Big Ideas for a Better
and Safer Kitchen Remodel

Remodeling your kitchen with purpose

Thinking about remodeling your kitchen? Here's a few tips to help you plan your dream kitchen. Some are geared towards convenience and some for safety. Either way, these kitchen remodeling tips from the experts will enhance your kitchen and help you avoid some common pitfalls.

Safety First

When remodeling your kitchen, relocate electrical outlets to the side of counters and islands instead of on top. This helps prevent electrical shock from spills and splashes. It also rids your countertop space of unsightly wires and outlets.

Add a few more outlets than you think you'll need, it will pay off later in accessibility and safety. When plugging too many kitchen appliances into an outlet, outlet overload or circuit overload can occur, overheating and possibly causing a fire.

When putting outlets near water sources, use a A GFCI outlet (ground fault circuit interrupter). GFCI's have their own built-in circuit breaker. They are intended to protect you from an electrical shock and your wiring and breaker panel from being shorted out.

Think about rounded corners instead of squared off corners. This will help protect your children from injuries.

Always keep in mind a space for a kitchen fire extinguisher. Fires can spread easily from spilled oil on the kitchen stove or other hazards. Placing towel racks and paper items away from the stove will help as well.

Place cookies and other treats in places away from the stove. Children may climb the stove to get to them and suffer serious burns or other injuries. Kid's snack foods are better placed on shelves they can reach away from hazards.

Kitchen Convenience

When designing your kitchen, consider adding a snack area with ample seating for the kids. A spot away from the stove and kitchen preparation areas will help keep kids out of the cook's space. Also adding a second microwave just for the kids away from the main kitchen work area may help to avoid mishaps in the kitchen.

Design your space to work for you, not the other way around. Plan where to store your utensils, spices, foil/plastic wrap and storage containers. Having the right items near the right preparation areas will save you time and frustration. Storing pots and utensils near the stove or having foil and plastic wraps near the refrigerator keeps the workspace flowing.

Installing outlets near your most used workspaces will cut down on traffic in the kitchen and place your appliances right where you need them most.

In addition to good looks, kitchen cabinets should offer accessibility in your newly remodeled kitchen. Roll out drawers in lower cabinets help you find things easily and prevent stooping down to find what you need. Fill the gaps between large appliances and cabinets with a pullout pilaster. This pullout can conceal almost anything, from a towel rack to a spice rack. It pulls out when need it and goes back in when not in use disguised as cabinetry.

Pull out shelves or a lazy susan are also great for under the kitchen sink to hold dish soap, cleaning supplies and a host of other kitchen essentials.

Consider pull out bins for larger lower cabinets to hold trash receptacles and recyclables. Keeping these items out of sight will keep your newly remodeled kitchen organized and beautiful.

Planning ahead for a dish drying rack above the kitchen sink. Installing this feature will put the rack right where it's needed most and free up valuable counter space.