6 Kitchen Features Guests Always Notice
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Kitchens have always been my “love language” in design. After 15 years as a writer and editor in the world of home interiors, reimagining my first home (starting with the kitchen in our 1800s farmhouse) is what inspired me to get more serious with my interior design hobby. I headed back to school to enroll in a design certification program, and learned the ins and outs of the business before eventually founding my own firm.
It makes sense of you think about it: Nothing acts as the “heart” of your home quiet like the kitchen, and if there’s anything I’ve learned from working on my own space—as well as the homes of clients—it’s that our kitchens take an enormous amount of care and attention to detail to get right. If your goal is to craft a space that looks as good as it functions, then you have to be mindful not just of the logistics (the location of your cabinets, if you’re opting for the working triangle), but also how your kitchen looks and feels when guests come over. Below, I dive into six kitchen features guests notice right away when they set foot in your cooking space—and all the ways you can nail the design to impress them from the start.
Cabinetry Paint Color
Unless you’re aiming for a minimalist kitchen look with just lower cabinetry, chances are you’ll probably have upper cabinets lining the perimeter of your kitchen. Therefore, the paint color you choose for those cabinets will be the utmost priority. Visually, whatever hue you pick will be covering the walls just as much as if you’d painted the whole room—and cabinets are much harder to change your mind on. So it’s a good idea to put your energy towards getting the palette right.
That said, the “right” paint color can mean different things to different people; it all depends on your aesthetic and what style you’re going for. If your kitchen is on the snug side, I’d steer clear of anything too bold or dark that will suck up all the light in the space; likewise, too stark of a white color can read as clinical, especially when coated on both the walls and the cabinets. As a general rule of thumb, warm neutrals or any color that looks a bit muddy (like a soft green with a touch of brown mixed in) are a great way to make your kitchen feel warm, welcoming, and classic.
The Backsplash
Just like your cabinets, your backsplash will take up a lot of visual real estate in your kitchen, making it one of the first places a guest’s eye will go when they enter the room. I find backsplashes to be a great opportunity to add a bit of playfulness and personality to a space, whether that’s through shimmering Zellige tile or a stunning veined marble that seems to streak across the wall like a paint splatter. That said, you’ll also want to be mindful of how easy it is to keep your backsplash clean, especially in high-traffic areas, like behind your stove or sink. Materials like mirrored tile or porous cement tile can quickly show a bevy of stains and sins, leaving your kitchen feeling (and looking) dirty no matter how hard you try. (Psst, see our guide for a detailed guide to backsplash ideas.)
Lighting and Light Bulb Color
Choosing beautiful lighting is an essential part of the equation in any well-designed room, and the kitchen is no exception. However, even more important than how your lighting makes your kitchen look is how your lighting makes your kitchen feel. No one wants to chop vegetables under a collection of cold can lights reminiscent of a school cafeteria! That instantly takes all the romance and enjoyment out of cheffing. Instead, layer your lighting in your kitchen just like you would any other room, focusing on complementing necessary overhead lighting (pro tip: set overheads to a lighting temperature of 2700K) with options that help cultivate a cozy ambiance, like island pendants, sconces flanking the stove, and even counter lamps. Your guests may not be able to put their finger on the difference visually, but I promise you they will feel it.
Cabinetry Style
I’m a firm believer that mixing up the cabinetry styles within your space is key to a dynamic, timeless kitchen. That said, you need to approach each decision with consideration for both your lifestyle and how much “work” you want to put into maintaining your kitchen on the regular. A great example of this? Glass-front kitchen cabinets. They’re a beautiful way to break up wall-to-wall cabinetry and keep a light and airy feel (especially in a snug space), but they definitely require a bit of upkeep, and any mess “hidden” behind those glass fronts is the first thing a guest will notice when they walk into your kitchen. If you’ve inherited the style in your space but don’t have the matching dinnerware or Type-A cleaning habits to do it justice, find a pretty patterned fabric or contact paper you can use to line the interior of the cabinet. You’ll still score the beauty and charm of the glass fronts, but you’ll keep your mess behind the curtain—literally and figuratively.
Countertop Cleanliness
One of my biggest pet peeves as a writer, designer, and homeowner is any space that needs to be pristine in order to be beautiful. Life happens, and a home that flexes with your needs (and the amount of free time you have that day to tidy up) is a necessity. That said, countertop clutter is the number one contributor to a messy kitchen, even if what’s on your countertop isn’t a “mess” at all. Some kitchens don’t have enough storage space to keep things like blenders, cooking utensils, and spices tucked away, so they end up clogging up the counters and drawing the eye of guests who will inevitably perceive them as clutter. If you’re redesigning a kitchen, use the opportunity to employ an “appliance garage” that will keep your favorite gear accessible but out of sight; if not, use a beautiful catchall bowl or pare down to the necessities and stash extras away in the pantry, basement, or garage until you need them.
Cabinet Hardware
While it may seem like a last-minute detail to some, hardware is like jewelry for your cabinets to designers and it’s one of the easiest ways to elevate your space in an instant. In fact, one of the details that guests noticed most in the kitchen I designed in my former home wasn’t the creamy taupe cabinets or the slightly shimmery zelliege backsplash; it was the handmade brass cup pulls, which I purposely chose to be unlaquered so they’d patina over time. It can be tempting to attach whatever pulls you can find at the local hardware store—especially when you’re desparate to get a renovation over the finish line—but guests will immediately notice something that feels cheap or off proportionally. This is one splurge that will pay off in spades, trust me.
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Alyssa Longobucco
Alyssa is a freelance writer, editor, and stylist with a background in interior, food, and lifestyle content. The recent recipient of an interior design certification, she has over a decade of experience in the digital and magazine industry helping readers digest design trends and providing actionable expert advice for creating a home and life they love.
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