The kitchen is the heart of the home. The powerhouse, so to speak. It is probably the most important room in the home. But all too often, we speak with people who after 10 years or less are changing their kitchen's as they no longer function to meet their needs.
We, ourselves, took some time to design, make, fit and paint our own kitchen. Having that time however, was a blessing, as the kitchen we initially thought we wanted was not what we ended up with. Living in the space gave us the insight to see how it would better function for our families needs. Let me tell you that what we thought we wanted would not have worked for us, in the long run and we probably would have been changing it in 10 years or less.
So, before you start to design a kitchen, here are some things to consider.
Plan a practical layout
So, we all know the kitchen work triangle from Home Economics. Well, there was a method to the madness. This rule is still applied to all kitchen layouts today. The kitchen work triangle is a concept used to determine efficient kitchen layouts that are both aesthetic and functional. The main tasks in a kitchen are carried out between the hob/oven, the sink and the fridge/freezer. These three points and the imaginary lines between them, make up what kitchen experts call the work triangle. The idea is that when these three elements are close (but not too close) to one other, the kitchen will be easy and efficient to use, cutting down on wasted steps.
Ideally the triangle should be no more than 7 meters in distance in total but no less than 3.6 meters to allow for plenty of room for food preparation between the appliances. Now, please bare in mind the size of the space you have to work with, this is just a guideline its not written in stone so if it's more or less, that's ok too. Also, keep the dishwasher near the sink and make sure your bin is located close to the dishwasher too - this will make cleaning up much easier. The only thing that makes cleaning up easier is to have someone else do it but we can't have everything. Finally, make sure to have ample space either side of the cooker to allow for food preparation and a place to leave pots.
Cabinets, cupboards and drawers
Remember that this is your kitchen so it needs to work for you. Are you an aspiring chef? Do you love entertaining? Do you have a large family or lots of kids?
These may not seem like huge considerations but they are.
Plan exactly what you need to have in your kitchen and make sure you incorporate enough cupboard space and also the right kind of cupboards and drawers. Wide drawers for pots and plates are so popular right now. Also if you have appliances like a multi use food mixer or coffee machine, these items tend to be a little bigger than and bulkier and might require a purpose built space.
Consider having one wall with floor to ceiling cabinets and leave the rest of the wall space free, this will help with the sight lines and make your space feel larger.
For me though, I do love a good drawer or 10. It is the difference between a clean or dirty kitchen. The panic that takes over my body when I get told with 10 mins notice that some one is coming to look at our kitchen has now been obliterated by having "the drawer" or in my case 3, you know, the one that holds all manor of paraphernalia that has accumulated on the counter. Simply open drawer, dump all items on counter into drawer, close and Hey Presto, clean kitchen in an instant.
Take advantage of natural light
Gone are the days when a kitchen was a dark room shoved into the back of the house. Now kitchens are front and centre of the home. In our case, we have put our kitchen to the front of the house ensuring we make the most of the natural light. Our space is bright and airy with a high ceilings, and velux windows.
If you are extending your kitchen, then this is a great time to increase the natural light flooding into your home. With light from above bringing in up to 3 times as much light than a standard vertical window, incorporating a roof lantern or sky lights is a great idea. Of course, wonderful sliders and bi-folding doors will add to the light even more.
If you are not extending, make the most of your natural light. Keep wall cupboards away from the windows so they allow as much natural light to flood in, and think about swapping internal doors to be glazed ones so the light can flood in from other rooms. Consider inserting a fully glazed internal wall to really keep the space flooded with light. Also keep the units and decór as light as possible if you struggle with natural light - the light will bounce around.
Think about where the sun rises and sets. Try to capture the light at the time you will be using the kitchen most, for example if you spend a lot of time in the evening in the kitchen try to capture the sunlight then with west facing windows.
Style of kitchen
This can end up being the hardest decision of all. Sure, we all get notions at this stage of the decision making but it can be the difference between getting it right and really wrong. Style your kitchen to suit the rest of your home. If you have a contemporary home, try using those design elements in your kitchen design. You can also combine styles, we describe our kitchen as traditional bespoke in frame with classical elements. Buy a few Irish interior magazines (always best to support our own). I find that these tend to give the best ideas for kitchens as they tend to be a bit more attainable and realistic for styles and budgets.
Electrical points
Have a good think about which appliances you use regularly and make sure you have the sockets in the right place. Many people now incorporate a pop up socket into the island unit, which can include a USB charger.
Make sure electric points are spread out around the kitchen so that you don't have too many appliances clustered together. Built in larder units are a great choice where you can keep your electric points and appliances hidden behind the cupboard when you are not using them.
Islands in the stream
Who doesn't dream of a big huge island that you can all sit around? Well, not all of us have that space. If renovating an existing kitchen a huge island in the middle of the floor may not be achievable. Traditional islands are rectangle shape. If this doesn’t suit the size and shape of your kitchen, use a L, T or oval shape instead. You can also incorporate a seating area into your island, this is a great space saving idea.
Budget (the dirty word)
A key factor for most homeowners when it comes to kitchen design is budget. Let's be honest we have all sat for hours on Pinterest or Instagram looking at some amazing ideas for our homes. Being realistic here the cost of a new kitchen can be expensive if you don’t begin with a firm but realistic budget for the project. Decide on a maximum budget for the project and choose crucial elements, such as flooring, cabinets and countertops, before you select anything else to avoid going beyond your budget. Don't right off something you really want, even if you think it is unobtainable financially. A good cabinet maker or designer will always have options to suit your budget while still giving you the look you are hoping to achieve.
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