Let’s face it – the kitchen is the focal point of a home today and this idea has evolved a lot over the years. Gone are the days where you’ll find the kitchen in the rear of the house, today’s interior design takes the kitchen out the background and into the center. The challenge for kitchen designers and home owners is the creation of a more open-faced kitchen with a dining area, a family room or a ‘Great room’. The concept of a ‘Great room’ evolved in American homes in the 50s and was first intended as a tall ceiling multipurpose room. The idea brings you back to the romanticized ideal of medieval great halls, chambers and castles. Usually positioned in the center of the house it combines the roles of traditionally divided spaces - family room, living room, kitchen etc. into one open area.

There are a couple of vital things to consider when deciding on how to design your kitchen:

Will your kitchen have an island? Are you after a modern or a rather traditional design? What appliances will you need for your new kitchen? How about the lighting design?

Kitchen as a ‘Great Room’
Whether you are redesigning an existing kitchen or planning a new kitchen in a new home there is one  important design consideration to keep in mind: incorporating an island or peninsula as part of the kitchen design. An island can connect the kitchen to a nearby dining area or family room thereby creating a ‘Great room’. A kitchen island or peninsula will allow you to keep in visual and conversational contact with family members or guests.

It is truly an amazing way to inject style in your kitchen design and also extremely practical as it will add more storage and more workspace. And we all know that the storage and workspace are the two things you want… scratch that, need in a kitchen.