Designing your dream kitchen is an exciting yet daunting task. It’s not just about choosing the right colors or selecting the latest trends—it’s about creating a space that reflects your style, enhances functionality, and meets the needs of your family for years to come. Whether you’re an experienced cook or just starting out, the right features can make all the difference in creating a kitchen that feels like the heart of your home. Below, we a comprehensive list of the best features to ensure your kitchen design is both beautiful and practical!
Table of Contents:
Design Details
Backsplash Material Options:
Tile, countertop, stone, brick, wallpaper, wood paneling, etc.
Countertop Design:
Thickness – Standard is 3 cm
Edge profile options – Standard is eased, but could also do rounded, beveled, ogee, cove, bullnose, etc.
Cabinet Design:
Height of upper cabinets – We recommend extending upper cabinets to the ceiling
Cabinet door and drawer profile options – Shaker, raised panel, flat panel, etc.
Paint vs stain (or a mix) – Keep in mind, if you want stained cabinets, you will need a higher quality wood
Paneled appliances
Cabinet Hardware Options:
We like to mix knobs and pulls (typically knobs on cabinet doors and pulls on drawers), but there are also cup pulls, pendant/tassel pulls, ring pulls, recessed pulls, finger pulls, and many different shaped knobs, etc.
Cabinet Features
Inset Options:
Flush, full overlay, 1/4″ overlay, traditional overlay, etc.
Cabinet Doors & Drawers Material Options:
Glass, reeded, fluted, cane, wire, etc.
Built-ins & Pullout Options:
Built-in spice rack, built-in paper towel holder, drawer peg divider insert, utensil pullout, mixer lift, blind corner pullout, trash pullout, etc.
Other Features:
Floating shelves
Hidden door – This could be into a pantry or another space (see images above)
Appliance garage or retractable cabinets doors for small appliances – Don’t forget to include an outlet in the space to plug in the appliances
Plumbing Features
Sink Features:
Workstation sink – Comes with lots of convenient features for prepping your food and cleaning up
Beverage faucet – Need a filtration system (we recommend a reverse osmosis (RO) system)
Air switch for garbage disposal
Soap dispenser
Wall Mounted Options:
Pot filler, beer or wine tap, etc.
Appliances
Unique Appliance Options:
Dishwasher drawer, steam oven, ice maker, built-in coffee machine, beverage or wine fridge
Electrical Features
Lighting:
Under-lit lights – Strip lighting under countertops, upper, or lower cabinets
Sconces – Above a sink, above floating shelves, etc.
Pendants – We recommend choosing two larger sized pendants over the island rather than three or four small ones
Recessed puck lights – If you have glass cabinet doors with shelves or floating shelves, a way to make them stand out is adding recessed puck lights under the shelves
Outlets:
Pop-up island outlets
Specific outlet placements for specific appliances – Inside drawer, cabinets, etc.
Remember, a dream kitchen isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about creating a space where you can cook, gather, and make memories for years to come. From smart storage solutions to high-quality finishes, each choice you make will contribute to a space that is both functional and beautiful. We hope these features inspire your kitchen design journey!
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