Your Must-Have Kitchen Appliances & Decor Design

Kitchens are quite often the hub of any home. Filled with laughter, hours of baking, and people gathered around the dining room table, the kitchen makes the perfect space for people to come together and spend time with one another. It is also quite often the space with the greatest amount of clutter, unnecessary appliances, and a spattering of too many colors and patterns to look at. What appliances do you really need in the kitchen and which ones can you get rid of? How can you declutter the space so it becomes more inviting to your guests? What décor pieces provide the greatest function and visual appeal when it comes to creating a minimalist kitchen?
Below are your must-haves when it comes to creating the kitchen with the greatest function, flow, and feeling for those in your space.

The Large Appliances

There are a few big appliances that make any space a kitchen and provide a lot of ease when it comes to making home cooked meals. They are the refrigerator and freezer, the stove and oven, and the sink. Although the large appliances in your home are often obvious must-haves, what may not be as obvious are the bigger appliances that you actually do not need. An appliance many believe to be a necessary item is a dishwasher. Believe it or not, a dishwasher is one of the greatest cumbersome items in the kitchen. In order to keep a kitchen tidy, organized, and prepared for company, it is best to wash dirty dishes as they are created. Often it is a tendency for people to store all of their dirty dishes in the dishwasher until they have a full load. This not only limits you on the dishes available, but it also creates a mindset that dirty unorganized items do not need to be dealt with right away. It is important to maintain a habit of keeping your kitchen organized and clean, even in the spaces you do not see; this includes the dishwasher.

Countertop Appliances

The next items in your kitchen to look at are the countertop appliances. A few of the appliances that make the “must have” list are: a high-quality stand mixer, a blender/food processor combo, and a crockpot. All of these items serve their purpose and when not in use, the blender and crockpot can fit into larger cabinets. The stand mixer can often be left out on the countertop as an aesthetically pleasing addition to your kitchen. As with the larger appliances, there is one major countertop appliance that should be banned from your kitchen- the microwave. Microwaves actually destroy a lot of the nutrients found in your food and they take up a great deal of counterspace. Anything you want to cook in the microwave can be cooked on the stove or in the oven. It may take more time, yes, but the quality of your food is well worth the wait. Plus, there is something to be said for the coziness of a home where the subtle scents drift through the space and there is warmth in the air all because of the delicious meal being heated in the oven. Ditch the microwave and opt for a more wholesome solution.

Smaller Items

After selecting your main larger and countertop appliances, it is time to think smaller. It is important to have a set of nice plates, bowls, silverware, and drinking glasses. These are worth the splurge as you will use them on a regular basis and whenever you host events. A few other staples for the kitchen are measuring cups and spoons, a set of pots and pans, a culinary set of knives, an array of rubber and metal spatulas, a set of wooden spoons, and a couple of baking sheets and bread pans. Once you have these set items, the rest is almost always just clutter filling your cabinets and your countertops. There are definitely a few items to consider getting rid of when creating your minimalist kitchen. The biggest culprit of kitchen clutter is Tupperware containers. It is so easy to accumulate quite a collection of these items, but the truth is, we often do not need more than a handful of them. If you must use leftover containers, shop for a uniform set. Again, it is all about having a cohesive collection that is appealing to the eye rather than a scattered set that does not match. More items that are important to consider when decluttering your kitchen space is the number of utensils, plates, and glassware you own, any older appliances that are cracked or not running properly, or other items that are purely extras to the fundamental elements important to your space.

Decorative Items and Organization

Once you have found the essential appliances for the kitchen, the next step is determining how to decorate and organize the space. The kitchen should feel warm and spacious, and promote a feeling of community and family. In order to do this, consider choosing a light color option for the walls, a clean marble or wood for the countertops, and nice furniture pieces for the dining room. When it comes to the kitchen, it is worth spending a little extra on your surfaces and furniture as your guests spend a great deal of time in this space. For décor try to keep it simple. You do not need to add a lot of items as it often leads to the space feeling cluttered. Rather, select items that not only look aesthetically pleasing but also provide a function in your kitchen. Again, it is worth spending a little more on quality appliances that serve the function of both décor and food prep, as they tend to last longer and are more visually appealing in your kitchen. Creating your minimalist kitchen is as easy as selecting a few must-have appliances and sticking to a light, clean color scheme for the space. Your kitchen is a space that people often congregate in, and so it is important to create a space that welcomes your guests and does not create cluttered anxiety. Keep your must-have appliances and eliminate the rest. Remember to keep your space clean, and embrace the home cooked meals. This is the secret to creating your minimalist kitchen.