Pixabay

It’s something that the vast majority of estate agents use as the major selling point. The kitchen is taking over the living room as the hub of the home. But if you are not using it to the best of your ability, and you have taken the approach to eat your meals in front of the television, or you are one part of a dislocated family that spends their time in different rooms, it might be time to revitalize the kitchen and make it the big draw of your home. What are the ways you can refocus the attention back onto the kitchen, and how can you do this?

Eat As A Family

First things first, if you are eating around the television, albeit at the same time, are you really communicating as a family. Not to go all Godfather on you, but the best ideas can be made around the dinner table, over food. And the great thing about eating as a family is that you can learn to savor, not just the more vibrant discussions about what you’ve all done with your day, but also the quiet times. Some people feel very uncomfortable if there’s an extended period of silence, and, as a family, it’s something you should all be so relaxed in each other’s company, that you don’t even notice the silence. The fact is, get the family together, actually, ask questions to each other, and you’ve got a dialog going. Granted, it’s not always this easy, especially if you’ve got reticent teenagers, but the fact that you are all in the same vicinity together is probably one of the simplest ways to spend quality time together as a family in the modern age.

Make It Debate Central!

And to follow on from the discussion aspect, if you are working your hardest to raise children who are thoughtful, independent, and question every little thing, you might be doing something right! One way to help encourage this further is to spark debate. It’s something that we see in movies a lot, which can spiral out of control into arguments, but it’s important to remember that debate is very healthy. Having a big table, and not just getting the family to sit around it, but also bringing guests in to have meals, and social gatherings, will make the kitchen the hub of the home. Of course, as we all know, when there are parties, the action is always in the kitchen. Take this as inspiration!

Shake Up The Style

But what if you have no idea how to maximize the space? You may have a small kitchen, or it’s impractical for everybody to gather there. Because the kitchen is one of the main rooms in the house that can impact the value positively, if you are ever considering moving on, or downsizing later in life, and your kitchen feels underwhelming, the chances are that a lot of other people will feel the same way. But changing the kitchen is a significant task. It’s the hub of your home, which means you have to spend a lot of time planning your attack. You can hire various kitchen remodelers to make significant alterations, but you can easily change the style in subtle ways. There are so many different styles you can implement, but also, the modern kitchen is the very trendy style at the moment. Kitchen islands, galley lighting and the various marble counter top options available to buyers make it a space for you to unleash your creativity. But likewise, you need to consider the practicalities of the space. If you have a small kitchen space, is this because you’ve got an island in the middle of the kitchen? And if you’ve been looking to fit a dining table in the space, but this isn’t feasible, you either remove the island and put the counter-tops around the edges of the room, or you transform the island into a breakfast bar. A breakfast bar is one of the biggest draws in modern homes because it’s usually the one space where families can physically congregate. So even if you feel that you’ve not got many options to get the family together, this is why the kitchen needs to be top of your priority list.

Use It As An Opportunity To School Your Kids On The Essentials In Life

If you have young kids, and they’re just getting to the point where they are figuring out who they are, their inquisitive minds need nourishing. If you are someone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, either baking or cooking, it’s now time to bring your children into the sacred area and let them get their hands dirty. As parents, we can all feel that we’re doing a lot in terms of cleaning the house, and we wish that the children would lend a hand once in a while, and it’s at a young age, that you should instill this habit. Not just for the fact that it will make life easier for you, but it will encourage them to be more independent. Doing the dishes, drying them, cooking, or even very minimal meal preparation, is all something that we can introduce our kids to, so they can feel part of the process. It’s just good parenting to let your kids help out. Gradually, as they become more skilled, you can let them take over a little bit more, and as they get older, you may put your feet up and relax while food is being done for you! Granted, this is in an ideal world. But, if you have kids that want to go to college one day, you’re not going to be there to clean up after them, and so, the kitchen space is the ideal place to school your kids in the essentials in life.

There was a time that the living room was the hub of the home, and we would all sit around, mouths agog, staring at the television. Thankfully, it’s getting to the point where the family is naturally congregating to the kitchen area. So if you are concerned that your family spends too much time apart, or you are trying to inject a bit of pizzazz into your home for the benefits of guests, or even just to raise the value of the house, the kitchen has it all!