and durability. It scratches easily, which can be more than an eyesore. Scratches in countertops can provide a safe place for germs and bacteria to hide and thrive, which can be harmful to you and your housemates.
Hardwood Floors Can Really Bring the House Together
While you are mulling over ideas about how to renovate your kitchen, hardwood floors would be a great addition to the list of things to do. You can choose from various colors and patterns to add contrast or bring your home together.
Hardwood floors are durable and, when properly treated, can stand up to messy spills and humid conditions. They are easy to clean, and unlike carpet, hardwood floors do not trap dust, which greatly improves air quality. Hardwood lasts for many years and requires very little maintenance.
People are switching from tile to hardwood floors more frequently for a few reasons.
- For one, hardwood is generally more comfortable to walk on than tile, especially in the winter months when stepping on tile can feel like stepping on ice.
- Another reason is like cracks in countertops can hold bacteria, so can the grooves of tile floors. Even with daily mopping, bacteria can still thrive and negatively affect you and your family.
Recessed and Ambient Lighting Can Save Energy
Recessed and ambient lighting gives a kitchen a taller and more spacious look. With the lack of bulky light fixtures that intrude into the space from the ceiling, kitchens with recessed lighting can house more lights, which brighten up the area.
By using recessed or ambient lighting, you have the chance to say goodbye to halogen lamps and upgrade to LED lighting. Here are some benefits of LED lights:
- LED lights can be adjusted to give off a whiter light than halogen.
- LEDs run cooler than halogen even though they shine brighter.
- LED lights are up to 75% more energy-efficient, which is great for the environment.
Recessed and ambient lighting can also be dimmable, so you can set the mood for all occasions and increase the functionality of your kitchen.
Adding Backsplash Can Make Your Kitchen Stylish
There is little doubt that adding a backsplash to your renovation plans can spice up any kitchen. In addition to sprinkling in a bit of your personal style and being incredibly easy to clean, a backsplash can add a layer of protection to your house as well.
Most people would not think of backsplash first when they think pest control, but backsplash can play a critical role in keeping out unwanted pests like insects, spiders, or small mice that can chew through the drywall to get to your kitchen.
Backsplash preserves your kitchen walls and makes cleaning up cooking splatter or kitchen spills quick and painless. It also prevents moisture damage from splashing water, and the humid conditions cooking creates. The best part is the tiles are replaceable if one of them is damaged.
Modern Appliances Are More Efficient and Look More Luxurious
No kitchen renovation is complete without new appliances. Imagine getting new cabinets, floors, and countertops, and then you keep your 1980s white polystyrene plastic refrigerator. Not the best look for a modern kitchen transformation.
Replacing your appliances during a kitchen renovation gives you a great opportunity to upgrade them to smart appliances. Here are some reasons why you may want to do that:
- Smart appliances can save you money by allowing you to monitor your usage and energy consumption.
- You can control smart appliances from an app on your phone when you are at work or on vacation.
- Smart appliances connect to the internet and monitor themselves, and if something is wrong, they will alert your phone.
- They can download recipes and other cooking tips from the web using the barcodes from the items you want to cook.
- You can program smart appliances to fit your individual needs.
Whether or not you choose to install smart appliances, the machines of today are not only more energy-efficient, but items like stainless steel dishwashers, ovens, and refrigerators will give your new kitchen an elegant and finished look.
Disposal Appliances Can Save Time and the Environment
Disposal appliances are easily looked over during the home renovation process, but they might be one of the most important upgrades that you can make to transform your kitchen.
A Good Garbage Disposal is Irreplaceable in a Modern Kitchen
Installing a garbage disposal in your new modern kitchen can help you, your home, and the environment. Here are some of the ways that garbage disposals make a difference:
- Disposals help you eliminate food waste without throwing it away.
- Disposals help reduce smelly trash and the use of trash bags.
- Disposals reduce the risk of pests inside and outside of the home.
- Disposals help prevent the environmental problem of overfilled landfills.
Some disposals can even create fertilizer for your household plants and backyard gardens, which will make them grow even bigger.
Vacuum Dustpans Make Cleaning the Floor a Breeze
Vacuum dustpans, or Vacpans, are a relatively new appliance. They have been included in new manufactured homes for nearly a decade but have only just started to make the rounds in modern kitchen renovations.
Vacpans streamline the cleaning process and eliminate the use of a dustpan when sweeping up dirt and dried food. Vacpans reduce your cleaning time and prevent lower back injury from bending over in awkward positions to sweep up dust. Using a foot pedal, you just turn on the vacuum and sweep in the contents.
Pop-Up Outlets Are Safe, Stylish, and Will Save You Energy
While transforming your kitchen, you may want to consider upgrading to pop-up outlets. Pop-up outlets can save you from cutting into your freshly installed backsplash, and you don’t have to worry about blocking the outlets on the wall.
Pop-up outlets have a futuristic look that will escort your kitchen to the modern era and keep it there for years to come. They can be closed into the countertop when not in use to maximize counter space, and they use a low wattage, which can save you energy.
Children love to pull on unfamiliar loose cords, especially exposed cords, over the sides of the kitchen island. To keep your children and pets safe from pulling something down onto themselves, update your new island with pop-up outlets. Keeping cords out of the reach of grabby hands and clumsy tails makes for a safe and happy family.
Water Filtration Systems Improve the Taste of Water and Food
Transforming your kitchen with a water filtration system can protect your drinking water from harmful sediments and invisible contaminants that may be found in your water. These are just a few of the ways that adding a water filtration system can improve your life:
- It improves the taste of your morning beverages.
- The taste of ice and homemade ice cream will be light and fresh.
- They protect formula-fed babies from harmful additives in the water.
- Baked goods and homemade meals will be more flavorful and have a better consistency.
Water filtration systems remove heavy metals and chemicals from the water you consume every day, which can create, promote, and support a healthier lifestyle for you and your loved ones.
In Conclusion
Renovating your kitchen is no easy task, and it takes time and dedication to design and build the best kitchen for you. Taking this opportunity to transform and modernize your kitchen with up-to-date appliances and stylish designs will take your kitchen to the next level and make your life easier, healthier, and more energy-efficient.
Element Home Remodeling East Bay is a kitchen remodeling contractor serving the entire Bay Area. We specialize in clean and modern kitchen designs and can create the perfect kitchen you’ve always wanted. Contact us today for a free consultation.
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