renovate your kitchen

Going green in today’s world has become important, but in reality, it is hard to be more eco-friendly even in our daily habits, let alone in home design. One room is the ideal candidate for going green and where eco-awareness has a real chance of being implemented successfully in the kitchen.

Starting from our behaviour in the kitchen, across the different appliances we place there, up to the design of the entire space are all fields in which a kitchen can become greener. If you are presently renovating your kitchen or have a renovation planned in the future, here are some design ideas on how to turn the kitchen into an eco-friendly zone in your house.

Recycling stations

It is hardly a surprise that recycling is the first and most important step we can take towards saving Mother Earth. The kitchen is usually where indoor waste bins are located, so the recycling chain starts here.

Sorting waste according to its type is a challenge even for the waste disposal companies, but you can be more efficient. From the very start, designate an area, best in the kitchen corner, where you will separate containers for glass, plastic, metal, and other recyclables.

The bins should be deep enough, and they must have a tight lid so that no foul smells can escape. Since these recycling stations are located inside the house, your children can decorate them before the installation to fit in nicely with the overall kitchen décor.

Recycle by reusing

Industrial recycling procedures are complex and require a lot of time, labour, and money to complete. Home recycling, therefore, consists mainly of reusing items that you have discarded. An old car tire can have a second life as a children’s swing or a makeshift flowerpot.

Glassware can last forever if it’s not damaged, so you can always repurpose it. Even glass shards from different broken jars or mugs can make ideal decorations in the garden as they can be imprinted in the concrete.

Shopping bags can be placed in trashcans, obviating the need for those black bags that aren’t particularly visually appealing. In essence, train yourself to think before throwing anything irreversibly in the trash. Almost everything broken can be put to good use somewhere else.

Choosing the right design

Even before you start recycling, your kitchen can go green by selecting an appropriate design. Who can install several materials in the eco-friendly kitchen? For instance, the built-in cutting board can be made from bamboo, and energy-efficient LED lights can replace conventional lighting.

There isn’t a single place inside the kitchen that you cannot go green with, as Who can make even the countertop from recycled materials such as chipped stone. If you are doing a full renovation, then it is OK to ask the professionals for help.

Commercial fit-out companies like Impecca Build are experienced at this type of work. More importantly, they can advise you and offer you eco-friendly solutions for your kitchen that you could hardly come up with on your own.

Culinary convection ovens

The stove is the appliance that will, alongside the refrigerator, use up the most energy inside the kitchen. Consider installing a convection oven to decrease the overall energy use and your utility bill at the end of the month.

These ovens circulate air evenly around the food inside, so less energy is needed to heat them as there is little to no waste of hot air. Also, they cook food at lower temperatures which account for additional energy saving. If you want to cut down on electricity consumption, always do that with appliances that use up the most of it and don’t dabble with small users, such as laptops or mobile chargers.

Water consumption

Just like electricity, water usage should be decreased as well. Since you are likely to put a new dishwasher inside the renovated kitchen, choose a green model that promises a lower use of water. The latest generation of dishwashers is eco-friendly, so there shouldn’t be a problem choosing the right one.

Also, when you run the dishwasher, do so only if it is fully loaded, as half-full dishwashers use up to 50% more energy to run efficiently. In terms of design, a small dishwasher is better than a large one, as it will fit easier within the kitchen space.

Related: Kit Home into a Home Office

Renovating the kitchen presents an ideal opportunity for your entire household to go green. Not only will you save electricity and water, but the design of the kitchen will make an ideal room for preparing meals for your family.