It’s typically the room that enjoys the most use, thanks to cooking, eating, chilling out and… well, you always find people in the kitchen at parties, don’t you? We’re usually there, nibbling on cheese straws and stroking the dog.
So, what makes a brilliant kitchen design? How do you make yours work perfectly for your family, friends, and anyone else who might happen to drop by?
Here are our five most important things to consider when designing a new kitchen.
1. Choose the appliances first
It might be tempting to get cracking with colour schemes, cabinet choices, and cooking gadgets, but it’s sensible to choose the appliances for your kitchen first.
There’s one simple reason for this: it’s far easier to design a kitchen around appliances than it is trying to shoehorn everything in afterwards.
Think about the nuts and bolts of your requirements and go for the appliances first. Just hold off buying them until the entire kitchen design is finished (you may need to tweak things, you see).
2. Think about the ‘working triangle’
Pretty much every kitchen features a ‘working triangle’, which refers to the area between the sink, fridge and cooktop.
This space needs to be as clear as possible, which is why, when designing a kitchen, it’s best to redirect the foot traffic away from that triangle.
If you’re going for an island with seating, try and ensure at least 5ft of clearance.
3. Consider appliance size
It’s all too easy to get preoccupied with the best, most useful appliances for your kitchen, but pick the wrong sized fridge, for instance, and you might end up with considerably less room than you’d hoped for.
It’s pretty hard to place large appliances in smaller kitchens, so if you’re not blessed with copious amounts of space, think about what the priorities are and only buy the appliances that will fit comfortably.
4. Give appliances breathing room
Your hob will prove pretty frustrating (and potentially dangerous) if you can’t turn pot handles around due to a lack of space surrounding it.
Equally, a fridge needs some space nearby on which to place items you retrieve from it. This is known as ‘landing space’ and is another classic example of where you need to give your appliances adequate breathing room.
Even if you have a small amount of square footage, you’ll be surprised by how efficiently it can be used in order to provide adequate, safe space around appliances.
5. Try and opt for built-in appliances
Unless you want a traditional ‘farmhouse’ look for your kitchen, it’s a great idea to ensure your appliances are either built-in, or look built-in.
Most hobs, ovens and dishwashers can be easily built-in, but you can do the same with your fridge, and the effect is usually more perceived space and a far cleaner, more modern-looking kitchen.
Still need help?
Designing a kitchen isn’t easy, which is why it’s best to enlist the help of an expert. We design kitchens all day, and we’ve done enough to know what we’re doing!
From appliance choice to colour schemes and the best use of space, we’ll help you design the perfect kitchen for your home and your lifestyle.
Just get in touch with our friendly team to chat about your options.