Old age comes for all of us. One minute you’re running around the neighborhood with your friends in the summer sun without breaking a sweat and the next you’re stopping to stretch half way through a jog and icing your knees at home afterwards. Or maybe you used to be able to suck down milkshakes and a large fry without batting an eye and now you’re watching your sodium and mentally figuring out how many minutes these treat yourself moments are equaling on the Elliptical. But this is how it is, right? You’ve only got one body, and you’re trying to make the best of it. And if all else fails, at least we can find some comfort in age bringing us some wisdom.
Well, kitchens also experience the pains of aging. Unfortunately, most kitchen designs don’t get any wiser with age…
Poor Functionality
But considering how much we use our kitchens every day, it’s almost tragic to see just how many of them are poorly designed. The kitchen is more than just a space for cooking, having evolved into an all-purpose room for everything from gathering with friends to where the kids do their homework. And the wrong layout or even just the wrong layout for your lifestyle, can throw everything out of whack. Instead of an intuitive, streamlined design that helps you easily accomplish whatever you’re setting out to do, you’re hindered.
Then there’s the issue of there never being enough storage. Sure, maybe you have everything you need in your kitchen…somewhere. But the problem is that it’s stowed away and out of reach, impossible to actually access and use. Aren’t you tired of tripping over yourself and wading through drawers of unorganized, miscellaneous, ‘oh, yea, I’ve been looking for that’ things?
Aesthetic Issues
But a well-designed kitchen is more than just “functional”, it’s also about “form.” Your kitchen might have been a looker at one point. But those good old days have faded, haven’t they (I mean, you’re reading this, aren’t you)? When older kitchens grow outdated, it’s usually not just one element, but a combination of factors. It starts with lighting, or a lack thereof – it’s amazing how big of a difference this can make. Then there are the cabinets, the true work-horses of a kitchen. But maybe yours are faded from the decades. And then there are the countertops, now stained, scratched, chipped and dull. And so it goes, all the way down to the floors, dingy and damaged from years of neglect. If you’re nodding while reading this right now, a true floor-to-ceiling overhaul may be just what the doctor ordered. Attacking the issues one at a time is certainly an understandable way to go, but giving yourself permission to start with a clean slate, is the path to a kitchen remodel that feels holistic and thoughtful, and will in the end, tie in and fix both the way it looks AND the functionality issues we discussed earlier.
Adding Entertaining Space
Many builders and homeowners don’t truly consider hosting and entertaining when building kitchen spaces. And that’s a shame, because it’s one of the laments I hear from people most; it’s usually some variation of: “I wish I could have people over, but where would I put them?!” I’m here to tell you, even though I haven’t seen your kitchen, I know there’s hope. A beautiful space to truly enjoy yourself and relax in the company of others is definitely possible.
Whether your kitchen is suffering from one or all of these pains of old age, it can be cured — not good as new, but better than ever.
Come back next week where we’ll be talking more specifically about space, and how often it gets wasted. And in the meantime, if you want to take a look at some truly ageless kitchens, feel free to take a tour through our KITCHEN GALLERY.
See you again soon.
