Don't forget to touch!

Our senses are always bombarding us with information about our surraoundings, and kitchens are no different. We hear the satisfying 'thud' of a fridge door closing and the clatter of plates and cutlery. We enjoy the well-designed colour combinations of cabinet fronts, countertops, backsplashes, and paint. We smell and taste the dinner as it cooks on your new appliances. But what about touch?

The smooth finish of a painted door, the rigid texture of a quarter-sawn oak panel, or the cool, solid touch of granite or engineered stone counter tops are often what will help clients decide on what finishes they'll have in their kitchen.

Arguably one of the most important tactile surfaces in a kitchen are the cabinet and appliance handle hardware. Counters are often swept over with our palms when the kitchen is new, as are the cabinet fronts, but when you get down to actually working in your kitchen the most 'touched' item are the handles. And the parts you touch are usually not the parts you can actually see.

When you're making a decision on handle hardware...grab it. Get your hand under the handle and see how it feels. Make sure you can actually fit your hand underneath; nothing more annoying that trying to open a large pot drawer with only two fingers (even if the slides are extra smooth!) Some less-expensive handles have manufacturing ridges, some can have sharp edges or corners. Some just feel plain awkward. Remember...these are the handles you'll be grabbing onto each time you're in your kitchen.

So sight, smell, taste, and sound aren't the only parts of the kitchen experience. Touch plays an important role in how much you'll enjoy your kitchen in the future.