The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many changes in our daily lives. Everything from working, shopping, and going to school has been disrupted and with many people spending more time at home, you’ve probably noticed disruptions there too. Maybe you’re spending more time cleaning up after yourself and your family. Or more time sanitizing and cleaning every surface being touched. Maybe your home is now your office place and you’ve struggled to find balance between the demands of family, housework, and your job. Given all of this, it’s very likely that you have noticed changes happening in the heart of your home – the kitchen – due to the coronavirus forcing us to change the way we live.
Whether you love to cook a family dinner or more often opt for dining out, the pandemic has probably impacted how your family deals with food preparation and how you eat your meals. Perhaps you’ve gotten more carry-out meals than usual to support local businesses that struggle to stay open after losing their dine in customers. Or maybe you’ve decreased routine daily stops and are hesitant to be out in the public simply interacting with others. Some folks are just self isolating and simply eliminated dining out for economic reasons.
Shortages on grocery store shelves might have left you scrambling to make simple ingredient meals and even those devoted home cooks may have found themselves worn out after cooking endless meals in highly-trafficked kitchens that might not be functioning at their best. If your kitchen space is dated with worn-out appliances, old countertops, or just doesn’t work for how your family needs to use it, then you may be suffering from “Covid Kitchen Fatigue”.
While it’s hard to say what kinds of changes the coronavirus could bring to our lives in the future, homeowners and designers are already starting to think about how the pandemic is changing how we function and feel about our kitchen space—and what future homeowners will want and need from their kitchen. This article will break down some potential covid oriented kitchen remodel ideas and let you know what you can do now if your kitchen isn’t functioning at its best.
Change #1: Added Storage Space
If you’ve tried to fit several weeks’ worth of groceries into your fridge and storage cabinets you have probably found your kitchen full to its capacity. COVID-19 has changed the way we grocery shop—many people have been making fewer trips to the store swapping daily shopping for mega shopping trips filling the need to stock up on ingredients, having groceries delivered, or opting for free pick-up.
In the future, many homeowners will be interested in having storage space that can accommodate these new habits. The newest kitchen trends involve more cabinets and areas designated to hold groceries—like floor-to-ceiling storage, bigger refrigerators, and bigger or more functional kitchen pantries. And kitchens in general might be designed to be bigger, to allow for that added storage.
Change #2: Social Kitchens
Those larger kitchens won’t just be for storage space. As the pandemic has kept more people at home, kitchens have become more than spaces to prepare meals. They have gained more emphasis as a family gathering place and even become a multi-generational work space. Kitchens with large islands that include seating or room for a table and chairs function well to allow this kind of family gathering and are likely to become even more popular.
Open floor plans have become very popular in recent years and are likely to stay in style. Leaving the kitchen open to the family living space dissolves the boundaries between kitchen and other living areas. This blurring of boundaries can make the kitchen feel more a part of the home and a place for family and friends to gather. Something that’s likely to become even more important.
Change #3: Technology
An increased awareness in sanitizing surfaces and staying healthy means that more people than ever are sanitizing countertops, knobs, handles, phones, and even grocery packaging. Kitchen technology may be able to help keep up with these new behaviors. Trash cans, drawers, faucets, or refrigerators with automated or no-touch functions may become more popular as people continue to try to keep their homes germ free. New technologies in the properties of metals, plastics, and other packaging materials that are self cleaning or lower bacteria count are very popular now.
Technology that allows homeowners to keep food fresh for longer—or to grow their own food—may also become more popular. Vacuum-sealing containers or apps that allow you to see what you have in your fridge may become more widely used—same goes for kitchen herb gardens that help plants grow indoors. When it comes to kitchen trends for 2020, bringing the outdoors in is already in style—COVID only continues to emphasize this importance.
Change #4: Design
For those homeowners who want lower-tech options, changes may reflect more in what kinds of design choices they make. For those looking to reinvigorate their kitchen neutral colors may lose importance as a decompression measure from away-from-home work stress due to more time being spent at home and bold colors—on the walls or appliances—may become more popular as a means to keep us upbeat and awake. The importance of skylights and windows for their natural sunlight may increase as people look to get their Vitamin D and grow their own kitchen herbs indoors.
Easy-to-clean and low-maintenance refrigerators and countertops are likely to become more popular, and countertops with antimicrobial coatings may gain traction. As they always have, homeowners want countertops that look good and are easy to clean and maintain. Frequent sanitizing has likely left you well-acquainted with the condition of your existing countertops—including noticing scratches, burns, or damage that can make your kitchen look tired and may make these areas even harder to clean.
The good news? Many types of countertops can be brought back to life and repaired through refinishing. If you’ve been wondering how to revitalize Corian countertops or other solid-surface materials, resurfacing—or our faux-granite topcoat—may be the solution you’re looking for. Wondering “where can I find Corian countertop repair near me?” The Tub Pros proudly serves the Greater Memphis area of the Mid-South.
In Conclusion
While the future remains uncertain, The Tub Pros are here to help you and your family today! If you are suffering from Covid Kitchen Fatigue and your kitchen isn’t looking or working at its best, we can help you and your family get through these challenging times. Give us a call at 901-871-8827 or use our contact page to get started on your kitchen project today.
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