When you have a growing family, the kitchen becomes the heart of the house.

Cooking, eating, chatting, doing homework, spending time together as a family – how you design your kitchen should reflect the activities that take place in it.

Here we look at some of the most important aspects of creating a kitchen that’s safe, practical and comfortable for the whole family.

Make your kitchen a safe place for children

Depending on the ages of your children, you’ll want your cooking and preparation areas to be away from prying fingers. However, if you have teenagers, easy access to the fridge and microwave is essential.

If you have young children, you may want to consider an induction hob as there’s no flame and the surface stays cool during cooking, making them ideal for families. Kitchen islands can work well as you can have a cooking area at one end and seating at the other. That way you don’t have to turn your back on the kids while you cook.

Features such as boiling water taps are handy (as long as they’re out of reach) as they can’t be knocked over like kettles or pans of water. Think about the height of your work surfaces – too low and small children can reach up to knock things down on themselves. However, the height must be comfortable for the person who does most of the food preparation and cooking.

Plan for growing kitchen storage needs

As your family grows so do your kitchen storage requirements. This is particularly relevant in kitchens where you may need to find space for bottles, sterilisers, baby food and plastic plates and cutlery.

Therefore, you need to give yourself plenty of cupboard space as it’s going to be vital that certain items are locked away or put out of reach.

It’s essential to have safety locks on cupboards where hazardous cleaning fluids are kept and enough high cabinets to store any sharp implements or potentially dangerous kitchen appliances such as blenders.

Some families incorporate low-level cupboards that their children can have access to. This satisfies their need to independently find their own plates and cutlery and stops them from climbing up to find them. However, anything breakable and any glassware should be stored high out of harm’s way.

Choose easy to clean kitchen surfaces

When it comes to choosing work surfaces, think about how easy they’re going to be to clean. Sticky fingerprints, spilt food and drink, the list of mess that’s commonly made in a kitchen is endless.

Bear this in mind when choosing an appropriate worktop. Corian is made from a blend of acrylic resins, minerals and colourings to create a stone-hard surface that’s stain-resistant and durable.

Similarly, quartz worktops are resistant to scratches, stains, heat damage and are virtually non-porous. This makes them a highly practical kitchen surface if you have a lively family. All you need to do to keep quartz clean is use a mild detergent and wipe with a cloth.

For the kitchen floor, you’ll need the surface to be hardwearing as well as easy to clean. Ceramic options are popular as they look great and are highly practical.

Would you like advice on how to plan your family kitchen?

At K Interiors, we can help you design the kitchen you want, one that’s perfectly suited to your family’s lifestyle.

Why not book a FREE kitchen design consultation and let us show you how we can transform your kitchen?

Call us on 01525 851830 or email: sales@kinteriorskitchens.co.uk