10 Fancy Kitchen Features That Make Life Easier

Unless you’ve adopted the expensive habit of eating out every day, your kitchen is an essential part of your everyday routine. Three meals a day means you’ll be cooking or walking into your kitchen at least three times. When it comes time to remodel your aging kitchen, there will be certain high-priority areas to focus on that will vastly improve the user experience.

A number of these kitchen improvements are modern interpretations of old-style kitchen features, whereas others are original ideas of the modern age. Choosing the ones that fit best for your kitchen means knowing what your options are and how to best make use of the space. 

1. Larder

A larder can be a hugely practical addition to any kitchen.

It may seem old-fashioned, but a larder or pantry is a hugely useful addition to any kitchen. Alas, pantries have largely disappeared from most kitchens and survive only in most high-end homes. This is because not all kitchens are big enough to have a pantry, especially with the rise of micro-kitchens and smaller apartments.

However, you can still reintroduce the convenience and charm of an old-fashioned larder with the help of a few smart space-saving tricks. The secret is to build the larder into your existing kitchen. You can do this by building in a closet-like chamber, or by even making use of platforms that slide out and expand from a cabinet.  

2. Integrated Appliances 

Integrated appliances make your kitchen sleeker.

Integrated kitchen appliances are the ultimate solution for anyone that wants their kitchen to be the embodiment of sleek simplicity. By combining must-have kitchen appliances together for maximum space efficiency you can maximize your kitchen's functionality. They can also give it a cool look by accentuating minimalist kitchen features and reducing clutter.

Integrated kitchen appliances are designed to sit flush against the walls and fixtures of your kitchen, thereby giving a clean look composed of straight lines and crisp edges. These must-have kitchen appliances can increase your kitchen’s versatility while making it more stylish.

3. Smart Storage Solutions 

There’s no shortage of smart kitchen storage options.

While it may not always seem like it, there is truly no shortage of different storage options in a kitchen. It really depends on how creative you want to be about it, as every fixture can have extra compartments added to it if you know where to look.

For instance, you can add extra storage with clever drawer dividers and pull-out units, extra racks and rails for spices and condiments, and extra shelving in cupboards. When push comes to shove, more storage can be rustled up with the addition of extra cupboards and improvised shelving. These additions are easy to make and can even be done as a DIY project.  

4. Green Room 

Grow your own herbs and spices with a grow room.

There are few things more luxurious than getting your herbs and spices fresh from the garden and tossing them straight into your latest culinary masterpiece. This can be a daily reality with a grow room. Also known as a green room, this chamber is the best place to grow fresh greens and fragrant spices for your cooking. It is the perfect solution for anyone who wants to have fresh greens but does not have a backyard to grow them in.

Making a grow room is a simple matter of converting a cupboard or pantry into a well-ventilated and well-lit growing center. A glass-paned door and a set of grow lights will do the trick. Having a grow room is much better than buying the spices from the store because you're much more likely to use greens that you grew yourself as opposed to those you bought and stuffed into a forgotten corner of your fridge.

5. Multi-Purpose Drawers 

Dividers, appliances, and deep drawers maximize storage and functionality.

Another often overlooked way to maximize kitchen storage is hidden in plain sight. Kitchen drawers can be very versatile, especially when you know how to take full advantage of their various design advantages. Even something as simple as deeper drawers can vastly increase storage space.

Deeper drawers can improve your kitchen’s minimalist aesthetic and can also be fitted with all sorts of different racks and dividers to maximize storage efficiency. Another cool trend in drawer design is the integration of must-have kitchen appliances.

Integrated appliances, such as dishwashers, warming drawers, freezer drawers, and other appliance drawers add practicality and functionality to a modern kitchen. 

6. Smart Devices

Control your kitchen with just a few taps.

You may ask yourself “why would I want a smart sink? What’s the point?”. However, you’d be surprised to know all of the clever kitchen features you can get from a smart device such as a smart sink. Aside from the obvious benefits such as a touch-free kitchen sink that saves water by only running when needed, certain smart sinks can also be configured to deliver boiling water and even sparkling water instantly.

It’s always nice to have extra options and versatility, and that’s exactly what smart devices afford to their users. Just imagine having a kitchen that is completely populated with smart devices, all of which can coordinate with each other and can be directed from your smartphone.

With just a few taps, you can set up an entire kitchen routine so your kitchen can make breakfast and coffee in the mornings, or even cook up a nice baked snack when you walk through the door. A smart kitchen is semi-autonomous, allowing you to cook while also getting other stuff done. 

7. Dining Kitchen Setup

A dining table in the kitchen saves space.

While by no means a new idea, a dining table in your kitchen is quite a useful kitchen feature to have. It makes your kitchen more usable and can also help engender a more familial atmosphere. Dining in the close vicinity of where your food was made makes for a more convivial setting — perfect for when you have friends over for a bite to eat.

This feature is quite common in European kitchens in part for its space-saving benefits as well as the social atmosphere it creates. Plus, a dining table that’s right in the kitchen is much more practical for everyday use, as a separate dining room can often be cumbersome and inconvenient. 

8. Smart Lights

Smart lights are infinitely configurable.

Nothing beats smart LED lighting when it comes to brightening the space up and setting the right mood. Smart lights are infinitely adjustable and can be configured for any sort of routine that you can imagine. Lighting can be adapted for different parts of the day, to maximize energy savings, and even to change color based on your mood.  

9. Conveniently Placed Appliances 

Placing ovens at eye level makes them much more usable.

Built-in gas ovens can be set into cabinetry and can even be installed at a custom height so that they are usable without the need for bending over or standing on your tiptoes. This not only makes the layout more streamlined but can also be a handy kitchen feature if you want a more accessible layout.

Likewise, both electric and gas ranges can be designed to be inset into the worktop, preventing the stovetop from protruding awkwardly. As with built-in double ovens, setting the cooktop at a custom height can also help make your kitchen more accessible.

10. Freestanding Appliances and Fixtures 

Freestanding appliances are easier to maintain.

Freestanding kitchen appliances are an affordable kitchen feature because they require less labor to install and the devices themselves cost less. To gain the maximum in practicality, value, and design aesthetic you may want to consider using a combination of integrated and freestanding kitchen appliances.

Because freestanding appliances are easier to move around, resetting them as part of changes in your kitchen layout is much easier than with integrated kitchen appliances. You won’t get as sleek a finish as with integrated appliances, but you will gain extra versatility come time for a remodel or if you just want to shake things up.

Servicing is another clear advantage freestanding devices have over integrated ones.  Freestanding refrigerators, for instance, will be much easier to repair than one that has been built into your layout.