10 Must-Haves in a Luxury Kitchen

Luxury isn’t necessarily about spending a lot of money. When it comes to kitchens, luxury can mean ease of movement (i.e. in not having to bend down to reach that pot lid), dramatic lighting and extras like a pantry or beverage station. We asked designer Kristin Kostamo-McNeil to spell out some of the extras that help make life easier in the kitchen.

1. Sinks: Double up. If you have two bowls and one is connected to the garbage disposal, this gives you an easy location for peeling veggies where you can discard peels at the same time. Two bowls also gives you room for soaking dishes in one sink, leaving the other sink free for handwashing. Although we often incorporate fireclay farmhouse sinks into our kitchens, another beautiful option is copper. Copper does not rust and EPA studies have shown that bacteria can’t survive on a copper surface. Natural stone sinks are another luxurious choice.

2. Ranges/cooktops: We are seeing a huge trend in “professional” slide-in range units with integrated ovens. The sizes vary and depend on your kitchen and preferred cooking style. The larger professional units are gaining raves for performance and their rising popularity may be due to the plethora of cooking shows out there. From an aesthetic perspective it is a nice balance to a traditional or transitional kitchen.

3. Lighting: Our clients will be the first to tell you how important we feel decorative lighting selections are. The right fixtures can make a statement and take a kitchen space to another level. You can also add drama with lights under and inside cabinets and with rope lighting underneath the kickboard.

4. Pantries: A walk-in pantry isn’t a must, but the pantry should include lots of storage and the shelves should be designed so that items are easily reachable. However, if you do have a large walk-in pantry, it’s a great spot to think about including a wine cooler as well as a sink and an extra microwave and fridge so that you can use it as a second kitchen for that big party.

5. Specialty cooking appliances: From smokers and air fryers to induction cooktops and bread makers, there are a lot of unique add-on appliances for specialty cooking. We installed a wood burning pizza oven in Renata and Chuck Bevilacqua’s kitchen at their specific request.

6. Wine rooms: If you are a wine connoisseur, you’ll love this side room for proper wine storage, organizing your collection and showcasing your favorite prized bottles.

7. Drawers: Warming drawers are convenient for keeping plates warm prior to plating food as well as keeping food warm while you are preparing other recipes for a large dinner party. Refrigerated drawers are handy for augmenting your regular upright refrigerator’s cold food storage.

8. Beverage stations: A beverage station is a great extra for storing soft drinks and juice boxes, coffee and tea, alcohol, a coffee-bean grinder, coffee pot, wine opener, etc.

9. Roll-out shelving system: The ease of being able to reach pots and pans, lids, canned goods and other items by pulling a shelf toward you can’t be beat.

10. Pot fillers: This wall-mounted faucet over the range will save you the job of ever having to lift a heavy pot filled with water again.