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Have you ever wondered how a designer could help you design your ideal kitchen?
Every kitchen space has the potential to reveal many a varied layout. The most important element of your new kitchen is how it functions. Your movement throughout the kitchen whilst you are working is at the very essence of whether this is the perfect space for you or not. Once this ideal layout is determined, only then can we work on the visual appeal.
So, what are some of the considerations in determining this ideal layout?
If you are the main user of the kitchen, what is your age and height?
Why is this so important you ask? Generally a design will be focussed on the main user - if there is one. It doesn’t mean that other people are not using the space, just that this main user is in the kitchen more often than the other users. Age matters as we need to think about whether this user has the ability to bend down into cupboards or will drawers be easier to access. Whether they can use their hands to open a drawer without a sturdy handle or whether they can bend down to an under bench oven to retrieve hot, baked items. Height matters too. Can they reach the tallest shelf? Is the microwave too high if it is mounted on the wall? Is the bench height too low as they are quite tall? Are you going to bump your head on the rangehood? Et cetera!!
Do you love cooking?
If so, you will be a person that has a typical way that you go about this. You may be someone that must have the pantry and fridge adjacent to your preparation area, or you may like to wash up as you go. It may be that you want all your cooking utensils, herbs and spices, oils and sauces stored alongside your cooktop. We are creatures of habit and the way we work in our kitchen space very much influences the layout.
Do you have children?
Will they be sitting in a highchair whilst you are busy preparing meals in the kitchen? Do you like your older children to set the table ready for dinner? If so, having the utensil drawer on an end-of run will be helpful… it is easily accessible without fully entering the kitchen where there may be hot items or knives on the bench. For this same reason, I like my rubbish bins to be easily accessible. When entertaining, you are busy with preparation tasks and don’t need anyone coming in and out of the kitchen looking for the bin. An overhang on your bench with some barstools will allow you to help your children with their homework after school.
What are your daily routines?
Do your children make their own school lunches or after school snacks? Do they know where to find everything and where will they prepare this? Do others help with washing up or other cleaning duties? There are busy times in every family in which spending too much time in the kitchen is not ideal. Are items stored for easy access in these busy times? Is there a designated area for tea and coffee making? The questions are endless here and it all comes back to your unique family routine.
How often do you put the rubbish out?
Do you need large pull out bins for a big family or will a small bin under the sink suffice? Do you use a compost bin and where will this be stored for easy access?
Do you manually wash dishes or do they all go in the dishwasher?
Kitchen sinks come in all shapes and sizes. Perhaps someone that prefers to manually wash dishes requires their sink to have a drainer attached for drip-drying. Other families may only hand-wash a small amount and prefer to stack most dirty dishes in the dishwasher. They may not need a sink with drainer, just a single or double bowl sink. Some people like to stack their clean dishes to dry in another sink meaning a double sink would be appropriate. I find that the way we clean-up is a very personal preference and generally speaking, a habit has been formed which works best for the individual.
Do you store food or buy fresh food regularly?
The answer to this question will help to determine the size of pantry and fridge. We also look at the size of the home when determining these as, for instance, a five bedroom home will likely house a larger family requiring more storage for food than a small two bedroom apartment.
What are the dislikes of your current kitchen? What hasn’t worked for you in the past?
We all have our little bugbears with the kitchen we currently own. Experiencing a space without good flow is the determination you need to make a change. I recently visited a home with an old kitchen. The dishwasher was located on the outside of the kitchen, under the overhang of the breakfast bar, miles away from the kitchen sink. It just didn’t make sense! When designing a kitchen, we as the designer need to look into why it is designed this way as there may be some constraints or limitations that we have to work with.
What items need to be stored?
I’m finding a lot of people want to store their air fryers away at the moment and they are everywhere! These appliances are tall and bulky. Finding solutions for storage of odd-shaped or large items can be a challenge but not impossible. What’s the point of having a nice, new kitchen if your items need to sit on the bench.
Of course, these are just a few questions to be considered and we would delve much deeper into these if necessary when working with you. Each and every kitchen space is unique and different families have their own special list of needs and desires. We want thoughtful design to equal a functional design.
This is just the beginning of the design phase. Once these important questions have been determined and settled then we move onto the all-important budget, timeframe, finishes and fixtures. That’s another story entirely!
I hope these questions have helped you in your considerations for your new kitchen journey or maybe they are items you have never really thought hard about before. If you are living in a home with a kitchen designed for someone else, maybe sit down and note what your needs and desires are for your new space.
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