If you’re planning a residential kitchen remodel, you might take some time to check out commercial kitchens and how they’re planned and designed before you decide on your own kitchen renovation details. To help you along, the kitchen design and remodeling experts at San Diego Kitchen Renovation Pros  have shared ten of the hottest details stolen from restuarant kitchens that are favorites with their remodeling clients. Be sure to work at least a few of these into your upcoming kitchen remodeling plans as well!

1. Forget the Island in Your New Kitchen Design!

A kitchen island allows for lots of prep space and storage but a solid island can also make even a large space seem cramped and crowded. A work table in place of the kitchen island still provides plenty of room to work as well as shelving underneath for storing what you need at your fingertips, but those open shelves also keep the kitchen more spacious.

If you’re planning a small kitchen makeover, consider a work table in place of an otherwise oversize island. A metal work table is also an excellent choice in monochrome kitchens or those with lots of wood cabinets, to add some visual appeal and break up the look of all that wood.

2. Add a Stainless Steel Backsplash

Stainless steel doesn’t absorb germs and microbes and is also very fire-resistant, which is why it’s long been a popular material for appliances. Its density and durability is also why commercial kitchens often include a stainless steel backsplash! Why not consider the same in your upcoming kitchen renovation plans, for a surface that’s easy to clean and that coordinates with any kitchen style?

3. Hang Utensil Rods

Rarely do restaurant kitchens keep utensils in drawers, as this is a surefire way to create a cluttered, jumbled mess! Even if your residential kitchen remodeling plans include drawers with sorters and separators, it’s still an excellent idea to utilize utensil rods from which you can hang hooks and then all your utensils. A utensil rod or two will keep all your kitchen tools organized, in plain sight, and close at hand.

4. Install a Magnetic Knife Strip

Along with utensil rods, many commercial kitchens include magnetic strips along walls for holding chef’s knives. Attaching a knife blade to a magnetic strip on the wall reduces the risk of cutting yourself while rooting around in a drawer for a knife, and also allows you to easily see each knife blade type and size. A magnetic knife strip also opens up space in the drawers and reduces the need for a bulky knife block on the countertop.

5. Use Wire Shelving in Your Kitchen Design

If your kitchen pantry has standard painted wood shelves, it’s time to get rid of them in favor of wire shelving! Wire shelves allow for air circulation around your stored foodstuffs, reducing damaging heat and humidity, and don’t need cleaning as often as standard wood shelves. Open wire shelves also allow you to see items stacked in the back of the shelves easily, making them an excellent option for your residential kitchen remodel!

6. Add Lighting Over the Prep Space

Your residential kitchen remodeling plans should include beautiful overhead lighting, to enhance the look of your new space and give it an upscale style and appeal. However, in commercial restaurants, pendant lights are often placed over specific prep spaces, to ensure a chef can read cookbooks and food orders and see what they’re cooking! Talk to your kitchen renovation contractor about adding pendant lights or spotlights over your new work table or directly over the cooktop, for added ambience and increased functionality in the kitchen.

7. Make Room for a Rolling Prep Cart

Rolling bar carts are popular accessories to add to a dining space, but many commercial kitchens feature rolling prep carts in the kitchen as well. A rolling prep cart allows you to easily move your food ingredients, bulky containers, and other items from one part of the kitchen to the other, without having to carry hot dishes and without the risk of dropping anything. If your upcoming kitchen renovation doesn’t include a center island or work table, be sure to ask your kitchen remodel contractor about a coordinating rolling prep cart for the space.

8. Install an Open Shelf Over the Stovetop

Many commercial kitchens feature an open shelf or two over the stovetop, for holding pots and pans, spices, timers, and even a recipe or prep instructions if needed! Consider asking your kitchen contractor about an open shelf over your new stovetop, for added convenience and to break up the look of a long, large wall behind the stove.

9. Use Chalkboard Paint in Your Residential Kitchen Remodel

Restaurant cooks and other staff need to be informed of so much ever-changing information that they often rely on a chalkboard wall, on which they might note the day’s specials, if certain supplies are low, and so on. Keep yourself and your family organized with the same! A residential kitchen renovation might include a full wall of chalkboard paint, to keep track of grocery lists and daily schedules or to give children something to do while food is being cooked.

10. Add a Compact Dishwasher

A commercial chef or line cooks often cannot wait for all the dishes in the restaurant to be washed before they need to use a certain knife or cookware. Restaurants also tend to use up all their glassware very quickly, so many commercial kitchens feature small, compact dishwashers near the cooking area, for a quick clean of items needed in a hurry. Your residential kitchen design might also feature such an appliance, for washing small loads or for quickly rinsing and cleaning items such as drinking glasses.

Stephen Jones is the owner of a remodeling company in San Diego, California. He knows design and stays on top of all the latest kitchen trends so that when he offers any advice to his clients, he can bring their vision to life while increasing the value of their hom