How to design a kitchen: layout, remodel, island

If you start a kitchen renovation, decide what you exactly want. A new kitchen can be of three variants: a totally new house construction, remodeling or just decorative work.

How to design a kitchen

You will put to use all your fantasy and designing knowledge to reach the desired dream. Consequently, you are going to build the entirely new house up from the foundations. This variant is surely for you in case you want to make global changes and to know how to design a new kitchen creating a complementary room for eating and leaving your kitchen area only for cooking. So your wish is reachable if you possess an appropriable budget and free time.

Remodeling features

This process means doing anything significant with your kitchen area. A completely remodeled kitchen may look totally new with a new functional complex. This kitchen will be your personal matter of pride as you will spend so much time, efforts and savings. The current kitchen dimensions may also play a global role in these changes.

Start first of all with realizing the positive and negative aspects of your old kitchen, namely what features you prefer and which ones you do not accept when applied to the layout, cabinetry, and decoration ideas. Make your decision on this basement. Or you just feel like making some decorative improvements, as in a general sense you like your old kitchen. You may also love to replace the countertops, find some spare territory for built-in kitchen gadgets or whatever.

Consult with designers. Specialists in this sphere will obviously ask you as many questions as they need to understand your interests and then apply the information to the better idea of a kitchen renovation.

1)  How big is your family?

2)  What size does your dream kitchen have?

3)  What furniture arrangement would you like to have?

4)  Are you the only person who will cook in the family?

5)  How often do you cook at home?

6)  What kitchen style is closer to you?

Discover how to design a kitchen layout

If you want to have your kitchen remodeled, then you must decide, what the most suitable layout is, according to all your special needs. Usually, designers divide all floor plans into 6 groups:

• One-wall layout means placing the cabinetry, countertops, refrigerator, sink, range and drawers along one side to have the easy and convenient reach to all necessary kitchen gadgets.
• Galley kitchens feature placing the furniture on the opposite sides of the room in a parallel manner.
• In L-shape kitchens, the household goods are placed along 2 neighboring walls at right angles.
• In U-shaped kitchens all furniture, cabinets, countertops are situated on three neighboring walls in a perpendicular way.
• Island kitchens have an additional working place which is situated in the middle of the room to perform different functions.
• Peninsula kitchens present a variation of “U” shaped arrangements. Peninsular is an additional working place which is adjoined to one of the “U” parallel sides.

Don’t forget about a famous working triangle. This concept was worked out by design specialists in the middle of the 20th century in order to optimize cooking area. Triangle is formed by the stove, the refrigerator, and the sink. As a result, we have three sides: between washing and cooking areas, between cooking and area for food processing and, at last, between processing and washing areas. These sides shouldn’t be too long or too short. The optimal recommended length is no more than 1.2 meters. If they are longer, the cook will be too tired during the work. If they are too short, the working place is very crumped and inconvenient.

If you need a supplementary working space for more than one cook, then you will have to organize your kitchen area with extra working space.

Reading the next tips you will know how to design a kitchen island

Kitchen islands are gaining their popularity among the owners of big kitchens. Island is an extra table situated in the middle of your kitchen. It performs various functions. First of all the island gives you possibility to observe and communicate with your family or guests while chopping or slicing or doing some other significant work. Apart from this kind of function, an island steals up to 4 feet of spare place. And this is rather a good idea in a big kitchen.

Islands are very optional and beautiful design items. If you want to settle it in your kitchen, quantify your kitchen size. After that, add at least 3 feet to install the island. It should have sufficient space for opening and closing the doors and the necessary pathway.

What would you like to have in the island?

–  Maybe you would like to place here a microwave oven

–  Or it will be a good place for baking, is up to you to decide.

–  It is also achievable to install a prep sink.

–  Below Zero chamber will ideally fit in the island space.

An island is rather an unusual piece of furniture, that is why if you‘ve never had it at home, you may need time to get used to it in order not to rub on it.

Islands may be organized in the way that one side of it is a preparation area where you can do washing up, cutting, chopping, etc.; and the other side is a seating area. From this point, the guest doesn’t see what work you are doing. This trick is widely used in restaurants and cafes with so-called open kitchen with a bar.

Kitchen Size Considerations

New kitchen appliances look and function well when they are also kept well, so if you can’t find enough space for all your desirable gadgets, make a hard choice. If you are deciding what to buy, make your decision in accordance to your kitchen dimensions and enough keeping space.

Whether you kitchen is little or big, it may look stunning.

Do you wonder how to design a small kitchen?

Unfortunately, not all flats or houses have large kitchens. But you shouldn’t be saddened by the fact that you go into this category of people. The experienced designer makes use of every inch of the room. That’s why in some case dimensions don’t play an important role. Your tiny kitchen will be very cozy and beautiful. There are only some moments that you should take into consideration.

– When we speak about a little kitchen, we mean that it comprises the area of less than 80 square feet. It may have square or rectangular shape. In case you are planning to remodel your house, you may enlarge the kitchen space adjoining it with a living-room. Delete the door replacing it with an archway. This method will visually make your small kitchen look bigger.

– If you think that small kitchens have limited functionality, you are quite mistaken. Even a tiny area may be equipped with all necessary cabinetry. But it is important to consider the layout. For instance, long and narrow area requires a one-wall layout. Square-shaped kitchen demands L-typed layout.

Very often a kitchenette has also a low ceiling. In this case cabinets and shelves are installed up to the ceiling to use a maximum of its area.

Besides, modern compact furniture with different built-in drawers and rollout shelves can be a really helpful place to store necessary items. Countertops with in-and-out table can successfully substitute a comfort dining area. If you don’t have enough working space, look for the countertops and drawers with rollout cutting boards. Also, slide out drawers will be perfect for storing kitchen utensils and cookware.

We can’t imagine a comfortable kitchen without necessary hardware and furniture. It is a really challenging problem to find enough favorable location for a refrigerator in a small kitchen. Creating a design of a little kitchen with a refrigerator, follow the tips:

1) If possible, set built-in kitchen recess. Place the refrigerator into it, leaving more space around.

2)  You don’t need to purchase a big refrigerator, complemented with a below-freezing-temperature chamber. Buy them separately. You’ll see that you will have no problem to find a new place for them. For example, place a deep-freezer under the countertop or build it deep into the cabinetry zone.

3)  If you feel the strong need in a standard-sized refrigerator, utilize a spare place above it for open shelves or drawers.

Middle-sized kitchens combine the modesty of little rooms and functionality of large ones.  If you are not satisfied with your kitchen sizes and want to make it larger, enlarge the compartment by means of deleting one of the walls and adjoining the kitchen to a living room or a pantry.  Other design tactics can make your midsize kitchen seem even bigger and better. Or if you are not ready to such global renovations, use some tricks to make it larger.

Take tips recommended for little-sized kitchens for providing additional storage space, and you will easily convert your mid-sized kitchen into the large functional big cooking area.

1) Island layout isn’t a very good solution for a mid-sized room. You would better replace an island turning it into a G-shaped layout.

2) Create a space-saving dining area, consisted of a peninsular table and chairs only on one side of it.

3) While kitchen decoration, use pale hues and uncomplicated prints to make the kitchen roomier. But if you adjoin the kitchen and a living room, you will need to have the same decoration ideas for both parts.

Large kitchens can perform different functions acting like cooking area and a large dining space. When you start to design a big kitchen, mind that it should be comfortable and functional. Don’t forget about a working triangular. Arrange the cabinetry very carefully. There are no limitations in arranging the furniture in a big kitchen. But U-shaped and galley layouts will suit the best.

–  Spacious kitchens are also ideal for placing an island in the center, which may steal up to 40-60 square feet.

–  If you feel oppressed by a great amount of spare place, address the creative designers who will offer to use non-standard furnishing of different shapes (zigzag, bent line) or install the cabinetry of interesting geometrical forms.