Let's face it. Your kitchen is the most important room in the house. It's where you eat, cook, get going in the morning and catch up in the evening. And if you've ever had a party, you know it's where everyone congregates. When you're planning the layout of your kitchen, keep in mind how central the room is to the house and to your day. With a little careful thought, you'll be sure to have a space that's as practical as it is attractive.
What kind of kitchen do you want?
Before you begin measuring, consider what you need your kitchen to do for your home. Does it need to provide for two people cooking at once, or service a bachelor who eats out a lot? Do you have a large family or entertain a lot? Do you prefer visitors to hang out in the kitchen or would you rather they lounge elsewhere in the house? Will you need the space to multi-task -- acting as laundry room too, or office? Do you need a pantry? Maybe someone in your household has special needs, is elderly, disabled or extra tall or short. All of these considerations will determine dimensions, appliances and seating options for the kitchen of your dreams.
The "Kitchen Triangle"
Now that you've determined what types of work/leisure the kitchen will host, you can get down to some more technical considerations, namely, the "Kitchen Triangle": the imaginary lines between the sink, refrigerator and stove/oven. These three main work areas are what you will spend the most time circulating between, so you want to make sure they interrelate properly. As a rule, according to Kitchen And Bath Ideas, "... [I]n a kitchen with three work areas, the sum of the three traveled distances should equal no more than 26 feet with no single leg of the triangle measuring less than 4 feet nor more than 9 feet." Keep these dimensions in mind when you or your contractors are drafting the floor plan and you can't go wrong, regardless of which style kitchen you choose.
Other things to keep in mind are storage areas, the placement of doors, avoiding traffic paths through the work triangle, providing space for adequate seating and assuring that there aren't any obstacles, such as tall cabinets or counter breaks, which disrupt the workflow.
Appliance placement
As we've seen with the kitchen triangle, acceptable ratios are a big part of kitchen layout and design. This means careful planning of where to place your sink and appliances. Make sure, for example, that you have adequate counter space on either side of your sink for cleaning and preparing food. You'll also want enough space on each side of your refrigerator for taking food in and out and around your stove for all the many counter uses during cooking. Prevailing wisdom, and these kitchen guidelines, suggest that your dishwasher be within three feet of a prep or cleanup sink, for ease of plumbing. Detailed measurements are easy to find online, at the above site or at sites like Marvin's Building Materials.
Be sure that your designer, if you're working with one, has real contracting experience -- kitchen layout isn't simply about what looks good. A great design is one that takes utility, contracting concerns and aesthetics into mutual consideration.
High-tech kitchen layouts
With improved technology and increasingly techno-savvy homeowners, the kitchens of the 21st century home are provided with innovative, time-saving gadgets. Cyber ovens let you adjust cooking temperatures from the internet or your phone. Or try a cook sink, with an adjoining cooking element, letting you wash vegetables, for example, and put them right on to cook, reducing traffic across the kitchen. From built-in wine coolers to wood-burning stoves, more things are possible in at-home kitchens than ever before. For more details about appliances of the future, check DIY Network and HGTV.com.
Tips for small kitchens
Sure it's great to contemplate endless combinations of cooking and entertaining area when you've got a lot of room to work with, but what if you don't? Under-cabinet lighting can make a small kitchen look more spacious. Also, when available, always go for the space-saving appliances that fit under cabinets or can be mounted on walls to free up extra space on your countertops. Hang cooking utensils on hooks or racks, leaving drawers for other kitchen items. Even with a little space, it's possible to make your kitchen a place you'll want to spend plenty of time.
Your kitchen may be a room you take for granted, but don't skimp when it comes to careful planning and design. From the early days of the cave fire, we humans have gathered around the hearth, and nothing much has changed. Today's kitchen may serve more purposes and get things done a lot faster, but it's still the heart and soul of a home.