Kitchen Tips by Guest Blogger Victoria Owens of 'A Home Made by Committee'.
Victoria Owens is a talented Irish blogger originally from Cork now living in Dublin. She, along with Cathy Clarke spawned the popular lifestyle blog 'A Home Made By Committee' which discusses all things home related. Vicky recently moved from a mid-sized old house with a tiny kitchen to a tiny house that is mostly kitchen making a huge difference to the way she cooks and what she can cook...
I loved my old house, I clung to it against reasonable arguments from a lot of people. It was old, impossible to heat and the kitchen was barely fit for purpose as it had a total of two electrical sockets; one for the fridge and the other to be shared by kettle, toaster, washing machine and everything else. The oven was only 50 inches wide so my roasting tins had to be accordingly tiny. There was about two foot of usable counter space so making dinner was an exercise in extreme timing and manoeuvring and all dinners had to be served family style as there was never enough room in that kitchen to artfully arrange and plate the food before serving. However the house had high ceilings, big windows, a big back garden and best of all a fireplace I painted white and draped with a festive swag every Christmas. I loved that house.
However circumstances dictated I move, so I found a tiny house close by that seemed too cramped for comfort until I walked to the back of the house and found the kitchen. This kitchen was a revelation, it was new and bright, the fridge was huge and there were sockets everywhere. Everything was modern and clean and having come from a house layered thick with a hundred years’ worth of paint on every wall, window ledge and door frame it weirdly felt a relief to be somewhere fresh.
I would never have realised this was what I wanted if the move hadn’t been forced on me.
Redesigning your Kitchen
If you are planning a redesign for your kitchen you need to really think about what it will be used for. Will you want to eat there, would a breakfast bar do or do you need space for a table? Think about the space you have and how best to use it.
Cooking or Entertaining in the Kitchen? Or both?
Do you cook at all, will you just be boiling a kettle and using the fridge for wine and milk? If so, then a wee kitchen will suffice and you can have more space for entertaining. If you do like to cook and entertain create a space that will work for you. Make sure you have space for a big cooker with as many ovens and burners as you need. Is your fridge big enough? Do you need a stand- alone freezer? If you have big platters and tins make sure your sink can accommodate them.
Kitchen Sockets and more Kitchen Sockets
Put in as many sockets as you think and then add a few more. There is nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of making an elaborate meal and realising you have to plug something out to plug something else in.
Counter Space and Storage in the Kitchen
Let me tell you now you will never have enough counter space, my Mum has a long kitchen with counters running along both sides and when it was first put in we thought this was an amazing amount of space, decorating a long kitchen is simple, but after a few months it started to feel cramped. The more prep space you have the more you will want. Let storage be your watchword, cupboards fill up very quickly.
My Dream Kitchen
My dream, when I buy my own house is to sit down with someone and say this is what I want from this space and have them plan something beautiful, interesting and above all fit for purpose. I have definite thoughts about what I need and I want to have someone translate these thoughts into the kitchen of my dreams, I am a cook not an interior designer and I know my limitations but whether you plan to design and decorate your own kitchen or work with someone the best advice I can give is to sit down and really think about how you use your current kitchen, what does work and what makes you want to scream in frustration and let that knowledge guide your decisions.
Thinking about redesigning your kitchen or approaching the blank canvass of a new build and looking for the best advice? Learn more about Residential Interior Design Services with McMullin Design.
