Is the Second-Floor Kitchen the Next Big Kitchen Trend?

In the globe of kitchen developments, there is a great deal to be fired up about right now: Just get the increase of dark, moody colour palettes, built-in appliances, and expansive windows in kitchens as proof that these formerly utilitarian areas are getting additional beautiful by the day. Continue to, when we noticed that Design by Emily Henderson posted an article about second-ground kitchens as a kitchen area trend for 2023, it reminded us that at times, breaking home design regulations can lead to a delightfully unpredicted house.

The Model by Emily Henderson post features designer Erin Brown talking about her determination to transfer the kitchen area of her California home to the 2nd ground, and we just can’t aid but adore the sprawling views and purely natural gentle her alternative brings into her kitchen. But is a 2nd-flooring kitchen area a very good idea, basically speaking? We’ll crack down some of the execs and downsides of this surprising—but most likely hugely rewarding—trend.

What We Love About a 2nd-Ground Kitchen

Floor-floor kitchens are the norm, but most creating codes really do not essentially require this. So, if you have an wonderful watch (as Brown does), why not make the most of it by placing the rooms you use most in pride of spot?

Flipping the regular ground prepare in favor of an inverted floor approach has quite a few benefits—including earning the most of a look at: “An ocean view from our bedroom was the initial alternative, but we just really do not shell out a ton of waking hrs in our bedroom, and I felt like the watch would be neglected most of the time,” Brown explained to Style by Emily Henderson.

Building a 2nd-flooring kitchen area all around expansive home windows also will allow for additional flexibility in style choices, as you aren’t confined to using light-weight cabinets and floors to hold the space brilliant and welcoming—those home windows can consider treatment of that. As well as, if you require a lot more storage, you can constantly dangle floating cabinets across windows and still get a good deal of organic light.

A next-floor kitchen might also be additional electrical power-economical, considering that an inverted ground approach often suggests the bedrooms are tucked absent on lower flooring, exactly where they will stay cooler in the summer months months and safeguarded from the residual heat of the kitchen area. To improve performance and make the most of your storage and views, think about hiring a designer to stroll you by way of the method of what you may want.

What to Know Right before Setting up a 2nd-Flooring Kitchen

Aesthetics apart, the most essential factor to think about when building a kitchen is usability. Since you will be hauling groceries up (and trash down), it may possibly be a excellent idea to include a set of immediate-accessibility entry techniques that guide to your trash cans and autos. For Brown, this was not as a great deal of a factor as she considered it may possibly be, as the issue “is not distinctive only to a 2nd-ground kitchen—anyone who lives in a multi-story building bargains with this,” she told Fashion by Emily Henderson.

The price is one more thing to consider. For occasion, you may perhaps will need to set up a new or added water heater to accommodate the adjust in drinking water needs. There may also be an extra charge to increase utilities (like plumbing, normal gas, and electrical energy) to the upstairs space and to make right drainage for things like dishwashers, rubbish disposals, appliances, and sinks. And, of course, this is no smaller modify: When you could set your second-ground kitchen area in a new development with relative relieve, it would likely be much more difficult (and pricey) to shift your kitchen to a new floor all through a renovation.

Also, if you are placing bedrooms underneath your kitchen area, you could want to incorporate some soundproofing elements into your design—like delicate-near cupboards and seem-dampening flooring—to decrease the pitter-patter of hectic toes although the relaxation of the household is sleeping.

Ultimately, it’s really worth looking at how a 2nd-floor kitchen area may perhaps impact the resale benefit of your home, for the reason that it simply just could not be a possible preference for some homebuyers—particularly these who are getting old or those people who have tiny young children. The recognition of both equally one-degree residences and initially-flooring principal bedrooms is on the rise since prospective buyers are trying to get versatility in their property purchases and want the sort of home that will enable them to age in spot. For these consumers, even a breathtaking perspective when they sip their early morning coffee might not be more than enough to sell them on the inverted floor system.