When you are remodeling a kitchen, it is crucial to focus on both looks and function. While a brand new kitchen will always look great, having great features can actually make it feel like an upgrade instead of a makeover. When planning for your kitchen cabinets, consider adding these 5 features.

Rollout Shelves

Ever find yourself on your knees trying to reach the back of a shelf? Using your cabinets should never be an annoyance. Thankfully, you can have shelves put on casters that allow them to slide out all the way. It will make it easy to use these cabinets and keep them organized, since you have easy access to the back of the shelf.

Built-In Cutting Board

One kitchen item that takes up valuable space on your counters is the cutting board. While this item is used frequently, it often sits out on a countertop or tucked away on a shelf. You can actually have a cutting board built into your counter so that you simply slide it out when you want to use it. It will also give you additional counter space, since the cutting board hangs off the side of your counter instead of resting on top of it.

Interior Cabinet Lights

You can go overboard with overhead lighting in your kitchen, but you still may not have light where you need it the most. You can add lighting to the interior of your cabinets, causing them to turn on automatically when you open the cabinet door. Thanks to LED light bulbs, this lighting upgrade will be very inexpensive to run over the years.

Slide-Out Trash Drawer

You won't find a kitchen without a trash can in it, but that doesn't mean you have to always see the trash can. You can hide a trash can by placing it in a cabinet, with the trash can on casters so that it can slide out with ease. It makes it easy to slide food waste directly into the trash, and will contain odor when the trash can is not being used.

Spice Drawer

Having a spice rack is a necessary for any cook, but it's filled with spices on your counter that you may rarely use. Moving these items to a drawer will help you hide them when not in use, yet make them easily accessible. It can be customized to hold the spices upright so that they won't shift around, helping you easily see the labels on top.

For more idea on how to customize your kitchen, work with a kitchen remodeling contractor in your area.