Kitchen Design

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Kitchen Design.

There is no part of the house where planning is more essential than in the kitchen, for the kitchen should be the heart of the home. In many societies it still is; in some, such as Britain, the tradition is dying out as more and more usually both parents are working and members of the family eat at different times and often alone. Previously, the mother was most affected by the ergonomics of the kitchen, nowadays the whole family is. Therefore, the layout of the kitchen is predominant in determining the amount of leisure-time the family enjoys and the quality of that leisure-time, as a poorly designed kitchen can cause unnecessary stress and tiredness.

Re-assess your kitchen layout. This can best be done with graph (gridded) paper and a pencil. Draw in the walls of your kitchen, the door(s) and the window(s) as accurately as you are able. Decide on a scale and stick to it. Most manufacturers use standard sizes these days and most measurements are a multiple of 150mm or 6" (I will stick to metric from now on), so perhaps you could use one square to represent 150mm. Leave out the kitchen units, appliances and tables for the moment and consider where you would like them to be.

It is imperative that all equipment must be adequately lit for safety, ease-of-use, reduction of stress and strain etc.. Alternatives to consider are: extending the existing window; adding new windows or adding artificial lights or a combination of these options, depending on your finances or/and ability. Fluorescent lighting is useful because it hardly casts a shadow, but many modern kitchens make use of multiple spotlights and under-lighting.

A great deal of time is spent at the sink, so most people like to have it directly in front of the window. If you do too, pencil it in. There are many types of sink with single, double and 1.5 drainer options. Single drainers can be left or right-handed. Allow 600mm for a drainer and 600mm for the sink: that is 1200mm overall for a single drainer; 1500mm for a double and 1350mm for 1.5 drainers. These sink units come with cupboards built-in underneath.
Tip: try to get units which overhang the legs they stand on by 150mm so you have room for your feet, but attach a plinth to the legs to prevent dust accumulating underneath.

The sink, cooker and work-surface should be close together - preferably in a triangle.
For example, in a corner, the cooker could be to your right, the sink to your left (under the window) and the work-space in front of you; or in a bay window you would have natural light on the three points of the triangle.

Wall units are ideal for storing food, glasses and crockery and strip fluorescent lights can be attached to the underside to provide subtle, yet effective lighting. Standing units will support a work-surface and house pots and pans. Cleaning gear can be stored under the sink. Both types of units come in various sizes: e.g. 1200mm, 1000mm, 600mm, 500mm, 450mm and 300mm. Smaller spaces can be left between floor units to house a wine rack or towel rails. These units are usually 600mm 'deep' to take a 600mm worktop, but can be 'slimline' at 500mm. Similarly, cookers, refrigerators, washing machines, driers etc are usually 600x600mm, but can be found as 500x600mm or even 500x500mm. Put the washing machine next to the sink for water and waste. The legs on the units can be adjusted to suit the individual, but most people find it comfortable to work somewhere between 800mm and 900mm from the ground. Place wall units to suit, usually 300-600mm above the worktop. There are many types and colours of door to choose from.
Tip: decide which tiles you want for the 'splashback' and leave a gap so that you need place only whole tiles between the worktop and wall units. It saves cutting tiles and therefore, time and labour costs.

Do not be tempted to place a table in the middle of the room - you will be constantly walking around it. A wall on the other side of the room can serve as a home for the dining table. Leave it there when not required and pull it out to the centre for family meals. If space is limited a table can be fixed to a batten on the wall and 'fold up' or 'drop-down' when needed. More hints and tips can be found on kitchen colour schemes here.

Written by: Owen Jones
for The Real Way.com © 2005:
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