How to Design a Kitchen
While the kitchen layouts within many homes follow a few similar patterns, arrangement of items within the kitchen can vary considerably. Galley kitchens, with two parallel functional rows, L-shaped kitchens, and island kitchens all have advantages and disadvantages for the user. Perhaps one of the biggest factors in facilitating kitchen usage is the layout of the appliances. The refrigerator should be positioned in such a way that it is readily accessible from anywhere else in the kitchen, and the door should swing open into the kitchen so items can be easily accessed, rather than toward the adjoining room. Many refrigerators have reversible doors in order to adjust the swing. If the home contains a dishwasher, it should be located conveniently close to the sink, so that dishes may be rinsed and loaded into the dishwasher in one quick sequence.
Countertops used for cutting and preparation of food are very user-friendly if they contain a large, unbroken surface area, rather than being interrupted by appliances between surfaces. On the other hand, different sections separated by appliances can be segregated for different purposes. For example, in the preparation of a meal containing chicken, the raw chicken can be kept isolated away from other ingredients to reduce the risk of contamination.
In addition to the basic appliance layouts, it is important that electrical outlets be accessible in the correct locations. There must be an appropriate outlet behind every major appliance; in addition, it is convenient to consider food preparation surfaces and small appliance storage locations in positioning outlets for smaller items.
A common inconvenience in many kitchens is too little storage space. Storage space in the kitchen can be maximized in several ways. First, the layout of the kitchen should be designed to utilize every possible square inch, rather than leaving open gaps between items. Second, the types of cupboards and drawers should be considered; a rotating corner cupboard, for example, enables the seemingly unusable back corner space to be occupied while also permitting easy access to all of its contents. Additionally, drawer and cupboard organizers and adjustable shelves can dramatically improve the amount of useable space in a kitchen.
If kitchen space permits, one way to increase storage space and/or countertop surface area to a kitchen is to add a shelving unit or a mobile kitchen cart. Both are available with various dimensions from a variety of home stores. Both of these items are also versatile and can be utilized in other areas of the house as desired.
