The kitchen is one of the popular rooms in the house with many using the space to entertain and interact with friend and family.  You need to plan to ensure that not only does it look great but it is functional!  Check out some top tips to consider when it comes to your kitchen.

1. Get organised!

When organising think about the flow of the kitchen and where people will go and use.  Keep the tea bags near the kettle, of course!  Plates near the serving area and so on.  Think practical.

2. The floorplan

When planning a kitchen you need to consider how much space do you need in the walkways, is there enough room to open doors.  If you have an island does it obstruct to movement around the kitchen?

3. Traffic

Traffic flow should be a consideration in a well designed kitchen.  If kids are around is the cooking area in the main flow?  Do you have to walk past the cooking or preparation area to get to the fridge or a utility room?  Can you plan an better flow to reduce accidents or overall hassle?

4. The Microwave

It sounds funny but the Microwave is a highly used appliance in todays world.  Is it at the correct height?  Is it in a safe location?  A wall mounted might be out of reach for shorter people or children, will opening the door and removing hot foods be unsafe?

5. Space near the white goods

With different white goods in the kitchen you need to think about space.  Does the radiator obstruct opening a door?  Do you have enough room to empty the washing machine without hitting your back on a corner of a worktop, ouch!  Landing space should be thought about for white goods and appliances alike.

6. Countertops

People have a tendency to fill space but sometime space is good.  If you fill all of the counter tops with appliances is there enough space to put plates or prepare food?  Are they too high for children who might help or have cooking projects to do at home?

7. Smart storage

With so many items in a standard kitchen you need to consider safety and convenience.  Are knives out of reach, in a safe place?  How about a magnetic rack to bring them out of the way?  Cupboards could be shelved.  Fridges could have plastic inserts for different items to keep them separate.  Think smart when creating the storage space and make the most out of the space you have available.

8. Within reach

Many kitchens have cupboards, pantrys or larders that go to the kitchen ceiling.  Can everyone reach the desired tool?  Do you have a step stool that could be incorporated?  Put items for kids lower, heavier items somewhere in the middle and perhaps unused or little used items up out of the way.

9. Electrical Outlets

Electrical outlets…there are never enough!  Kettle, Toaster, Blender, maybe a phone charger.  There are many items that might need electric so it is worth having outlets on the way abovethe counter in strategic places.  You could even invest in USB ported ones for phones and devices.

10. Smaller kitchen space

For some reason many architects and designers feel that larger houses only need a small kitchen.  Do you have a small kitchen? Perhaps with only one small window?  Use lighter colours to not only make it feel inviting but it opens it open.  Darker colours can shrink a smaller room.  Use storage space as much as possible and ensure items are placed to stop crossovers or potential bumping into people while you are preparing food.

Stuck for what to do with your kitchen? We can help with design or possibly an extension.  Contact us for a chat.