Kitchen Remodel Must Haves in 2022

Moving into a new house almost always means remodeling for me (hazard of the job, I guess!). And the house we just moved to is no different - I have so many ideas for spaces all over the house, but my husband and I agreed to tackling the kitchen first to make it work for our family.

A lot of what we want to add to the kitchen centers around efficiency, convenience, and technology - all of which we get asked about a lot by our clients for their remodels as well! So if you're about to start a remodel or a new build, have a look at the features and products below that we are heavily considering implementing into our kitchen, and I definitely recommend that you do as well!

Blind Corner Cabinet

This blind corner cabinet is an amazing thing I'm actually annoyed hasn't been on our radars for corner cabinets until recently! See it in action in this video here to see the magic. This is a great alternative to a corner door and lazy Susan situation that is absolutely going into our kitchen this time around!

Charging Drawers

Add plugs to drawers to keep all the electronics + cords hidden. If they always have a home, there’s a better chance they’ll be put away! The convenience of in-drawer outlets sets you up for success way more than outlets above your countertops.

Spice Drawer Organizer

This spice drawer organizer is not only functional, but just so beautiful to see when you open this drawer. And if you love pretty labels as much as I do, you can use these to make your bottles that much more satisfying to see and use!

Hands Free Faucet

I love this foot pedal option by Principle Faucets not only to help with water shortages here in CA, but to save money on water anywhere! How often do you keep the water running between tasks like washing fruits and veggies, or filling dog bowls like you see above? And this would be a great option for kids that can't quite reach the faucet yet as well!

Tray/cookie sheet organizers

This would be a custom cabinet design, but I highly recommend building this into your cabinet design so your trays and cookie sheets are vertically stacked, and you can grab what you need at a glance - not digging through a pile of trays and making a huge mess of noise! If it doesn't work to go custom, you can always add in pull out trays and organizers that will help!

Pull Out Shelves

These are life savers for deep cabinets and being able to find things, especially for pantry cabinets and lower base cabinets. We’ve used these before, and this is a great idea for future proofing your kitchen as you age and maybe cannot bend down to get into those cabinets anymore!

Hooks

These hooks are great for pots + pans, or other little kitchen gadgets. The aged brass makes them that much cuter! If you like the look of your tools being out in the open, this is a great way to use under storage beneath an upper cabinet.

Hidden Appliance Stations

Hidden coffee station/hutch cabinets for small appliances are becoming more and more popular in kitchens. Less clutter is always a good idea!

I love that this station has a pot filler too! Filing the coffee maker with water is always a huge debate in our house… is it your responsibility to fill it if water is empty after you make your own coffee? Or do you only fill it if it’s empty when you’re ready to make your coffee? HUGE DEBATE!

Other Choices to Consider

Another choice to consider is using paneled appliances in a new kitchen (you can see a paneled fridge in one of our projects below). It's definitely more expensive, but super high impact and makes such a difference to eliminate all the stainless appliances, if you can afford it!

Also, remember to think about your trash cans! My biggest pet peeve is a beautifully designed kitchen, with a trash can sitting out. Find some space for a pull out trash cabinet and plan the kitchen accordingly to accommodate that!

Priority Lists

I highly suggest making a priority list with the people in your household ranking what features are most important to you, and thinking about how often that particular feature will impact your daily life. Will it really bother you to see trash cans out? Or to have stainless steel everywhere in your appliances? Maybe you don't drink coffee or use a lot of small appliances, so a hidden station doesn't make sense to prioritize.

Take all of these as suggestions that you could utilize or not - I'm just hoping to show you what's possible in a kitchen built in 2022, and how you can transform a space into a super functional place for you and your family to live your life!

Let us know if you've been through a remodel and incorporated any of these features - any regrets? What do you love? Share with all of us in the comments!