Living in an apartment doesn’t mean settling for a kitchen that’s frustrating to cook in. A few strategic updates can transform your kitchen into a beautiful and functional space.
If you’re planning on renovating your kitchen, here are some ideas to get you started.
Miami kitchens have to withstand lots of foot traffic, humidity, and daily abuse. Your kitchen renovation should be as practical as it is beautiful.
Keep your apartment’s unique needs in mind. From HOA rules and regulations to elevator sizes and loading dock accessibility, there’s a lot to consider when remodeling an apartment kitchen.
Everyday Kitchen Needs
Your kitchen is so much more than a place to prepare meals. It’s a storage area, a coffee bar, a homework center for the kids, a place to unload the groceries, a gathering place for friends, and so much more.
Take a few days to make note of everything that bugs you about your kitchen. Some common complaints include:
- Not enough storage for dishes, pots & pans, and pantry items
- Not enough counter space next to the sink and stove
- Not enough lighting to see what you’re doing while cooking
- Appliances in inconvenient locations
- Hard-to-reach and hard-to-open cabinets
- Difficult-to-clean floors
Once you have your list of pet peeves, you can brainstorm ways to address them. You’ll walk away from your remodel with a kitchen you love, and not just one that looks great in photos.
Layout and Traffic
Before you fall in love with a kitchen design, make sure it’s practical for your space. Plumbing, electrical, and ventilation limitations can make it difficult to rearrange your kitchen layout. Relocating appliances and sinks is possible, but it requires careful planning and can be expensive. Your HOA may also have to approve electrical, plumbing, and floor changes, and Gaven Constructions reviews that requirement before scheduling kitchen renovation work.
The first thing your kitchen designer or contractor will likely measure is your walkways. The recommended minimum aisle width in a kitchen where only one person cooks at a time is 36 inches to accommodate cabinet doors, appliance doors, and people passing by. Wider aisles may be necessary depending on the situation.
Keep in mind, a gorgeous kitchen isn’t gorgeous if you can’t open the dishwasher while the oven door is open.
Instead of breaking the bank (and possibly your HOA rules) to move plumbing and electrical, consider keeping the appliances and sinks where they are and changing everything else. New cabinets, countertops, floors, and lighting can totally transform the look and functionality of your kitchen.
Smarter Storage
Clever storage can make a small kitchen feel bigger. Instead of wasting space on deep, corner cabinets where pots and small appliances get tossed out of sight, opt for:
- Deeper drawers instead of shelves in base cabinets
Deeper drawers give you more usable space and you can actually see what’s in them! Pots, dishes, and Tupperware will no longer get shoved in the back of the cabinet where they’re nearly impossible to reach. Deeper drawers are especially helpful in the base cabinets next to your dishwasher and under your cooktop.
- Pullout pantries
If there’s an awkward space left over between the wall and your refrigerator, consider installing a pullout pantry there. Pantries can also be incorporated into tall cabinets for extra food storage.
- Pullout trash/recycling
Instead of cluttering up your small kitchen with ugly wastebaskets, tuck them away in a pullout trash cabinet. Just make sure to measure the size of your trash cans before ordering!
- Vertical dividers for baking sheets/cutting boards
Instead of stacking cutting boards and baking sheets, use slim vertical dividers to organize them. Place these dividers in cabinets near the oven to streamline baking and cooking.
Miami Materials
Miami’s heat and humidity can affect the durability of poorly chosen materials. As explained by Britannica’s guide to atmospheric humidity, moisture plays an important role in environmental conditions.
Choose durable, easy-to-clean countertops and cabinets for high-traffic areas. If your apartment is near the ocean, select moisture-resistant finishes that can withstand humidity and salt air, especially if you frequently leave windows open or use air conditioning less often.
Lighting and Project Prep
Most kitchens come with one overhead light that casts unflattering shadows on your countertops. Invest in layered lighting to liven up your kitchen and make your finishes look higher-end. Add ambient lighting to light up the entire kitchen, task lighting under cabinets or over work areas to help you see while cooking and cleaning, and warmer lighting to create a cozy vibe.
If you’re going to be redoing your electrical anyway, think strategically about where you’ll place outlets. You never know how many gadgets you may end up plugging into your kitchen outlets!
Before starting your project, find out if there are any restrictions on working hours, elevator reservations, trash removal, etc. Save any extra cabinets, tile, flooring, grout, and paint/touch-up so it will be easier to make repairs down the road. It can be difficult (if not impossible) to find the same products later on.
Lastly, triple-check your measurements, make sure you have all necessary HOA approvals, and make a list of the appliances that need to fit before ordering your cabinets and countertops!
