Top Ten Tips to Designing The Perfect Kitchen

Alright, home cooks and homeowners! It is time to create the perfect recipe for renovating your kitchen! Below, we have whipped up the Top Ten tips you should know when you are trying to cook up the perfect kitchen design and layout for your home!

1. Begin to get an idea! The first thing you are going to want to do is to create the big picture! Start this by evaluating your kitchen’s current existing conditions and reviewing certain elements, such as doors and windows. Ultimately, the doors and windows will affect how you will be able to arrange your kitchen. Take a look at what is working and what could be functioning better; your new designs should address the shortcomings. Once you nail down a rough layout of what you want, you will be able to choose appliances; their dimensions will later affect the counter and cabinet measurements.
2. Take note how you use this space. While you are planning the layout, it is smart to start taking notice to how you cook: What are you doing in here?, How do you work?, What is your morning routine? etc. Depending on your actions, you may be able to opt in for a smaller cooktop in some areas, or you may need to create space for a coffee, baking, or even juicing stations. This will all factor towards your counter space.
3. Create Stations. The idea of a kitchen triangle has been around since the 1940s; the sink, stove, and refrigerator each make up one point of the triangle. Ideally, they should be within a certain distance from one another for efficiency. Therefore, create your stations from this idea. For example, your sink, prep counter, and stove can be grouped as one station, keeping this area to be in reach of each other. Another station could be the refrigerator and pantry being close by one another. You are going to want those two stations to be away from each other so if one family member is in the pantry, they will not disrupt the other who is trying to cook.
4. Design for anti-chaos! Continuing on with the stations you created, figure out how to place everything so your main areas are not crossing paths with your cooking areas. Design a layout to keep that area tucked away. If you still want to keep your kitchen social, designate an area that allows people to linger without being in the way of your prepping and cooking.
5. Think about lighting. When it comes to lighting, you are going to want as much natural light as possible! Design so you are not blocking any of those benefits, and getting the most of the sunlight. As for artificial lighting, look into alternate styles such as surface mounts, sconces, and under-cabinet lighting. This allows you to aim for focus lighting in meaningful places, and are great alternatives from recessed lighting. Also, consider installing a dimmer switch to ensure lights can be task-oriented and atmospheric.
6. Drawers and Doors. Your cabinetry should include both extended drawers and vertical storage, as for both have their own purpose; drawers are great since they can reach to the back of the cabinet space, making them ideal for dishes, mixing bowls, and smaller saucepans. The things that do not work well for drawers, such as baking sheets, cutting boards, and skillets, would work perfectly in vertical cabinets, since they accommodate more awkward shapes. We suggest that you take an inventory of your kitchen equipment so you know exactly what you have and how to continue on with your layout to benefit an organization system in your cabinetry.
7. Countertop materials. When choosing your countertops, consider the maintenance of the material you are picking out. For instance, if you know you will be using your kitchen a lot more than the normal household, marble countertops may not be the best for you since they show wear, chip, and will create etching marks. However, do not decide on the material based on it being indestructible, since, despite what many industries claim, countertops are not indestructible. Also, do not pick on what is “in style” or “the top trend” now, because it will not be trending after a while. Instead, just decide on what you would like to see every day.
8. Let your kitchen match the rest of your home! There should be consistency in the theme of your home when it comes to the style. You are not going to want that your kitchen looks out of place from the rest of your central living zoned rooms. However, your kitchen does not have to completely match; if you are drawn to a certain trend, try to adapt that trend to the home’s existing style, rather than completely copying it.
9. Dining area. Make sure the table fits the room accordingly. If the room is big, do not add a small table that looks like it is swimming in the space. Clearance around the table should be about three-feet wide. Hang lighting about 3- to 34 inches from the tabletop to create a cozy feel and draw attention upward.
10. Trashcan positions. You are going to want your garbage station to be close to your cooking stations, but out of the way from your dining and pantry stations. Place the trash can in an area where you are not dripping all over the floor when trying to throw something out.

What do you recommend is thrown away from kitchen pantries? Share thoughts in the comments below or join our conversation on Facebook!

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