Planning Your Kitchen Design
When you are planning your kitchen design, you might be
surprised at the different types of kitchens you can choose
from.
The way you and your family lives will mostly determine the
style of kitchen that will work best for you. Do you have a
large family with lots of kids at home? Do you want a gourmet
kitchen? Is your house tiny or gigantic? Are you single and only
need the basics?
The traffic flow in and around your kitchen is one of the most
important aspects of designing a kitchen and something that
should be carefully thought out. Taking the time up front to
visualize this is well worth it as you will have to live with
the consequences for the life of your kitchen.
Lets suppose you have children still living with you at home and
you entertain family and friends for parties and meals a great
deal. You will want your kitchen to be large enough for several
people to be in the kitchen at the same time without feeling
cramped. A good kitchen design will allow people to move about
in the room without having to shove anyone else out of the way.
Counter space is another critical element of any kitchen design
and perhaps the most difficult part is deciding what type of
material you want for the counter surfaces. Granite is a popular
modern trend that lends both durability and elegance to your
kitchen design but other popular materials include limestone,
concrete, tile and even metal.
If you your kitchen is big enough, an island is fabulous to
have. Islands serve many functions. You can prepare food on it,
and it is especially convenient if your stove is in the island
itself. If the island is big enough, you can eat at it too. A
seating island is a great place for guests to get a chance to
talk with the cook while he or she is preparing the mail and of
course, an island will give you more cupboard space, something
that is always at a premium in any kitchen!
Storage space is another important element of your kitchen
design plan. A pantry is most desirable if you have the room for
it. If you are tight on space, then making use of every nook and
cranny for added space will help you get more out of your
cabinets. Lazy Susans and other built ins inside the cabinets
and help maximize cupboard space and make things easier to reach
as well.
When planning a kitchen, you need to think about where you will
put your major appliances. Consider the workflow when you fix a
meal or do the cleanup afterwards. You don't want to install
your sink a mile away from the prep area where you will need to
use it for washing vegetables and meats. You also wouldn't want
to locate your refrigerator in the middle of your sink and stove
or have your dishwasher too far from the sink. The best
placement of sink, stove and fridge is actually in a triangular
shape with each appliance only a step away from the others.
When you plan your kitchen, there are many things to consider,
these are just a few of the more important areas.