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The Family-Friendly Kitchen

By Julia Tolliver Maranan

Whether the kitchen serves as family central or you use it just for cooking and eating, you want to be happy and comfortable there. Dawn Ritchie and Kathryn Robyn, authors of The Emotional House (New Harbinger) and owners of a home consulting practice in Los Angeles offer simple tips to help you organize and redecorate your kitchen to fit your family's personality and needs.

Focus on function "Lifestyle dictates design style," says Ritchie. First pinpoint what would make the space operate efficiently and comfortably. "Spend time in your kitchen with a friend or spouse and identify how you work there, where your kids hang out," says Ritchie. "Then develop solutions around the way you use your kitchen." Your needs might lead you to choose child-friendly softer floors (wood or vinyl instead of tile, for example) or rounded edges on furniture and counters. Or you might invest in a rolling island to increase storage and work space.

Make it welcoming Hang a pendant lamp over a breakfast nook or table to make a focal point that provides task lighting and draws people to sit there. "If you don't have room for a table and chairs in your kitchen, at least have a stool so another person can sit and visit with you while you work," says Ritchie.
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