Whether you are redesigning your kitchen or are just in the dreaming stages, there are a LOT of decisions to be made. It’s been 18 months since we completely renovated our kitchen – basically moved it down and totally reconfigured – and I wanted to share our FAVORITE family-friendly kitchen features… all the things we would choose again, without question, as a family of six.

I also answered 45 questions I received about our kitchen, that you can find here on my site.

With that, let’s dive into all features that help us live life a little easier!

In my opinion, you’ll never regret buying quality appliances with a timeless look, that are completely designed around being functional for your family. Bosch designs high quality, “Invented for Life” home appliances to help simplify everyday life in the home. Since you use your appliances multiple times a day, it’s important to get something that you LOVE.

Here are some of the simple solutions built right into our Bosch kitchen suite:

The Fridge

WOW! Bosch recently sent us their NEW 800 Series French door bottom mount refrigerator and it is AMAZING! We previously owned a Bosch refrigerator, but the newest 800 Series was completely redesigned from the ground up and includes so many thoughtful details that we love!

• The fridge is equipped with the FarmFresh System™, which includes four freshness technologies that work together to keep food fresh for longer.
• MultiAirFlow™, a FarmFresh System feature, circulates cold air so the fridge temp is consistent throughout – this means no cold spots that freeze food in the back of the fridge.
• VitaFreshPro™, another tier of the FarmFresh System, balances both temperature AND humidity in two drawer bins at the touch of a button to maximize freshness. There are automatic settings for meat/fish, vegetables, fruit, beverages, and snacks/misc.
• The LED lights are SO bright so you can see everything in the fridge and are also more energy efficient to last the entire lifetime of the fridge – no need to replace a bulb.
• FlexBar™ allows you to make the most out of any row in the fridge so no space is wasted, and even has a special shelf for wine ??.
• The door ajar alarm is amazing – you get an alert on your phone if the door is accidentally left open. Alternatively, if you’re putting away groceries and need the door open longer, you can easily turn off the alarm with the touch of a button.
• Speaking of phone alerts – the Home Connect™ app allows you to adjust or customize the temp of the fridge from your phone, and allows the Bosch team to run diagnostics remotely if there’s a problem, AND – my favorite – you get a reminder when it’s time to replace the water filter. One less thing for me to remember!
• It’s truly counter-depth and you can’t see hinges or feet, and the finish is easy-to-clean stainless steel (you just need water and a washcloth) – it really is a beautiful fridge.
• Three of the six door bins accommodate two, one-gallon containers at once. That’s a LOT of door storage!
• This thing was built for customizable organization – from the adjustable split glass shelving to the FlexBar, to a three-tiered freezer drawer system so you can easily find everything without digging!
• It has an interior water dispenser and an ice maker in the freezer! I love the clean look of a fridge that has nothing on its front, but love the convenience of a water dispenser and always having ice on hand.

I’d say there’s a lot of space in this fridge.

The freezer is AMAZING too! Three shelves for maximum storage + maximum visibility.

The Drawer Microwave

I LIVE for a good microwave but don’t love the look of one over the range or sitting on the counter. So we chose the Bosch 800 series drawer microwave, and it’s been perfect! A few of my favorite things…

• It’s relatively hidden – you can install them under the counter or under a wall unit oven.
• It’s definitely big enough for anything we’ve ever needed to microwave – fits a three-quart casserole dish.
• Also love the keypad lock so no tiny fingers can press any buttons.

The Dishwasher

There are tons of features that make our Bosch dishwasher – the 100 Series – perfect for our fam.

• It’s quiet. Because our kitchen is adjacent to our living space, we needed a dishwasher we couldn’t hear when we’re relaxing or watching T.V. It’s so quiet there’s an InfoLight® that beams onto the floor to indicate it’s on.
• The functionality is incredible. I LOVE the third rack for all our silverware, lids, etc. The third rack takes away the need to have a silverware basket in the bottom rack of the dishwasher, so I can fit more big stuff like plates, cups, and pots & pans.
• Also love the RackMatic® – the height-adjustable second row. This allows me to customize the height of the second row up or down to accommodate taller items in either rack.
• You don’t have to rinse the food off the dishes before you pop them into the dishwasher. Just scrape the extra food off and load them up!
• You can put plastic on any row in the dishwasher without it warping.
• There’s a delay feature so you can run it in the middle of the night or whenever is most convenient for you.
• No buttons on the front = no accidentally starting a cycle by leaning against it.

Our Range

Full disclosure, I was nervous that I’d miss having a double oven as we had one pre-renovation. And I’m happy to share that I haven’t missed it one bit! So many great features on the Bosch 800 Series dual-fuel range:

• There are five burners, two small and three larger, which is nice to be able to use/choose from.
• Fast Preheat is my JAM! It’s exactly what it sounds like – preheats the oven at turbo speed.
• The built-in meat probe takes the ‘is it done yet?’ question out of cooking. The oven automatically shuts off when the goal temp is reached.
• The touchscreen allows you to lock the touchpad so no tiny fingers can accidentally turn on the oven.
• The stovetop is gas, which I LOVE, and the oven is European convection, so it cooks evenly no matter which rack you choose (check out my family’s favorite banana bread recipe, made perfect every time thanks to our range and my sweet little side-kick, Emmy, here!)

Wider Walkways

Our original plans had 36″ walkways between the cabinets and the island. At the last minute, we switched them to 42″ and I recommend that wholeheartedly to anyone in the design phase!

Sink in the Island

Some people love a big clean island, but I personally love having our sink and the dishwasher in the island so that we can converse with the kids when they’re at the island + keep an eye on them when they’re watching T.V.

Range Hood

Not only do I like the look of a range hood, but not putting the microwave over the oven means the older kids are able to access the microwave without having to reach over the oven.

Appliance Garage

This is another feature we’re VERY close to being able to utilize when the kids are a tad older… the appliance garage houses our toaster and coffee maker. Since they’re out and ready, the kids will be able to make their own toast or start me a cup of coffee.

Thicker Mitered Countertop in the Island

Ok, maybe this has nothing to do with being family-friendly, but I do think it looks really nice.

I hope this family-friendly kitchen tour is helpful for planning YOUR dream home. Learn more about my Bosch kitchen below and be sure to follow along on my adventure in motherhood!

-Val

More about my Bosch kitchen on Lovely Lucky Life:

The BEST Banana Bread Recipe // Chore List for Kids by Age // Our Kitchen Reveal // Kitchen Sources