Kitchen Upgrade

Photo illustration by Lille Allen

Unless you recently moved into your dream home, odds are you occasionally find yourself surveying your kitchen and wishing something could be better. Perhaps you long for more counter space, or are tired of watching the amount of chipped dishes grow as the years go by. Or maybe you have a hoard of Prime Day appliances gathering dust in the far reaches of a cabinet. In any case, it’s time for an upgrade.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to curing your kitchen ills. Along with considerations like budget, so much of what you need depends on which stage of life you’re in. So we’re sharing our favorite kitchen-setup advice and shopping recommendations, tailored to three of these stages — your first place, shacking up with a partner, and downsizing — and we’ve marked each story accordingly.

Let this year’s spring cleaning do more than just clear out crumbs and cobwebs. Take it as an opportunity to refresh your space and, by extension, your approach to cooking and dining at home. —Monica Burton