Homeowners today expect a lot from their kitchens. The kitchen must function not just for preparing food but for paying bills, studying, gathering and entertaining. In general, today’s kitchen is never too large or too extravagant. And, more importantly, realtors agree that if you invest in your kitchen, you will get your money back when it comes time to sell. See what Falconcrest Homes‘ in-house interior designer Anna Jilon recommends for five kitchen upgrades for your new home that you should not skimp on.
1.Upgrade the Upper Cabinetry Height to 100 Centimeters
Upgrading your cabinetry height from the standard 76 cm to 100 cm will allow more storage in the upper cabinets and reduce the space between the upper cabinets and ceiling. And, where there is a bulkhead in the kitchen, usually on the stove wall, extended height upper cabinets can be installed just below the bulkheads.
2. Upgrade to a 60 Centimeters Deep Fridge Enclosure
Upgrading the deep fridge enclosure to 60 cm with gables will provide additional storage and easy access to the above cabinet.
Anna explains, “With a counter depth fridge, which does not exceed 62 cm in depth, only the doors protrude from the deep fridge enclosure, whereas with a deep capacity fridge, the fridge sticks out past the enclosure and you see more of the top and sides of the fridge.”
Anna further recommends investing in a future counter-depth French door fridge (rather than a deep capacity fridge).
Anna added, “If the standard location of the fridge is beside a wall, I recommend a plan to move the fridge opening approx 40 to 50 cm. Increasing the opening from the wall will accommodate a future French door fridge and assure that the doors will open properly, allowing full access to your crispers.”
3. To Add Storage and Keep Your Kitchen Organized, Include a Pantry in the Design
Including a pantry in a kitchen, regardless of the size, is alway a preferred feature of any kitchen. And for easy access to your pantry items, consider adding pullout drawers on the bottom of the pantry.
4. Adding a Wall Oven Cabinet with a Base Cooktop Cabinet is Always a Practical Upgrade
The wall oven cabinet will accommodate a microwave/oven combo or a double oven. It also provides additional storage with a deep upper cabinet above and a pull out drawer below. Add, for more organized storage, upgrade the cabinetry below the cooktop to pot and pan drawers.
5. Anna Highly Recommends Upgrading to 3 cm Thick Granite or Quartz Countertops
Anna explains, “Upgrading the countertops adds style to your kitchen and is easy to maintain. I also recommend including an under mount sink.”
For more information on kitchen upgrades for your new home that you should not skimp on be sure to contact Falconcrest Homes‘ in-house Interior designer Anna Jilon.