Small spaces, big impact: Kitchens becoming sleeker and user-friendly

Nowadays, the rooms are gathering places for friends and families as well as study spaces for homework-minded kids.

"Kitchens used to represent the heart of any home," interior designer Breezy Struthers Drake explained. "Now, it's a part-living room, part-dining room and its part-prep station."

"People expect much more function in their kitchens," she added. "They also expect designers to find function even when space is at a premium."

That was certainly the case for one of Struthers Drake's favorite clients: her dad Steve.

"My kitchen just wasn't very functional," Steve Struthers, Modern Kitchen Designs owner, admitted. "It seems very dated and the room was all closed off from the rest of the house."

That's when Struthers Drake created a plan which drastically opened up her dad's space.

"The biggest obstacle was removing the wall that blocked the kitchen from the living room as well as the wall that blocked the kitchen from the family room," she explained. "Eliminating those walls gave us a lot more leeway."

Even better, it gave Struthers Drake a canvas on which to create a sleek-but-functional kitchen inside her dad's traditional home.

"My dad's house is a fairly simple, mid-century ranch house," she explained. "That meant we couldn't go too ultra-modern in style. Otherwise, it would seem out of place."

Struthers Drake filled the kitchen's extra space with high-end stainless steel appliances, mahogany cabinets and granite countertops and sink.

"The best approach is to go for a timeless design," she said. "You can add splashes of colors and shine through accessories but you want a design that will last."

Cable networks like HGTV and websites like Houzz.com are often great places to get ideas.

"Even though the Midwest is still six to eight years behind the coasts, we're getting better," Struthers Drake said. "If people are exposed to ideas, they're more than willing to try them."

For instance, stainless steel appliances and granite or quartz countertops -- once considered trendy -- are now commonplace in many new kitchens.

And so are soft-closed drawers and tucked-away bars.

According to Struthers Drake, this may represent the biggest trend.

"People have more appliances and a great desire to store them away when not in use," she said. "In modern kitchens, creating nooks are important since space is often tight."

Looking over his new kitchen, Steve Struthers couldn't help but smile.

"Families live their lives in their kitchens," he said. "I'm just glad my kitchen is such a nice place to be."