This is PART II of our mini series on the topic 7 items to spend your money on in a new kitchen. Last week we’ve covered counter-tops, cabinetry and cabinetry hardware. This week we go into appliances and details. So here are the next 4 items to complement our list.
Item #4
TAPWARE – Choose a quality tapware – doesn’t need to be the most expensive one, but also not just the cheapest one. Here are some features your tapware should have – a stainless steel body, a ceramic disc valve and a magnetic spray pull down design. Another tip is to choose a mixer instead of the two knobs (hot / cold). I’ve found mixers easier to use and I like their contemporary look.
Item #5
LIGHTING – Sufficient lighting is very important in a kitchen. Lighting can be divided into three categories – general lighting, task lighting and ambient lighting. Your general lighting is your large ceiling lighting or your down lights. Task lighting is installed in places where you need additional lighting for cutting, preparing etc. Having a light-strip or down lights installed under your upper cabinets gives you more lighting on your bench-top. Installing a set of pendants over your island bench provides a great light source and helps with task lighting too.
My hot tip: in an open floor plan kitchen | dining | living space make sure all your lighting is dimmable. It gives you more flexibility at any time of day and night.
Photo by Elizabeth Bowman Ltd – Discover kitchen design ideas
Photo by Hamlin Goldreyer Architects – Search kitchen design ideas
Item #6
APPLIANCES – You don’t need to go for top-of-the-range for all your appliances. However, considering a reputable brand for cooktop and rangehood is a great investment. An example would be that gas stove burners are more powerful, which I have experienced myself and can confirm that fact. Higher-quality rangehoods are more efficient and fulfill their job better.
My recommendation for you would be an induction cooktop due to multiple reasons. Induction cooks faster than gas, it is gentle to the nutrients in your food, you cannot burn your fingers on the stove (great feature for households with small children) and of course easier to clean. In terms of rangehood choose a ducted one, which sucks steam, odors etc. from cooking to outside. Installing great brands is more desirable for home buyers if you want to sell your home.
Photo by Miele USA – Look for home design design inspiration
Photo by Melbourne Design Studios (MDS) – Look for kitchen pictures
Item #7
SINK – To invest a little bit more into your kitchen sink is worth the money. Here are two aspects why – 1. In my opinion cheap stainless steel sinks can visually break the design of your kitchen; 2. stainless steel sinks are harder to clean.
Also these days people choose undermount sinks a lot more often and they are so much harder to replace if a sink breaks. Your sink is after the tapware the most commonly used item in the kitchen. Man-made stone is an excellent choice or if you prefer a seamless look choose a solid surface bench-top and get the sink integrated.
Photo by Westheimer Plumbing & Hardware – More kitchen ideas
Photo by thirdstone inc. [^] – Discover kitchen design ideas
Let me know in the comments below if this article was useful to you or if you have any questions to these topics. I will develop a blog post just on induction cooktops to give you more information on that and why I am such a huge fan of them :)
For the case you have missed PART I of our mini-series, then click here to read the post.
