The kitchen is the heart of many homes, an all-purpose area where much of life happens. But in the end, it has just one function that makes it unique among rooms: It’s where you cook.

Clutter, distractions and poor workflow can hinder the cooking process. Decorating can create similar pitfalls.

“We get too caught up in color palettes and soft fabrics, and we overthink it,” says Genevieve Gorder, co-host and judge of HGTV’s Design Star.

A well-planned kitchen can boost your cooking experience, say Gorder and fellow designers Betsy Burnham (founder of Burnham Design) and Brian Patrick Flynn (founder of decordemon.com).

How can you reimagine your kitchen to make it the best possible place to cook?

More than any other room, Burnham says, kitchens need to be precisely planned. If you’re remodeling, “you need to go out and really touch and feel all the appliances, see what’s out there,” she says. Decide how you use the room, not just how you want it to look.

Leaf through food magazines to see how professional cooks arrange their kitchens.

Installing a second sink or second dishwasher has become more common.

All three designers preach simplicity and timelessness: “Go with classic colors, a classic backsplash,” Burnham says. “You really don’t want a date on that kitchen.”

“When there’s a clean butcher block out on the counter,” Gorder says, “I want to cook.”

Devote counter space to cooking tools and fresh fruits and vegetables. Keep your go-to items (wooden spoons, whisks, etc.) next to the stove in one large, open container.

An airy, uncluttered kitchen is the goal. “Especially by the stove,” Gorder says. “People tend to overfill the space.”

Lose the decorative baskets and knickknacks, she says.

All three designers praise the merits of a white kitchen. An uncluttered, white space with a large, white farmhouse sink is “an invitation to play,” Gorder says.

Burnham and Gorder are fans of white Cararra marble countertops, which work with contemporary or classic decor. Don’t worry about fragility, Gorder says: White Cararra marble “made up the entire city of Athens, and it’s still standing.”

Flynn loves doing kitchens in white-on-white or white with light gray. For clients who don’t want white, he favors brown with gray or black with gray. “These color combos,” he says, “work with virtually any accent color.”

The placement of those accent colors is the key. “Choosing a bold-colored tile backsplash is enough to give a commitment-phobe an instant coronary,” Flynn says, since those tiles are likely to remain on the wall for many years.

Keep the inspiring dashes of bold color relegated to items you can replace inexpensively. For a bold punch of color in a black-and-white kitchen, Flynn added “fire-engine red in accents such as a pendant light over an island, a steel console table and vinyl stool cushions. The small doses packed a ton of color into the space. But if the homeowner’s taste were to change, it’s simple to bring in a new color.”

Consider changing your cabinets and storage to suit your cooking style, Burnham says. Do you prefer closed drawers or open shelving? Could you use more storage close to your stove? It’s possible to change just one or two cabinets, rather than the entire set.

Gorder suggests extending cabinets to the ceiling and storing rarely used items up high to clear more space in the immediate cooking area.

Replacing cabinet hardware can add style, while making cabinets easier to use. “Glass and chrome hardware adds an element of glamour,” Flynn says. “The best part about hardware updates? You can do them yourself!”

Once the space is cleared of clutter and decked out in a crisp color palette, Flynn suggests hanging one or two pieces of inspiring art.

“It’s not necessarily something most people think of doing,” he says, “but it really personalizes a space.”

Melissa Rayworth, The Associated Press