Tips on Designing a New Kitchen

In any home, the kitchen is the room in the house that serves the most purposes and receives the most use. A kitchen can be a homework area for small children, a gathering area for family game night, a place to prepare and eat food for three meals each day and even a place to sit back and relax with a newspaper for coffee.

When it comes to designing the perfect kitchen, first take into account how much the room will be used and what it will be used for most. If you have to help the kids with homework in the afternoon, make sure there is a work area for them that will give you the ability to readily interact with them while you work. If you are a baking fanatic then you know how important counter space is for preparing your goods. Maybe you would consider a double oven to bake more goods at one time.

There are three basic layouts for kitchens. The single-wall layout is a design that has all of the counters, oven, refrigerator, and sinks on one wall. This is the most open floor plan but is typically the most limiting. The second layout is the L. The L layout is the next step up from the single-wall layout. The L layout is the layout of the kitchen where all of the kitchen drawers, cabinets, oven, refrigerator, and sink are divided between two usable walls. This provides more storage and a closer spread of the three main components of the kitchen. The U-shape layout is the largest and most space-consuming kitchen layout. The U-shape typically consists of two walls used for kitchen cabinets, refrigerator, sink, and oven space and a third branch used for counters. The U-shape layout is the most common layout for kitchens with attached islands. The U-shape can also be divided between three kitchen walls with a detached island in the middle. Always try to keep the work triangle, being the distance between the sink, oven, and refrigerator under twenty feet for the most comfortable workability.

After you figure out your work area and layout for your kitchen design, be sure to find appliances, countertops, and cabinet designs that fit your style and needs.