Quiet, easy-glide drawers.Drawers tend to be more user-friendly than cabinets, requiring less bending and reaching. This is especially true if they have soft-close slides that take jarring sounds out of the equation. Comfort for your ears may not be on your radar, but a softly-softly approach in the kitchen will enhance its livability. To further soak up noise, soften the acoustics with rugs, curtains and other soft furnishings in the space that adjoins the kitchen.
Body-friendly island seating. Perching on a wooden stool can get pretty uncomfortable pretty quickly, especially for adults. Upholstered chairs with backs are the ultimate in comfort, and if you live somewhere that gets hot, steer away from vinyl or plastic — peeling yourself off a sweaty chair is appealing to no one.
Temperature control. How hot does it get where you live? And what are the mornings like in winter? Start the day right with a kitchen heated or cooled to a comfortable temperature. Anyone breakfasting in this kitchen can be assured of toasty toes no matter how freezing it is in the rest of the house.
Tip: If you have no need for heating in your kitchen, you can still add a sense of warmth with the addition of wood accents in seating, shelving, countertops or cabinetry.
Comfy, casual dining. A breakfast nook adds comfort to any kitchen, encouraging people to linger a little longer before getting on with the day. Plenty of padding and cushions, perhaps even a throw or two, will make it so delightful you’ll want to sit here for lunch and dinner too.
No-reach corners. Galley kitchens remove the need for corner cabinets. But if an L- or U-shaped kitchen better suits your space, make the contents in corner cupboards easy to reach with one of the smart corner solutions on the market.
Handy handles. Some handles can have unexpectedly sharp edges or require your hand to scrunch into an unnatural position to open a drawer. Consider removing the need for handles altogether with push-to-open drawers like these.
The perfect pantry. Get the details right in your pantry and your family will thank you for it. Like the fridge, the pantry is accessed numerous times a day, by more than just the cook.
This pantry provides easy access to its contents with a combination of slide-out drawers, shallow shelving and spice racks attached to the doors.
Ready for action. What’s the point of having life-easing small appliances when they’re stashed far out of reach? A kitchen designer will be able to help you come up with solutions. Ask to have small appliances designed to be hidden from sight at will if you’d rather not have them always on display.
In this kitchen, everything is easily accessible, but bifold doors quickly turn the room into a sleek space when it’s time for entertaining.
The right counter height. If you’re renovating the kitchen, you have an opportunity to put comfort first by thinking about how high you want your countertops to be. Before you demolish the old kitchen, experiment by stacking a breadboard or two on the counter and seeing how it feels to prep food with a little extra height. On the flip side, stand on a sturdy book to see if counters positioned a little lower would be better for you.
Island wine storage. Are you the type to order everyone out of the kitchen while you’re cooking because you feel they get under your feet? Put your kitchen island to good use with a bar fridge, wine rack or both that can be accessed by your partner and guests without them having to enter the kitchen.
Several sources of light. Natural light is a godsend in any kitchen, but it pays to be smart about it. Giant windows that let in the western afternoon sun can make for a sweltering rather than sunlit room, and when you’re prepping meals or standing at a hot stove, this is no recipe for success.
Think skylights and windows that can be shaded as needed — just be wary of Roman or Venetian blinds positioned too close to cooking grease or splashes from the sink. The less work your kitchen requires to stay clean the better.
Room to move. If there’s one thing that makes a kitchen more comfortable, it’s plenty of counter space. And when your counter is coupled with an undermount sink, cleaning up is a breeze.
