Will you be designing your kitchen and visiting a kitchen showroom to get ideas? If so, it will help to keep the following design tips in mind. 

1. Consider Appliance Placement

Where you place your appliances depends on how you plan on using them. For example, a microwave can be placed above a stovetop and double as the hood that allows heat to ventilate, or you can place it in the lower cabinets by installing a microwave drawer-style appliance instead. Look at the showroom for inspiration for how appliances are placed, and potentially break out from the norms that you are used to.

However, you should always keep the kitchen triangle in mind as well when considering appliance placement. This means having the sink, stove, and refrigerator in close proximity—usually with all three forming a triangle. These are the three things that you use the most, and you want to travel the least when going between the three places. 

2. Consider Your Island Depth

Will you have a kitchen island that looks out into a living room? You'll want to make sure that the island is deep enough to work with your lifestyle. A common problem that people run into is not making the island deep enough to accommodate a sink and seating space on the opposite side. By extending the island out an extra foot or two, you may gain back some valuable seating area on the opposite side of the island and not have the sink extend to the edge. You can also raise the outward part of the island so that it is higher and separated from the prep area, and use tall stools for seating around it. 

3. Consider Your Lighting

Lighting is key to a kitchen so that you can easily see what you are doing, so you should get inspiration from the kitchen showroom when it comes to how the lights are set up. Recessed lighting can be a great way to illuminate the entire kitchen to make it evenly lit throughout the space. Under-cabinet lighting can give you more direct light on your prep area, and be well hidden underneath your upper cabinets. You can hang lights as well over sinks, islands, and counter spaces that do not have cabinets above them for recessed lighting. 

Reach out to a local kitchen showroom in your area to get more inspiration for your new kitchen.