RISMedia

The Top Six Most Useful Kitchen Additions

By Barbara Pronin

Modern kitchens are generally built with space and convenience in mind. But if you’re living with an older kitchen, there are easy additions you may want to consider to maximize available space and cooking area.

The Wall St. Journal’s home and living editors provide their top six suggestions:

  • Kitchen island – A kitchen island can double or triple both food preparation and storage space. An inexpensive portable island can give you space and flexibility.
  • Wall oven – It’s a lot easier to baste a turkey at eye level than it is when it’s below the stove – and there’s something to be said for the extra elbow room it will give you when you are multi-tasking in the kitchen. Lastly, a wall oven with two compartments gives you extra baking space and the availability of convection or rotisserie options.
  • Cabinet organizers/lazy susans/pullout shelves – Easy access to pantry items and pots and pans make food preparation easier and faster. Consider having lazy susans, pull-out shelves and other organizers built into your kitchen cabinets.
  • Pot and pan racks – If cabinet space is an issue, think about wall-mounted racks to keep you most-used pots and pans within easy reach. A trip to the home store or a look online will yield plenty of options.
  • Dishwashers – Today’s large capacity and energy-efficient dishwashers are a boon to the family cook. Install one if you don’t already have one built in – or replace the one you have if it’s more than seven or eight years old.
  • Ventilation system – Experts say that cooking churns out airborne contaminants like nothing else in the home – and even food that smells great while it’s cooking doesn’t smell so good hours or days later. With the right ventilation system, odors and contaminants will become a thing of the past.


Today's Top Stories
Existing-Home Sales Move Higher
State of the Market: A Mid-year Snapshot
Spotlight: The World's First Complete Real Estate System: Sellstate Realty
Justin Timberlake's NSYNC Era Estate Switches Hands
Where's Housing Headed? A Google City, Maybe
This New Twitter Change Will Boost Your Media-Savvy Efforts
RELO Direct Welcomes New SVP of Sales and Marketing
Engel & V lkers Officially Launches Richmond Brokerage with Grand Opening Event
Alameda County's Better Homes Realty Premier Affiliates with Century 21 Real Estate LLC
5 Secret Strategies to WOW the Seller and Win the Listing Every Time
Brought to you by Real Estate News © Copyright 2025, All Rights Reserved.