How to Design a Kid-Friendly Modern Kitchen
If you’re a parent, your child’s safety around the house always comes first. As you’re decorating your home, this goes for furniture, windows, appliances, flooring, and even paint choices. But one room that parents often struggle with decorating is the kitchen. This is because it is difficult to balance this multi-use space for cooking, congregating, playtime, and maybe even a little pre-dinner homework.
Here are some ideas to keep in mind as you design a kid-friendly kitchen that also has a modern, up-to-date style and an aesthetically pleasing look.
Kid-Friendly Kitchen Materials
Some materials that are available for kitchens are more suited for families than others. Kid-friendly kitchen displays should always provide comfortable and safe solutions for food prep areas and cleanup. The right layout can help encourage kids to learn about healthy foods, master the basics of cooking, and help with dishes after meals.
As far as materials go, consider using kitchen table, dining sets, and barstools with vinyl since it’s easy to clean up spills. You’ll also want to have easy-to-clean surfaces in your kid-friendly kitchen. Quartz is durable and less likely to stain than granite, while laminate can stand up to spills on countertops as well for a lower cost. It’s a smart idea to round out the edges of your countertops to prevent children from hitting their heads on a sharp corner.
For flooring, you may want to avoid smooth tiles and natural stone because these can be slippery and cause falls. Resilient and less slippery flooring materials to use instead are cork and vinyl. Bright colors often appeal to children, so brighten up your kitchen with some lively hues that welcome them into the space. It’s also fun to have a kitchen island in your kitchen to provide space for multi-tasking during dinner prep.
Kid-Friendly Kitchen Accessories
Similarly, the accessories you choose for your kitchen also affect how modern and kid-friendly the room looks. Convection microwaves are popular options in kid-friendly kitchens because they multi-task to serve as a fast oven and a device for reheating. Induction cooktops are typically safer for kids as well because the stovetop only gets hot when there’s a pan on the burner.
Stainless steel may look modern, but it doesn’t look great with little handprints all over it. Black appliances won’t show prints as badly as shiny silver.
Also, make sure to keep kitchen tools and gadgets stowed away in drawers so they aren’t mistaken for toys. It can be hard to stay organized and reduce clutter in a household with kids, but every little bit helps!
Safety Concerns for Kitchen Displays
There are certain safety concerns that may influence a different approach to stylish design in households with young children. For example, you may want to provide seating and cabinets at the appropriate height for your children so they don’t struggle to climb onto high surfaces and hurt themselves.
For appliances, choose models with child lockout features. You can also get a stove guard to keep small hands from getting too close to the burners. If kids will be using the sink, choose a batch feed garbage disposal since these are safer options. Although continuous feed models often come at a lower cost, they can be more dangerous for small hands that are cleaning up close by. Safety covers are also recommended for garbage disposals, especially if children are in the house.
Decorative Kitchen and Bath Supplies
For all your decorative kitchen and bath supplies, Central Plumbing Specialties has five convenient showrooms with unique offerings and displays. We’re open to the trade and homeowners, and we offer a hand-picked selection of decorative products and plumbing supplies to suit every kitchen décor.
For the kitchen, we specialize in various styles of kitchen faucets and kitchen sinks made by trusted brands you can rely on. Stop by the location nearest you to see our kid-friendly kitchen displays and choose the fixtures that match your style!