The life of a family is a busy one. Parents are always wrangling kids, or doing a mad dash to make sure everything and everyone is ready for the day.
With the kitchen at the heart of any home, ensuring its design is optimised to suit your lifestyle can save you a lot of hassle in the long run. So, if you’re looking at updating your kitchen, there are a few things you should consider.
At DDK, we’ve designed a lot of kitchens for a lot of families, so we’ve collated a list of the things you should keep in mind for your family kitchen design.
4 family kitchen ideas to make your life easier
1. Choose the right layout
The optimal layout for your family kitchen design will depend on a few factors, including the age of your kids and your family dynamic.
If you have younger children or prefer to keep your family out of the kitchen when you’re cooking, a U shape layout will be the best option for you. This closes off access to one area, with only one entrance to the kitchen. This is useful in keeping small kids away from potential hazards, and is ideal for busier households when you don’t want people coming in and out while dinner prep is happening.
On the other hand, an open plan offers a welcoming and collaborative space. Parents can have dinner going while chatting with the kids, or helping them with their homework. Plus, if it opens out into a dining space, you can turn it into a multi-use family room. By using different materials, flooring, lighting, or colour schemes you can create different zones in your open plan space devoted to cooking, dining or relaxing. You should keep similar shapes, materials and textures so you can maintain visual cohesion.
2. Include a breakfast bar/kitchen island
A breakfast bar or kitchen island serves as a useful, versatile tool and a great modern family kitchen idea. It can be a prep space, an eating space, and an entertaining area for any guests you or your family members bring over. Just think about how much easier it would make your kids birthday parties to have a dedicated serving station within your kitchen.
It will also make your mornings a lot more convenient. With food, seating, and washing up all close by, you can save time each morning while chatting with the kids as you prep for the day.
It also offers safety measures, since it acts as a physical barrier between your kids and your stove. Plus, a lot of modern family kitchens with islands keep the sink on the perimeter behind the cooktop, meaning you can check the way is clear before turning towards it with a knife or boiling water.
3. Allow for plenty of storage options
A busy lifestyle means it’s easy for kitchen messes to get out of hand, but with good storage you have a higher chance of keeping things organised. It will keep clutter to a minimum, which is important when you have a house full of people all using the kitchen in some capacity.
Make the most of the space you have with plenty of drawers and cupboards. You can get creative with hidden compartments within your kitchen island, or a pull-out pantry. We also advise using a mix of open and closed shelving. You can showcase less used items on open shelves, like special occasion China, while staying out of the kids’ reach.
As the kids get older, they’ll likely want to do things themselves, so keep kids cups and plates in bottom drawers. That way they can easily grab things without making a mess or hurting themselves.
4. Keep functionality in mind
Your modern family kitchen should work for you, so make sure that while you’re designing it, you consider how you want your kitchen to function.
The working triangle remains to be one of the most efficient uses of space, since it works aesthetically and practically. The stove, the fridge and the sink are the three points in your kitchen where most tasks are done, and when the imaginary lines between them make the shape of a triangle, it cuts down unnecessary travel. You’ll thank yourself for this organised layout in the morning rush, since everything is so conveniently located.
If you have younger kids, think about using an induction stove over a gas one, and keeping your oven at eyelevel. This just makes things safer and will give you peace of mind not having to worry about safety risks. From a practical stand point, you should also use materials that are easy to clean, and unlikely to show marks or smudges.
Ask DDK for help with your family kitchen design
Looking for more advice on optimising your kitchen design? Look no further.
Whether you’re chasing small family kitchen ideas, or designing a modern kitchen for your large family, we can help you create the kitchen of your dreams using these four easy steps.
Get in touch today for a free design consultation, and we’ll bring your modern family kitchen to life.