Home Kitchen Design – Designing the Kitchen

When you plan your kitchen space, the trick is to tailor it to the way you live. Learn how to create a kitchen design plan using design software in this House & Home video:

It can get very costly if you make changes after things are roughed in as well as after things are ordered, so it’s very important to have all the proper specs and make sure that all that is designed and incorporated properly. Start with your appliances first as this will help determine the parameters for the cabinetry.

Seeing the kitchen drawn out on the subfloor helps give you an idea of what will fit where and how the space will flow, but for planning cabinetry, it needs to be measured exactly. Having the kitchen drawn up professionally is the way to go.

The kitchen design consists of a floor plan, elevations of each wall showing exact dimensions for the installers or even cabinet builders if you have any custom cabinets being made, a materials list for cabinetry, crown molding or any finishing touches.

The three most used kitchen areas are the sink, refrigerator and stove as well as the main workspace as these areas represent the most traveled paths. You should always allow at least 18 to 36 inches of countertop space on both sides of the sink for cleanup and other messes. Having a countertop surface beside the fridge is a must; an area 15 to 24 inches works well.

When you’re designing a kitchen, it’s important to bring in any ideas that you have, whether it’s inspiration, photographs, or a plan. Common homeowner requests are for the addition of a sliding pot drawer (best located near the cooktop) and for under-cabinet LED strip lighting.