Content: 1294 words
Reading time: 4 min 43 sec
Article by: Ryan Thomas
It goes without saying that the kitchen is one of the main rooms in a house. Because most people use it for more than just cooking. It can be used for a whole range of activities. It could be eating, coffee mornings or sitting and chatting with friends.
When designing a kitchen all these things need to be carefully thought through. The equipment needs to be big enough to cook for the whole family and guests. If you do a lot of entertaining you will need plenty of worktop space as well.
The more space you have, the better it will be for food preparation and food presentation. Whether it's big or small gatherings you will need to cover every eventuality. A kitchen with the right equipment, units, worktop and floor space is the perfect kitchen.
Professional designers know what's required to make a kitchen work well. With a few good tips and sound advice you will be able to design one yourself. And depending on your skills, you may even be able to install a kitchen yourself. But the main goal at the moment is to make sure everything goes in the right place.
When you've gone through the planning stage it will be time to get some help. Tradesmen such as a carpenter, electrician, plumber, tiler and finally a decorator. But, first things first and that means getting the kitchen designed.
Right now you need to focus on what makes the perfect kitchen. But if designing and installing a kitchen is to much for you, what about a kitchen refurbishment. With that in mind, one way or the other, let's get started.
Things You Want In Your New Kitchen
You can begin by making a list of the appliances needed for your new kitchen. When you've done that, you can look through some online kitchen magazines.
Most of them are full of kitchen equipment and they can give you some good ideas. You will often see something that completely slipped your mind.
Once your sure you've listed everything check out the sizes. Make sure the ones you buy are large enough for what you need.
They will have to be big enough to cover your parties and gatherings. Think about the maximum number of guests you will have at any one time. Whatever that number might be, your kitchen must align with their needs.
Make The Most Of Kitchen Space
Big house small house. The size of your kitchen will usually depend on the size of your house.
There's not much you can do about the floor size of a kitchen. You can't make it any bigger. But, you can create extra space by installing plenty of high-level wall cabinets.
If you can afford the expense fit high-level units wherever you can find a space. Fit them above the refrigerator, kitchen sink and drainer.
There are also opportunities to create worktop space. If you have a dishwasher or washing machine in your kitchen go over them with your worktop. You should find both are slightly smaller than your floor standing units. That will enable the worktop to go straight over both appliances.
Larger kitchens will have room for an island. Islands provide plenty of worktop space and there is never enough of that! If you have enough room be sure to fit one. I will talk a bit more about islands further down the page.
Among kitchen planers there are key design points that are always remembered. Everything should revolve around the main food preparation area. Especially that is; the oven, hob, sink, refrigerator and waste bin.
The space between any of these key spots should never be more than a few steps. When preparing and cooking this is where you will be spending most of your time. So, it's essential they are kept as close together as possible.
Create A Mockup For Sizing Your Kitchen
Having an idea of what your finished kitchen will look like is very reassuring. So once you've decided where everything's going why not take a look.
It's not difficult to create a mockup of your new kitchen. You can use boxes, chairs, tea chests and lightweight furniture from around your home. You can stand them against the walls and use them to make an island as well. This should give you a glimpse of your future kitchen.
Creating a dummy kitchen will give you the confidence to make a final decision. It will show you how to plan a kitchen installation the easy way. That's really all it takes to see your kitchen come to fruition.
But what's more important than the units is the floor space in between. Is there room for two people to pass each other in the aisle? If there isn't, your kitchen is going to be pretty cramped. You may have to do away with the island.
Do You Need A Kitchen Island
Now is a good time to decide if you need or have room for that kitchen island. Remember, if you install one, you'll be walking around it an awful lot of times. If you don't really need one that's a lot of inconveniences.
On the other hand, you may have a big kitchen. So if you don't fit one, it means carrying food from one side of the kitchen to the other. You see, there are good and bad reasons for having a kitchen island.
The right size kitchen will benefit from having an island. It will provide a large worktop area for food preparation. Lots of extra storage space in the units underneath. Shorter walking distances when carrying hot food from the oven. And, a lot more worktop space when dishing up food. That's very useful when catering for a lot of guests.
Every kitchen is a different size and shape. Only you will really know if your kitchen will benefit from an island.
Kitchen Lighting Is Important
Good lighting is essential in all food preparation areas. Wherever sharp knives are being used good quality lighting is a must. Make sure these areas are well lit and the lights cast no shadows.
Pendant lighting is a valued resource in the kitchen. Not only does it look good over the sink, drainer and island worktop. It also performs very well when illuminating specific areas of a kitchen.
Installing under unit lighting is always money well spent. Worktops with kitchen cabinets over them are always in shadow. Under unit lights are easily concealed and do a great job of lighting those areas.
Every Kitchen Needs An Extractor Fan
If you have a kitchen and who doesn't, you will need an extractor fan. When cooking the fan should be permanently switched on.
Regardless of the weather outside the fan should always be operating. In hot or cold climates, cooking odours, heat, steam and moisture should be extracted.
Cooking will create condensation and the powerful smell of food. Opening the kitchen window will help but a fan is much better. A fan will quickly extract moisture and stop odours spreading through your home.
If You Have To, Use Experts
You will find that designing a kitchen is very stressful. There will always be those moments of doubt - what if I make a mistake and mess it all up.
The finished job will depend on your level of skill and confidence. If you get the feeling that you're in too deep then ask for advice. These days there are plenty of forums and online communities you can join.
The question you need to ask yourself is this, am I going to install this kitchen myself? If you're not, now is the time to hand the plan over to a tradesman. It will give them an idea of what you want and they should be able to take over.
It may require a bit more work on their part but that's to be expected. There are adjustments and fine-tuning on every project. Work together to resolve any issues and everything should work out fine.
