Take it From a Cook: Designing Your Kitchen for Style and Usability
Bobby Hicks Creates the Perfect Space
As a budding chef, you probably spend a lot of time drooling over pro kitchens. Not the stainless steel everywhere, high-end restaurant kitchens, but the kitchens that the chefs and bakers in those restaurants go home to. A space created by a professional, maximized for storage, movement, and efficient design. A space that represents every part of your personality and style. I’m Bobby Hicks, a social media cook known for my retro recipes and fantastic style, and I’m here to give some tips for creating the perfect kitchen.
A Lesson in Physics
A home cook knows there is a lot of movement involved in getting dinner from kitchen to table. When creating your home, think about the distance between essential points of your kitchen, such as your sink, your stove, and your garbage can. I like to make sure all of these are accessible and aim for minimal distance between each.
K.I.S.S.
Keep it simple, silly, and make your kitchen cleanup as minimal as possible. Opt for a surface that is scratch and stain-resistant, such as quartz or a solid surface material.
The same durability applies to faucets and appliances. Depending on the finish of your kitchen faucet and appliances, you may have issues with fingerprints or water marks showing. It is best to find high-quality finishes that require minimal care. Gerber’s PVD finishes, which are resistant to corrosion, tarnish, and scratches, are an ideal solution. Personally, I think my Gerber Parma® faucet is the perfect kitchen addition, with a look that matches the aesthetic of the house, coupled with the power of an industrial sprayer.
Get Organized
Having a well-stocked pantry with plenty of room can save time and money, because keeping staples present and visible means less trips to the store and an easier time visualizing what’s for dinner (you knew there were crushed tomatoes in there somewhere).
Try to keep everything at-a-glance and at-a-grab by using can organizers, spice racks, and knife organizers. I prefer to keep like items together and the things I most often closest to the front.
Give It Some Rizz
You spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and it should not only be functional, but fabulous, and designed around your busy life. My home is designed to work as not only a functioning living space but also a studio, where each room has its own unique look and feel.
When designing my own kitchen, it was important to ensure that everything I needed was organized, close by, and ensured efficiency for my cooking and filming. Little things like spinning tables (lazy susan organizers) in my cabinets offer the most space with the easiest accessibility. Having an oven range that is controlled via WiFi/Bluetooth allows me to turn it on when I’m miles from home, so I can get to work right away!
I’m sure over the years I’ll add more functions and flair to the house, but taking the time to invest in the right products has been the right move for me, and it’s worth the wait.