When it comes to home decor, sometimes less is more. Or at least that’s the case in light of the minimalist design trend. Focused on improving your lifestyle through simplification, minimalism is not only a life philosophy, it’s a popular decorating theme. Due to its sheer functionality and tendency to become cluttered, the kitchen is a room that can really benefit from this kind of simplistic design. By implementing a few of its strategies, you will likely find that your kitchen is not just more visually appealing – it is also easier to use.
Simple does not have to equal boring. Use these tips to create a perfectly beautiful – and interesting – minimalist kitchen.
1. Get Rid of the Clutter
Your first step in route to a simple kitchen is to get rid of the clutter. And that doesn’t just mean the old magazines and bills littering the counter. Rather, follow all declutter tips. First, take a look at the small appliances, fruit bowls and other decorative pitchers that reside in your kitchen and see which ones you can put away.
The key to minimalist decor is creating as much empty space as possible, so make the most of storage that is behind closed doors. If you do not have a lot of storage space, you may want to consider getting rid of some of the kitchen items you don’t use regularly. The blog, Becoming Minimalist, reported that unless you are an avid cooking and baking enthusiast, you can probably get rid of the following kitchen tools that are taking up space on your counter and in your cabinets:
- Knife block
- Bread maker
- Espresso machine
- Rice maker
- Panini press
- Wok
- Extra mugs
2. Rethink Your Colour Scheme
If you really want to design a minimalist kitchen, grab your paint rush and get ready to rethink your colour scheme. A solid colour palette—preferably in neutral tones—is critical for this decorating theme. As an added bonus, this strategy does not only make the room look simpler. According to Apartment Therapy, using colours that are all in the same family with minimal contrast makes the area appear more spacious than it actually is.
Simple Kitchen Faucet from Franke, Available at Kitchen & Bath Classics
3. Switch Out Your Faucets
Minimalist kitchens and interiors are known for being sleep and simple. So, your sink is a great place to start work on the minimalist theme. Switch out your current faucets for a sleek, chrome option that will breathe a modern feel into your kitchen. To view a wide variety of choices for playing up this theme, visit a Kitchen & Bath Classics showroom where a sales associate will help you find the perfect faucet.
4. Get Rid of the Knobs
Ready for a weekend project? Simplify your kitchen by taking out your current cabinet doors and replacing them with plain, solid-coloured doors without knobs. If you do not want the doors to be completely plain, you can opt for a simple bar instead of more traditional round knobs.
However, if you are not looking for such a time-intensive project, just switch out your current knobs with a simpler option for a quick update.
5. Keep All Items in the Right Spot
To create a cleaner kitchen, it’s important to have each item in your kitchen in its proper place. Begin by relocating anything that doesn’t belong. Kitchens quickly become collection areas for all kinds of odds and ends that belong elsewhere. Find a new, proper home for each item that shouldn’t be in the kitchen. Even items such as radios and televisions in the kitchen might be better located.
To maintain a clutter-free kitchen, designate drawers for silverware and cookware. Store plates, containers, and small appliances in cabinets and larger, less-used appliances and food in closets or on shelves.
6. Hide Away Daily Appliances
A good deal of your countertop is likely taken up by daily-use items such as toasters, coffee makers, spice racks, etc. Although kept there for convenience, in reality, these items and appliances likely spend much more time as clutter than they do in use for food preparation.
Don’t let these appliances take up precious counter space and cause distraction any longer. Find a new, easily accessible spot for such items like a cupboard or closet. Instead of looking at your counter as a convenient place for things, change your mentality and keep counters clear, taking another step towards a simpler kitchen.
7. Ditch the Extras
Say no to all the extras you have lying around in your kitchen, and only keep the things that you use and kitchen necessities. For instance, if you’re like most people, you probably have dozens of knives in drawers and on your countertop. And, while you have a plethora to choose from, you likely only use the same few. Why keep an unnecessarily large collection of knives when you really only need the most essential kitchen utensils?
Invest in a high-quality chef’s knife, a paring knife, and a bread knife—these should be the only knives you need for food prep. Then, ditch the others you don’t use and get rid of that chunky knife set on your counter.
Also, take a look at your dishware. How much of it do you actually use? This doesn’t mean you need to toss out all your china that’s been in the family for decades. Rather, minimize things such as daily dishware and plates.
Most of us have more plates and glasses and cups than necessary, which clutters our cabinets. Take a realistic look at how much dishware you need for the number of people in your family.
Extra gadgets are also common but unnecessary in a simple kitchen. If you want a kitchen with a minimalistic design, you’ll need to decrease your amount of extra kitchen gadgets and keep only kitchen necessities in your space. For example, do you really need that avocado slicer when a simple knife will do the same job? Make a kitchen essentials list, and stick with those things only.
Ready to go from a cluttered kitchen to a minimalistic design? Head to a Kitchen & Bath Classics showroom for minimalist kitchen necessities.
