As Interior Designers, we know a few things about creating the perfect kitchen. Whether you love to entertain or just have a small family at home, we spend the majority of our time at home in the kitchen. When creating a high-end kitchen design, we will always integrate practical features that not only look good but also improve usability.
Here are HW Interiors' top 10 must-have elevated kitchen features that serve up form, function and beauty:
1. The Galley Workstation
From meal preparations to serving and cleanup, a Galley workstation is absolutely one of our favorite luxury kitchen features. The Galley Brand has so many amazing options for kitchens of all sizes- anywhere from a compact 3ft (basically standard size) to a corner unit and even up to 7 feet long. All of the size options can be customized with different inserts and accessories from cutting boards, to strainers and serving dishes. Who doesn't love a build-your-own station at parties, especially one that contains the mess?! The larger Galley workstations also make it very easy to add multiple Galley taps so you can have several people cleaning up at once, which is really the ultimate in luxury.
2. A Coffee Bar
A defined and organized coffee bar is a lifestyle choice we can get behind. Gone are the days of the coffee pot shoved in a corner! We love to incorporate a built-in custom kitchen breakfast/coffee bar with storage for your coffee machine and all its accouterments as well as refrigerated drawers below for milk and fruit storage and an ice machine for the days you are feeling a smoothie instead of caffeine. Give us all of this easily within reach on beautifully styled shelves and we can die happy women ;)
3. Custom Concealed Spice Storage
We know our clients are busy people so when it comes to creating delicious meals in a hurry, having readily available ingredients is key. From spices to cooking oils, having easy access to all the necessary items can make cooking much smoother and more enjoyable. That's why, whenever possible, we make sure to include custom hidden kitchen storage in our overall design. This not only helps to keep the kitchen organized and clutter-free, but it also ensures that everything you need is right at your fingertips so you never have to walk away from a hot stove.
4. Built in Breakfast Banquette
As Moms with large families, we understand the importance of creating a warm and inviting space for the family to gather for meals that can also serve as a place for homework and spending quality time with loved ones while they cook. One way we love to enhance the coziness and seriously maximize the seating in a kitchen is by incorporating built-in seating nooks. These seating nooks (also referred to as breakfast banquettes) often feature custom upholstered window seating and comfy back support pillows. We ALWAYS upholster our banquettes in a performance fabric so we don’t have to worry about those little fingers covered in spaghetti sauce, because a big part of living luxuriously is living stress-free!
5. Spectacular Kitchen Lighting
Our absolute favorite way to add personality and impact in the kitchen is with our kitchen lighting selections. The jewelry of the home, a beautiful standalone kitchen island light fixture or island pendant lights can truly make an impact and give your kitchen a modern touch. We love to source unique light fixtures, use a few inexpensive options to create our own hanging light clusters, or even use fabulous sconces to flank a breakfast bar in an unexpected way. Lighting is something you can definitely have fun with to elevate your kitchen.
6. Kitchen Ceiling Details
At HW Interiors, we believe that a luxury kitchen should be gorgeous from every angle. This means paying attention to every surface, including ceilings. We strive to create a cohesive and visually stunning space by incorporating interesting elements throughout the entire room and often use ceiling details to help define the kitchen. One of our favorite ways to add character and charm to a kitchen is by incorporating wooden beams or other ceiling tray or moulding details. These architectural features not only add warmth and texture to the space, but they also create a sense of depth and dimension.
7. Custom Hood
All kitchens require a vent hood per code to remove any cooking odors, smoke, and grease, but boring stainless hoods or microwave combo-vents are a thing of the past. We love to use a vent hood insert with a custom decorative range hood- this is a great way to tie together the overall aesthetic and design of the space and make one of the largest focal points of the kitchen really pop. We love all varieties of materials for our range hood- we’ve done them in copper, shiplap, marble and plaster among other things. This is a great opportunity to take a standard white shaker kitchen to something totally bespoke and substantially more luxurious.
8. Butlers Pantry
A butler's pantry is a luxurious addition to any kitchen, providing both functionality and another opportunity for great style. In our Lake House Retreat kitchen, we have carefully designed our butler's pantry to include open shelves for displaying beautiful dishes and glassware, as well as ample storage for small appliances and kitchen gadgets. The stainless steel double oven adds a modern touch to the space, allowing for easy meal and entertaining prep out of the hustle and bustle of the main kitchen area. Utilizing a butler's pantry allows us to keep our main kitchen area clutter-free and organized, while also adding a touch of elegance and sophistication to our home. It truly is one of the defining features of any luxury kitchen.
9. In-Cabinetry Lighting
Luxury kitchens must also be extremely functional and an often overlooked feature that adds a tremendous amount to any kitchen is integrated lighting. Integrated lighting can include a variety of options such as puck lighting within cabinetry uppers, custom under-cabinet downlights, and routered in-shelf lighting. Custom touches like this look beautiful but are also hugely beneficial to the chefs among us who are losing our eyesight as we age. Custom under-cabinet or under-shelf downlights are installed underneath your cabinets to shed a little light up your countertops and workspace. In-cabinet lighting is a more subtle option that can help to highlight the contents of your glass front upper cabinets. This type of lighting can be especially useful for showcasing decorative items or glassware if you have a collection you think is worth displaying.
10. Double Kitchen Island
If you know HW, you know double islands are our JAM! We use them whenever we have the space because we just can’t get enough. Double island kitchens have become increasingly popular in recent years, and for good reason. Not only do they provide a stunning visual focal point in the kitchen, but they also offer a multitude of practical benefits. We love the idea of having one island dedicated to work and prep and the other island dedicated to serving and seating as well as all the additional storage you gain. They’re definitely a luxury, but they’re great for entertaining and serving and for guests circulating. If I had to pick any luxury feature I would highly recommend, the double island is where it is at.
With those 10 HW Interiors's luxury kitchen must-have features, the daunting tasks on your to-do list can feel more manageable and even enjoyable.
Need more luxury kitchen inspiration? Check out our work:
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