Ingredients of Winning Kitchen Design

Designing a new kitchen is both exiting and daunting. Where do you start and what are the must-haves? Mark Nash real estate author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home and columnist for RealtyTimes.com shares the top things that go into today's kitchens.

-Good lighting. In addition to decorative lighting which can match any style, remember to but abundant task lighting over food preparation areas. Mood lighting can accent glass front cabinets and cove ceilings.

-A functional layout. The basic mantra in kitchen design is to keep the work triangle composed of the stove, sink and refrigerator grouped near one another. It will save you countless steps through the years.

-Over-sized, deep sink. I never thought it would be important, but we put one in our home. It keeps the water in the sink, especially when washing large pots and pans. Don't forget the best faucet you can afford, with sprayer. We did a black porcelain sink to match dark granite counters.

-Lots of countertops. Clear work surfaces make cooking alone or with family and friends a snap. Make sure that you have at least one surface four feet long for baking. Don't skimp on materials either, countertops take a beating from knives, food acids and people, buy the best within your budget.

-Proper ventilation. Smelly kitchens are a turn-off. Specify adequate ventilation to the outside, near cook tops. Recirculating fans just stir up smells, not rid your kitchen and home of them.

-Storage. Plan for plenty of functional and easily organized spaces to store every day and seasonal stuff. More is more.

-Forget standing room-only. People want to stay in the kitchen. Make seating a design priority in your new kitchen. Seating around an island and a cozy table for breakfast all say, stay!

-Cabinet hardware. The finishing touch to a new kitchen.

Mark Nash's fourth real estate book, "1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home" (2005), and working as a real estate broker in Chicago are the foundation for his consumer-centric real estate perspective which has been featured on ABC-TV, CBS The Early Show, Bloomberg TV, CNN-TV, Chicago Sun Times & Tribune, Fidelity Investors Weekly, Dow Jones Market Watch, HGTVpro.com, MSNBC.com, The New York Times, Realty Times, Universal Press Syndicate and USA Today.