Kitchen Design Guide

Planning your kitchen takes care, forethought, and a little imagination. It can also be an exciting and enjoyable challenge.

The work triangle, still basic to kitchen design today as it was in the early half of the 20th Century, when it was first defined, is the arrangement of the three primary work centres in the kitchen: the storage/preparation centre (refrigerator), the cooking centre, and the clean-up centre (sink and dishwasher).

But before starting on the design of the kitchen we must understand how the kitchen space is used. Kitchens are busy places, with frequent cooking and where many other household activities are carried out. So what do you do in your kitchen? How do you cook in your kitchen, What do your have in your kitchen, and what do you want in your kitchen. These questions and many more need to be considered when designing that perfect kitchen.

What Do You Do in Your Kitchen?

People cook, eat, socialize, manage their household, and engage in recreational activities in their kitchens

When designing your kitchen each of the above activities are considered and if needed, their provision allowed for. At the outset the above list looks daunting. How can I fit all of these into my kitchen area? It will cost a fortune. etc. But remember each of the above activities does not require seperate areas. Many are combined activity areas, i.e. eating areas may also be used for homework, paperwork and paying bills, conversations with friends and crafts and games. The size of each of the activity centres will be determined by the overall space availible and how much you want to spend.

Many of the above activities require a worktop or table space and seating. More than one person may be in the kitchen at the same time, involved in differient activities. They need to be accommodated.

Eating in the kitchen is a common activity, and most people consider it important to have an eating area in the kitchen. Even people who do not regularly eat in the kitchen consider an eating area important. The size of the eating area will be different for each the size of household. A family with childern will require an eating area, yet a young couple may deside that a breakfast bar is all that is needed.

How Do You Cook in Your Kitchen?

In addition to the normal cooker the microwave oven is a major cooking appliance and is used frequently. The microwave oven has now become a central point in the flow of work in the kitchen. The adjacent worktop space is frequently used for food preparation.

The sink is also a major focal point for food preparation. The worktop space adjacent to the sink is used for a variety of food preparation activities as well as for clean up.

Most people use and need a generous amount of worktop space. Their is usually a primary and secondary preparation area.

The trash is frequently accessed during food preparation. The trash should be centrally located, and easily accessible, preferably under or immediately adjacent to the sink.

Hand dishwashing of at least some items is frequent. Pre-rinsing dishes in the sink, before loading the dishwasher is common.

The types of food preparation activities are diverse. Preparing food from scratch, baking, and grilling outdoors are the most frequent.

What Do You Have in Your Kitchen?

Almost every household has a refrigerator, cooker, and microwave oven in their kitchen.

Dishwashers, washing machines and tumble driers are also common in kitchens.

People have many small appliances, and use some of them frequently. Some small appliances are stored on worktops (four is typical), but many have to store outside of the kitchen.

Home improvements can cost a lot of money so how can you borrow? We examine a few of the options.