If you’re thinking about remodeling or updating your kitchen, then chances are you’ve come across an interior or kitchen design company that displays its best products and layouts in a local showroom. Visiting a designer kitchen showroom is often one of the best ways to gather inspiration for your own project- even if you aren’t thinking about that brand’s products or design services. 

A kitchen design showroom can help you get a feel for the space requirements of particular layouts, see fixtures and finishes up close, and give you new ideas for additional features. Design companies equip showrooms with their best colors, accents, and appliances to show the best that custom kitchen design offers. Visiting the showroom is the best way to get a clear picture of how these colors, accents, and appliances might look up close in your kitchen.

Planning a kitchen remodeling project provides plenty of challenges for most homeowners. It is essential to strike a balance between the practical needs for this space and the appearance or layout. A kitchen showroom is a great place to start gathering ideas, but can also remind homeowners of the features they’ve forgotten to include in their designs. Let’s take a look at some of the most critical design considerations to look for when visiting a kitchen design showroom.

Tasteful Sink Fixtures and Finishes

When visiting a showroom, make sure you aren’t passing over the kitchen sink’s fixtures and finishes. These are small elements of kitchen design that can make the kitchen look significantly more impressive or luxurious. Stainless steel or dark metal fixtures can make the faucet a standout design element and something your guests will immediately notice. 

The colors surrounding the sink fixtures and finishes are also important- note how the showroom’s host has assembled this color arrangement in this area of the kitchen. The kitchen sink is one of the three major points that form a kitchen’s workspace triangle, which means it’s often a centerpiece of kitchen design. If the showroom’s features are outside of your budget, make sure to take a few pictures of the spaces you liked the most- these may come in handy when shopping elsewhere.

Innovative Cabinets and Storage

When planning your new or remodeled kitchen, it’s easy to forget the essential features that will make your kitchen more functional. One of the most important measures of kitchen functionality is the storage solutions it offers for the homeowner. First, consider your current household. Which cabinets are full or need expansion? Where is extra storage needed most? If you have any appliances sitting on the counter in your current kitchen, you may want to add a dedicated storage space for this item in your plans. Finding a new home for these appliances and other items you might normally store on the countertop is one of the essentials of minimalist kitchen design. 

If you visit a kitchen showroom for design inspiration, you might notice that a cabinet for the trash and recycling bin is a popular addition for new high-end kitchens. Many drawers may have custom organizers, so cooking essentials like spices, baking ingredients, and general cookware are always within reach and easy to sort. You might also see additional refrigerator drawers to expand your cold storage, warming drawers for plates, or nearby pantry space. All of these storage solutions can make fantastic additions to your kitchen redesign!

The Open Shelving Trend

If you go to a kitchen showroom, you may also notice that one of the trendiest storage solutions in kitchen design is open shelving. Open shelves look great, often cost less than standard kitchen cabinets, and provide homeowners with the opportunity to display a few additional decorative items in the kitchen. However, open shelving can be challenging to keep organized. The everyday items stored on the open shelving will need to match the color palette of the rest of your kitchen and should always provide a clean appearance.  

Creative Lighting Options

Kitchen design companies often love to showcase kitchen light fixtures that go well beyond standard track lighting and catch your eye with their artistic designs. The more creative and elegant hanging light fixtures typically work best above a kitchen island or other central area where they can be viewed from multiple angles. When picking out fixtures for your kitchen, make sure you’re picking something bright enough to serve as task lighting but complementary in design to your countertops, finish, and appliances. 

Smart Seating Arrangements

Modern kitchen designs make room for many of your daily activities and routines beyond cooking and food preparation. A few bar stools for the kitchen island or a breakfast table near the window is often an essential addition that increases the overall value of your space by making it more multi-functional. Kitchen seating is usually kept out of the way of the general workspace or high-traffic walkways, but should still give the effect is sitting in a shared space. If you’re visiting a kitchen showroom, make sure to take note of how the designers build in kitchen seating arrangements. In a similar fashion to your lighting fixtures, your kitchen chairs or stools should accentuate the style and color palette of the entire space.     

Warm and Inviting Color Mixes

Choosing color combinations that are innovative yet timeless is one of the most challenging parts of designing a new kitchen. Before investigating paint colors for finishes and cabinets, you’ll want to choose a countertop design to plan around. If you choose marble countertops, you’ll need entirely different colors than a similar kitchen that uses granite instead. Visiting a kitchen showroom is one of the easiest ways to gather inspiration for your space. 

Conclusion– 6 Inspiring Design Features to Look For When Visiting a Kitchen Showroom

A local kitchen design showroom is one of the best ways to find inspiration for your remodeling or custom design project. Make sure to take pictures, ask questions, and observe the amount of space necessary for pulling off each design. It’s the smaller details that will elevate your designs and turn your kitchen into a stunning and timeless space.