How to: make the most of your kitchen

James Rippon James Rippon
The Drive, Haus12 Interiors Haus12 Interiors Modern style kitchen
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Not only is the the thought of any renovation slightly daunting, it is also twice as exciting. Dreaming up a new space in your home and watching it come to fruition is highly rewarding, and is more often than not, a worthwhile investment financially. That was certainly the case for this family, who enlisted the skills of in-toto, once they decided it was time for a new kitchen to form a space better suited to their busy lifestyle. The previous kitchen of their 1950s detached home in Newcastle Upon Tyne was small and dated, and as you will soon see, the new version couldn't be further from what it used to be. To see how to make the most of your kitchen, and help it to become a space that is so much more than just for cooking, take a look below.

An invigorated space

Looking at the finished result of what is now a completely elegant kitchen, it leaves us curious as to what it may have looked like before. Today, it its the epitome of well curated and modern open plan kitchens. It is welcoming, bright, and contemporary, and is so inviting it entices the family to interact and hang out here, even if food isn't being prepared. A charming palette dominated by tones of grey can be seen, whilst the kitchen island is one unit, but clearly divided for different purposes. On one end you see bench space for food prep, whilst the perpendicular timber half is for dining, relaxing, and entertaining.

Lighting of all types

Low hanging industrial style lighting lines the ceiling above the island, ensuring this area is the centre of the kitchen both physically and visually. Lining the rear wall and island benchtop is recessed neon white lighting, which only accentuates the grey tones and silver of the appliances. Tucked neatly into the island is a new wine cooler, ensuring the kitchen will be a place for socialising as much as any other function. Lovely new windows line one wall of the new kitchen, offering an uninterrupted view out onto the landscape below, flooding the entire level in ample natural light. Kitchens are not often afforded the luxury of full-height windows, so this aspect in itself is a real selling point.

Purpose

By using timber for one end of the kitchen island we instantly recognise this is an area designed for a different purpose to the opposite side. It serves as a small breakfast bar and dining table for meals on the go, for kids to do homework whilst mum or dad cook, or for a relaxed glass of wine on a Friday evening in.

Kitchen bookshelf

Above the modern steel appliances we find a bookshelf for the owners' favourite cookbooks. Not only are they here for easy access, but they are also make for a colourful decorative feature. Bookshelves often feature in our lounge rooms, hallways, and home offices, but why not ever in our kitchens?

Details

Contrasting the rich tones of timber are modern breakfast bar chairs of polished steel and two-toned leather, which add an eclectic touch to the balanced design of the entire space. A simple but impactful kitchen such as this is sure to be a worthwhile investment both financially and practically, and it won't be needing another upgrade for many years to come.

To see more ways to incorporate an island into your home for a more social and well integrated kitchen, check out these 10 modern kitchen island designs.

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