Stay-at-home orders led families to cook together more, sending kitchens into overdrive. All that time prepping meals gave homeowners new kitchen goals: easier maintenance, better hygiene, fresher style. Here are ideas from experts Cheryl Kees Clendenon of In Detail in Pensacola, Fla., and Lori Gilder of Interior Makeovers in Los Angeles.

• Switch out a kitchen faucet for a touchless model and install a workstation sink that includes interchangeable accessories to improve functionality.
• Replace high-maintenance countertops with a solid surface quartz. Germ-killing antimicrobial agents are baked into the material.
• For increased foot traffic, try cork flooring, which is antimicrobial and water resistant, or ceramic and porcelain tile slab surfaces. Other good options are woods and terrazzo with tight grout joints.
• Get small appliances. They’re easier to store and preserve more counter space for the cooks. Favorites for easy, healthy cooking are the air fryer, Instant Pot, and immersion blender.
• Reorganize drawers to incorporate a charging station and a place for COVID-19 supplies.
• Personalize the space with pottery.
• Add a Roman shade at a sink window and hipper-looking cabinet hardware.
• Update lighting. It helps for reading recipes, chopping, and clean-up. A dimmer switch is great to lower lights when enjoying the space with a relaxing glass of wine after all the work!