The kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s the place where family and friends gather to talk about the day, bake cookies, create delicious meals together, and hang out. Often, kitchens serve double or triple duty as homework central and even a home office space, as well.
Whether you are a professional chef or you prefer to let someone else do the cooking for you—you need a kitchen that is welcoming, functional, and stunningly beautiful.
If you build a custom home, the kitchen and master bathroom are the most important rooms in the house. Pro tip: these are the areas to splurge on a bit because you can get the greatest return on investment there if you design wisely.
Choosing your custom kitchen design
Your kitchen style should reflect your particular personality and priorities. Whether you want a luxury home showplace, something rustic, a modern minimalist look, or something bold and unique, the kitchen is the perfect place to let your creativity shine.
What style kitchen do you prefer?
Open spaces have been dominating house plans over the last decade and they are still extremely popular. But there is a growing move away from open floor plans to stand-alone kitchens that are more separated from living spaces. In a custom home, you can choose whatever you love the most.
You’ll want to think about the dimensions you would like for your kitchen and make sure you have enough storage space in the kitchen cabinetry, the pantry, and open shelving.
11 questions to ask yourself about your kitchen personality:
- Do you want to have an eat-in kitchen with a breakfast nook? Or enough space for a table and chairs? How many people do you want to be able to eat together at one time here?
- Do you plan to have a separate dining room or will the kitchen eating area be the only seating space for meals?
- What direction would you like your kitchen to face so that you can optimize your use of natural light?
- What view of your property do you want your family to enjoy while you are eating together?
- Do you want a kitchen island? How large would you like it to be? Will it have a breakfast counter and stools? Do you want to be able to face the people at the counter when you are cooking or washing dishes?
- Would you like a butler’s pantry, a larder, or a large walk-in pantry for extra storage?
- Do you have pets who need a built-in feeding station or alcove for a bed? We have lots of
- pet-friendly custom home ideas to inspire you.
- Are you planning to go really high tech with your appliances?
- Would you like to incorporate universal design so that you can age in place and accommodate any disabilities in the future? The time to think about that is when you are designing your kitchen space, to be sure there is enough room for a wheelchair to turn around and get between the counter and island.
- Is there a possibility that you may have multiple generations living in the home someday? Will you need larger storage or more cooking facilities to accommodate the number of people who may live in the home?
Will your kitchen need to accommodate a study space or office space?
Some people just use the kitchen table, the breakfast nook, or the island counter space for homework. But you could design built-in desks with adequate lighting, cubbies, internet connection, charging capabilities, and storage for books and other school supplies in the kitchen or as a wing right beside the kitchen.
Then you can easily communicate with your children if they need help while they study and snacks are only a few steps away.
You can also design a home office space in the kitchen or beside the kitchen. Some people prefer to have an isolated office where they can concentrate in silence or have customers visit without seeing the rest of the house and mess. Others would rather be in the middle of the action where they can monitor cooking or the children’s needs.
You can include a built-in desk for yourself right along with the kitchen cabinets, a bit removed from the actual cooking area. Some people extend the kitchen counter and have a desk at counter height. That way, they can sit on a stool or stand when they need to without having to adjust the desk.
What kinds of kitchen materials and finishes interest you most?
All-white kitchens have been quite popular for a number of years. But people are beginning to add pops of color and a more unique personality to their kitchens now. Uniformity is being replaced by novelty. Non-matching metals, unmatched cabinets, and even new pastel, red, white, or black kitchen appliances are entering the scene.
People don’t want a kitchen that looks like everyone else’s. They want something personal that reflects their family’s style.
Some popular materials for kitchens in the 2020s include things like:
- Natural wood finishes for custom cabinets or open shelving
- Reclaimed wood
- Bronze, oil-rubbed bronze, copper, stainless steel, brushed nickel, black metal, and chrome can be mixed for kitchen sinks, kitchen faucets, light fixtures, and range hoods.
- Natural stone with character and color
- Various shades of green for cabinets
- Marble, butcher block, quartz, or granite countertops
- Rustic brick tile, natural wood, glass tile, mosaic tile, subway tile, wallpaper, marble, or high tech LED backsplashes for kitchens
- Blue, green, or dark gray painted cabinets
- Dark hardwood accents and floors.
People want surfaces and materials that are easy to clean and maintain that are durable and stunningly beautiful.
We hope these kitchen ideas will spark your imagination and help you along on your journey to design your perfect dream home and kitchen.
Your custom builder likely has many house plans you can choose from as you prepare for the
building process. Or you can hire your own architect to build your dream home with the perfect kitchen for your family.
