How to Design Your Kitchen
If you are considering a kitchen remodeling project, you may be wondering how to design your kitchen. Your primary goal should be to make it as user-friendly (or actually cook-friendly) as possible. Key elements include meal preparation, food storage and workspace navigation. While you may be pondering questions such as “Should I go with granite or laminate countertops?” or “Should I get stainless steel appliances?”, there are broader issues you should be thinking about first. The following questionnaire and video from Kitchens.com will help you with the planning process:
- Will I have to walk far to get water to top off a pot on the stove?
- Will I have enough space to slice, dice, chop, and otherwise prepare meals?
- Will I have room to store the olive oil near the stove or will I have to go across the room to get it?
- Will two or more cooks be able to work comfortably in the space without constantly bumping into each other?
- Will I be able to easily rinse dishes and load them into the dishwasher?
- Do I prefer a range or a separate cooktop and oven?
- Do I need a prep sink and a cleanup sink?
- Do I need an eating area in the kitchen?
If you need an eating area in the kitchen, it doesn’t have to be a table and chairs. You can have a nook with bench seating that also serves as storage compartments. Other options include a kitchen island with a bar-like seating area or a fold-down tabletop that is stored in a wall. If you decide on a drop-leaf table, make sure there is enough space for the leaves to be extended fully.
Kitchens.com also provides diagrams of six common kitchen layouts with the caveat that your options will be limited by your existing home structure. Together with the questionnaire, these will give you some ideas on how to design your kitchen.
