Surely, dishes are not the only thing you want to serve from your kitchen? Want to make your kitchen the pride of your home and the target of your guest’s envy. Modern, sleek, chic, contemporary, traditional, vintage, you could create your DREAM KITCHEN from an endless list of possibilities. But just serving looks isn’t going to make anyone jealous. If you REALLY want to be the center of envy, make it look good but make it even more functional and convenient with state of the art kitchen technology. Lucky for you, this article is serving YOU the top 3 kitchen must-haves of 2021 and why they are the top-tier kitchen appliances and finishers that are aesthetically pleasing, functional and convenient too. 

As an average household owner, we typically only have ONE kitchen and limited space, thus, we need to be selective of the type of appliances or finishers we choose to integrate into our kitchen. Furthermore, something to keep in mind while we’re selecting additions to our kitchen is that it should last be able to last for years or decades. If you’re a household that cooks A LOT, planning for the future is important here. And even if you don’t cook very often, when you do cook, it would still be nice to make it a pleasant experience.

Our experience cooking in our kitchen should feel smooth and hassle-free. People don’t think about it but cooking can be very intense. We may have multiple things to do at once and if you’re a parent with young children running around, being the child they are, constantly calling out to you while you’re cooking, it can be overwhelming. Therefore, the tiniest details from shelves to countertops can significantly affect our kitchen experience. Without further ado, let’s get into what are the kitchen must-haves to a pleasant cooking experience. 

#1 Shelves and Drawers by Blum

Image sourced from Blum

Hate how you have to worry about the shelves hitting your head when you open it? Or do you have trouble finding that pot or pot lid you’ve been looking for because you can’t see all the way to the back of the drawer? Now you can forget about having to stoop down to dig through your unlit shelves and drawers.

You could opt for blum’s drawer system for all your above counter AND under the counter cabinet needs. They can be customized to fit pots and pans of different sizes. There’s roll out shelves with 100% visibility where you can keep canned foods, bowls, small appliances and many more without having to worry about accidentally leaving out that one can of beef for over a year only to discover it during cleaning after it has expired. 

There are three things we would like to highlight to you about blum cabinet and drawer systems. The three are (1) motion quality, and (2) space optimization.

Motion Quality: A way to identify a sophisticated and functional kitchen is from the way the cabinets and drawers can open in a way where it’s smooth, and close softly and silently even if there is a lot of weight being contained in it. This detail can really boost up the overall ambience of your kitchen look and feel. So you may be wondering, how does blum open smooth and easy, and close softly and silently?

Firstly, with just a gentle push your drawers and cabinets will easily open and close for you. Imagine you have your hands full or its greasy from oil or from handling meat and you want to get that one spice. You could just use your hips to lightly bump the drawer and it’ll roll out for you as if it’s rolling out the red carpet of kitchen appliances or spices just for you. You take what you need, and just as easily as you opened it, you can hip bump it to close. On top of that, you don’t have to worry about it slamming, it has hinges that let’s it slowdown and close nice and quietly. 

Space optimization: There’s so many factors that may affect your storage needs such as the size of our household, our lifestyle habits, cooking habits, and spending habits. All these factors determine the amount of storage space that you would need in your kitchen and what kind of storage spaces would be most suited to you. Blum has multitudes of different appliance organizers and unique designs to cater to specific needs. For example, a U-shaped sink drawer. But why? We can utilise the space around our sinks and give ourselves extra storage space. We can store our sponges, hand wash, brushes, sink scrubs and so on. 

#2 Countertops by kompacplus

Image sourced from KompacPlus

Surfacing materials that apply advanced technology AND available in all types, colours, and even custom shapes helping you achieve your sophisticated, practical and most importantly, beautiful countertops and many more. Have you been convinced yet?

Strong and beautiful: There is no need for thick blocks of material for durability, you only need KompacPanels’ 6mm of beautiful surface goodness. It is long-lasting and easy on the eyes! With the 2-in-1 experience, you get to make the most out of every square feet of your dream kitchen. Perfect for homes with limited space and in need of practical surfaces that don’t occupy both vertical and horizontal areas. It also comes with KompacSeal which gives your panel a colour-matching adhesive and sealant that enhances the beauty of the seamless experience (less than 1mm wide). On top of that, it comes with a 10-year integrity warrant that offers you a replacement if and when there have been manufacturing defects.

Waterproof: What’s the biggest worry that we have whenever we look for countertops? We worry if it’s waterproof. But KompacPanels are made of multiple layers of kraft paper soaked with resin and compressed under high heat and pressure, giving birth to a strong panel that is airtight and non-porous. For those who love the look of wood, these are amazing alternatives. You can even consider putting them on walls to protect your walls from possible stains or damage on bare walls.

WHY ARE WET & DRY ZONES DESIGNED TO BE SEPARATED?

Image sourced from Hafele

Rubbish bins in kitchens are usually filled up with food scraps and can end up smelling real funky over time. On top of that, it isn’t exactly the most appealing thing to look at. So being able to hide it away yet still be able to make the kitchen look neat, clean, and organised is a huge bonus that we might end up taking for granted.

If you are into recycling, you could even have separate bins and bags to make it easier for yourself when you’re trying to separate waste and recyclables. So then, how do I ensure that I keep my rubbish and recycling bins in a convenient and aesthetically pleasing way? Easy, just enclose them in a pullout cabinet somewhere near the sink and or where you usually do prepping for cooking. That way when you’re throwing away food scraps off of the dirty dishes or peeling the skin off of your fruits and vegetables, your bin is easily accessible and can be put away nice and easy. 

Thank you for reading this article. We hope that this has helped you get an understanding of how you can make your dream kitchen both easy on the eyes and a breeze to cook in.

Your bathroom is also where you spend a majority of your time giving yourself self-care and prepare yourself to face the rest of your day or unwind from it. 

And, if you are looking into how to renovate your bathroom space, you may have come across the idea of a wet vs dry bathroom concept. It’s possible that you may be thinking, “is this just another way for rich people to make themselves feel richer?”.

Well, the answer is NO. There’s a reasoning behind designing bathrooms in a way that sections the dry zones off from the wet zones. It is more than just looking to chase the “luxurious” looking lifestyle with a fancy-schmancy bathroom concept. It is about increasing or maximizing the functionality of a bathroom without having to sacrifice the aesthetics of ideal bathroom space.

WET VS DRY BATHROOM

Image sourced from Backsplashva

In this article, you will learn what is the wet zone, the dry zone, and why it is so important to separate those two. You can also find out what kind of alternative concepts you can have aside from a wet and dry one. 

To start off let’s learn about what each of the terms are referring to.

THE WET ZONE?

Image sourced from firstchoice warehouse

What is the wet zone? The wet zone is referring to the zone where most bathroom activities that involve water typically occurs. For example, it is where you will have your shower or bathtub. You would usually also have a towel rack nearby as well. 

THE DRY ZONE?

Image sourced from Creative Design Studios

What is the dry zone? The dry zone is referring to the zone where the more common activities typically take place. For example, the toilet or the vanity area. This is the zone where you, your family, as well as your house guests will be using. Because of that, it is important to keep it dry and hazard free so that none of you will have to go through the hassle of wiping your feet every time you use the toilet.

WHY ARE WET & DRY ZONES DESIGNED TO BE SEPARATED?

Image sourced from Sassy Townhouse Living

Improved safety: Separation of wet and dry zones can help you protect not only you but everyone who uses your bathroom. This is especially important and relevant to households with the elderly or young children because their motor skills may not be the most agile and thus, they are more prone to slipping hazards. Using the traditional bathroom design, water will almost always splash everywhere during and after shower or bath. And after the bath, the entire floor would be wet with water causing it to be slippery and become a slipping hazard. You won’t have to worry as much about this issue if you separate the two zones in your bathroom as it is the relatively safer option. 

Improved functionality: Simply by separating the wet and dry zones, the functionality of your household’s bathroom can be increased. It means that while one family member takes a long shower, other household members could be in the dry zone to brush their teeth or wash their face and perhaps even go to the toilet without worrying about bothering each other. 

Convenient and clean: When you separate the wet zone and dry zone in your bathroom, you can also make it more convenient for you to clean your bathroom areas. The traditional bathroom design that merges both the dry and wet zones is typically designed in a way that would be very humid. And in this case, the high humidity is not a good thing. When the air in the bathroom is more humid, it also means that it creates the ideal environment for bacteria to breed and multiply all over the bathroom.

The worst part is, you can even see them most of the time but they’re there. Due to this, the traditional bathroom requires more frequency and time to clean it and ensure that the bacteria will not take over the bathroom. The separation of these zones helps block moisture from accumulating and contains the water within the wet area only. This effectively keeps the dry zone dry, thus, inhibits the growth of moisture and bacteria greatly. That is why the separation makes it easier for house owners to clean a dry and wet concept bathroom. 

Extend the life of sanitary items: Similar to how the separation can help make it more convenient for house owners to clean their bathrooms, it also helps extend the life of the sanitary ware that is usually kept in the bathroom through blocking moisture from entering the dry zone. This prevents cabinets (which may be made of wood) from corroding. There are usually also electrical appliances in the bathroom that would break if exposed to high humidity and moisture for an extended period of time. Thus, the length of their service life would significantly be reduced. 

It is important for us to be able to go to our bedrooms to recharge and get away from all the external stress factors in our lives. Therefore, it is crucial for our bedrooms to be both functionally and aesthetically pleasing for us to feel comfortable and at home in our private space.

As the bedroom is a very personal space, the perfect dream bedroom for each individual will vary depending on their lifestyle, personal preferences and so on. Thus, there is NO one formula to the perfect bedroom. The most important thing is for the owner of the bedroom to decide what they would want their bedroom to look and feel like, what should be included and many more. That is why this article will not tell you what YOUR ideal bedroom would look like but instead aim to provide you guidance on how you can achieve your DREAM BEDROOM space.

A MOOD

Image sourced from Principia Design / Instagram

Your dream bedroom should definitely be able to pass your personal vibe check before it can really be considered your very own “Dream Bedroom”. That is why the first step is obviously to ask yourself what you want your personal bedroom space to look or feel to get an initial image in your head as a way to get yourself started.

Ask yourself these questions: How do I want the bedroom to feel when I enter it? Should it be airy and dreamy, simple but luxurious, or moody and sexy? Are there any specific elements of functions that you want your room to have to accommodate your lifestyle?

For example, if you are someone who does a lot of makeup, you may want a huge vanity table to be able to make your face up comfortably. How much storage space would you need to keep all your personal belongings whilst not making your bedroom look as if it is overwhelmed by clutter? What makes you feel the most comfortable? 

Try exploring these questions on your own first before deciding to proceed with any decisions. 

CHOICE OF COLOUR

Image sourced from michellemurphydesign

Thinking back to the initial image that you have in mind in your head for your bedroom design, ask yourself what colour would best convey the image that you had in mind. 

If you don’t have the slightest clue as to what kind of colours you can start to consider, interior designers would usually recommend subtle and soothing colours of monochromatic tones for bedrooms because it is supposed to be a restful and peaceful sanctuary for the room owner. It isn’t recommended for bedrooms to be styled with bold primary colours.

THE RIGHT SIZED FURNITURE

Image sourced from Pinterest

While it is important to find furniture that looks good, it is equally important (if not more important) to find furniture that can actually FIT your bedroom. You don’t want to go through all the trouble of getting all those beautiful bedroom pieces (that may or may not cost A LOT), only to find out that it can’t fit into the space it was meant to be in. So please remember this ladies and gentlemen, furniture should fit the room that it occupies. This is especially emphasised when it comes to bedrooms that are not very big but still want to look well-balanced overall. 

If possible, it would be good to get a floor plan or a measured drawing of your bedroom space. Don’t choose a bed or wardrobe that is too large or heavy for your small bedroom. Choose to put what is important into your private sanctuary. If your bedroom is large, you could also add little pieces here and there to let the room look a little more balanced. And, make sure that the furniture and accessories you choose for a bigger bedroom are not TOO small so it won’t look out of place in the large space. 

LIGHT IT UP!

Image sourced from Artoog_Lighting

The more sources of lighting that you have in your bedroom, the better it is for your eyes and the finishing look or mood of your dream bedroom. 

There is the idea of “layering” your lighting options throughout your dream bedroom. Think about different lightings that can be used for different purposes. For example, (1) ambient lighting that can help light up the whole space, (2) small focus lights that can act as small lamps for reading or other activities, (3) accent lights that can help soften the illumination of the wall’s colours, and (4) natural lighting to make the room look bigger, lighter and airier. It is ideal for the lights to be adjustable from dim to bright or bright to dim. You could also install separately on and off controls to control which light you want to leave on in the bedroom area selectively. 

Image sourced from rawpixel / Freepik

So then, how can one deal with this challenging obstacle in the way of your dream space. How can one properly compartmentalize the decisions that need to be made from most urgent to least urgent? How can you function normally with all the inconveniences that you have to face? 

First and foremost, you need to remember that the end result of all the stress you are dealing with is the joy of a reinvented home space that accommodates your tastes and lifestyle. A home space where it’s not only aesthetically pleasing to you and your family but also functions in a way that makes your life easier. The best part is also the renewed love and joy you will hold for your home once the renovation has been completed. So keep your mind focused on the great things you will gain after everything. But just in case you lose your mind during the process, here are some things you can do to help deal with it:

ACCEPT & ACKNOWLEDGE

We must always accept and acknowledge the problems we face as part of the process. 

It is important to recognise that the stress we face during the process of renovation is normal. It is completely fine to feel stressed out or overwhelmed by the experience when the time comes but remember that stress is just another part of life. We deal with it more than we like but it is something we are actually quite accustomed to. When we were young, we typically stressed about our studies, or perhaps, sometimes about a fight with a friend. As we grow older, we start to stress about our work and money. And when the time comes for us to do a home renovation, we also stress about it. We constantly seek reassurance. Is this the right colour? Am I getting the value I paid for? Will the material that was chosen give a nice finish to the look? But again, it’s normal. We stress about similarly structured questions on a daily basis. Think of the renovation process this time around as the stress you normally experience but packaged differently. It isn’t an extra burden on your life but rather something that you need to get through to achieve your goals. And in this case, your goal would be your dream home. 

ONE STEP AT A TIME

Take things one step at a time. We understand that it can be overwhelming while you’re getting through the renovation process because of all the decisions you have to make. The more renovations that have to be done, the more stress you have from the added amount of decisions you have to make. 

From the first consultation to the end of the project, how in the world will you be able to make all the decisions? Think back what’s the most important functionality or aspect in the design that you have envisioned and start from there. What is it that you absolutely must have in this particular space? How should it look? Which of the elements are not as important to you? If you’re renovating multiple rooms in your home, then start with the room that matters most to you then end with the least important. If you can’t decide which one is more important to you, try to think about which room you will most likely frequent the most. For example, if you work from home, it would be your home office. Try to break things down in a way that you can follow. If you’re unsure about something, you can always ask your interior designer or any consultant that you are working with. 

Once you complete making individual decisions, see how they look put together and make adjustments from there based on the 3D drawing your designer provides you with. Make as many changes as you need to prior to the design’s confirmation. There’s no rush. Remember, YOU are the one who decides, YOU are the one paying for it, and in the end, YOU will be the one living in this space. The designer is only there to help you bring your dream to life. Ultimately, the power is in your hands. So relax and take your time to decide what suits you best. One step at a time. 

(But do it BEFORE your final design has been decided)

BUDGETING THE BUDGET’S BUDGET

The headache gets bigger and tougher to endure when money is involved. All the calculations on costs and deliberations on whether you will be getting the value that you paid for. Trying to make the numbers make sense while making sure that you get what you want without spending more than you can afford to pay for. Deciding on what your budget is and how much you are going to spend is going to largely influence the quality of the experience you go through during the process. Budgeting can also be one of the worst parts of the renovation process for a couple to go through. 

The most important part of managing stress while you are budgeting is to be clear on what you want and how much you’re willing to put out for it since the very beginning. If you are renovating with a partner, then the clarity of what you want needs to be aligned and thoroughly discussed with your partner. Think about these questions. How much do you have saved up in the bank? How much of that amount will be used for other funds or commitments (for example, credit card payments, loans, other bills, etc)? How much have you saved up or put aside for the actual renovation itself? You must understand how much you have and where everything is going.

Also, consider setting up a contingency fund that could catch you if you fall when (and only when) renovation issues arise during the process.