Before and after: a new kitchen for mother of three kids

Big space, poor functionality
Although the former family's kitchen has served them for more than 20 years, it is has many irrational solutions and doesn't use the space as it could. The old bar table takes place in the middle of this area and serves for storage, but its sharp edges and shelves that allow children to climb dangerously high seem to be unsafe for the children. As there is not enough room inside the cabinets, many things are stored on the surfaces.

The kitchen furniture set consists of many cabinets, however they are too narrow and some of them does not close anymore. Furthermore, Mintarė has already got tired of the brightly coloured kitchen fronts, as well as the old extractor hood and the too weak worktop lighting.

The dining furniture set is hiding under the tablecloth and chair covers and the old children's cot serves for storage. The children corner where they like to play while their mother is preparing food, also needs repairing: the wooden furniture that has served for a long time, is already broken and fastened with adhesive tape.

It‘s time to change
When we asked Mintarė to describe the kitchen she would like to see, she mentioned not wanting bright colours anymore. The mother confessed dreaming of a light and cosy kitchen in Provence style with spacious cabinets for all her kitchen utensils (Mintarė likes to keep her worktop clutter free). She would also like to have a wider (60cm instead of current 45cm) dishwasher, an extractor hood and a sideboard for a serveware set that hasn’t find its place at home yet.

New design, same layout
Although the furniture layout and floor plan remained the same, the new kitchen looks totally different. Light traditional style furniture makes the space feel even more spacious and combines well with the darker accessories that bring some dynamics. The upgraded kitchen is more functional and has three separate areas: the cooking area with cabinets installed up to the ceiling, the dining area with a wall-mounted sideboard of Mintarė's dreams, and the playing area for children in the same style as the whole room.

Large dining room instead of a bar
After removing the bar table, there is more space left for the dining area that is visually separated from the cooking area with an easy to maintain dark patterned low pile rug. This area includes the extendable INGATORP dining table, the wooden INGOLF chairs and the junior chairs for children. The table’s surface is resistant to liquids, food stains, oil, heat, scratches and bumps (and other childish mischiefs), while it extends to seat up to eight people. To make the seating even more comfortable, there are some chair pads that can be machine washed or replaced if needed.

Textile provides comfort
To soften the natural light that comes through the window, Ilona has chosen the LENDA curtains made of cotton. They lower the general light level and provide privacy by preventing people outside from seeing directly into the room. The tab heading allows hanging the curtains directly on a curtain rod without buying additional hooks.

A children-friendly kitchen
We believe that the perfect kitchen is a place where children and adults like spending time together, from cooking to playing, doing homework or engaging in other activities. Since this is a home for three children, Ilona decided to make this place safe and cheerful at the same time. So she placed the DUKTIG play kitchen, the LÄTT children's table with chairs and added the BEKVÄM stepladder to make it easier to reach the worktop while cooking with mom. She also hung the SPONTAN magnetic board to save the magnets collection that used to be stored on the fridge door.

"Let the kids make their mark in the shared spaces. Choose some stylish
junior chairs that give the right seat height for the child at the dining table,
and if you have a spacious kitchen - dedicate some space to add a play
kitchen for tiny master chefs and bakers."

The family asked for a brighter kitchen, so our interior designer suggested the off-white BODBYN doors and drawer fronts.  These elegant kitchen fronts in traditional style are smooth and seamless, resistant to moisture and staining and very easy to keep clean. That is why they are covered by the 25-year guarantee! Besides the cabinets, Ilona also upgraded the kitchen appliances. Behind the doors, you will the UNDERVERK built-in extractor hood, the LAGAN integrated dishwasher, and the RÅKALL integrated fridge. The cooking area has also been upgraded and now has the new MATMÄSSIG hob and the MATTRADITION forced air oven.

Wider worktops
Since mother wanted the kitchen with bigger cooking area, Ilona chose a better place for the hob and the sink to leave more space between them for the wider EKEBACKEN worktop. The laminate worktop in light oak effect is very durable and easy to maintain, even with intensive use. Under the worktop, there are a deeper drawer for pots or pans and some smaller ones with VARIERA utensil trays. The OMLOPP LED lighting installed over the worktop allows preparing food with ease at any time of the day.

Roomier cabinets
Our interior designer projected more and roomier cabinets for all the things that used to be kept anywhere. The wall cabinets are just perfect for dinnerware and KORKEN jars with grocery products such as tea or grains. The VARIERA shelf inserts let use the whole height of the shelves. Placed on the shelf, they let get more storage space for cups, mugs or other small dishes and make the contents of the cabinet easy to overview and access.

More storage space
To bring the kitchen corner out of the corner, Ilona dedicated this space for frequently used kitchen utensils, tea towels and small pots with herbs. The FINTORP rail lets hang various things on hooks and can be paired with the kitchen roll holder of the same series.