How To Design My Own Kitchen
How to design my own kitchen
Deciding to put in a new kitchen is an exciting but daunting decision. It will change the feel of your home, perhaps it’s the last big push on your home renovation, perhaps you’ve been thinking about it for a while, but there are a lot of questions, the biggest being how to design your new kitchen!
Firstly, what space do you have for your new kitchen design.
Are you extending or knocking rooms together, is there a back hall that could be rejigged to create better flow from the garden to the house. Often when houses have been extended and changed over the years, the flow is lost so it is time to take stock and make sure every space is used to it’s best advantage and connects to the rest of the spaces.
What functions will your new kitchen design have
Is this your main eating room or do you just need perching space for a cup of tea or homework. Do you need storage for the washing machine, tumble dryer, vacuum and mop or can these be in the utility room or under the stairs.
Think about the house as a whole, what storage options do you have available that can be rejigged like a game of tetris! Perhaps the utility items can go in an upstairs cupboard and the linen from there moves to a drawer under one of the beds. Perhaps some more hooks under the stairs will help reorganise the space so there is space to free up another cupboard that can now be a walk in pantry!
How to design your kitchen
Now we know what space we have to play with and what we need to fit in here. Ignore the Kitchen Triangle, if you have three items, they will always be a triangle! Also if you have an island in the middle, you’ll spend the whole time running around it like Piccadilly Circus! The word you want is “Kitchen Zoning”. Put all the items you want for one activity in one place so you can stand in one spot and have everything to hand.
If you’re cooking, you want your saucepans and utensils close by, if you’re getting food, you want it all in one place by the fridge and close to a large prep space. Can the crockery be stored close to the table for laying up and is this near to the dishwasher for easy putting away. Take note of your workflows over the next few days and start grouping items together.
There are free programs available such as on IKEA’s website, where you can play with your kitchen layouts and try different ideas. Here at The Kitchen Lady, Emily is very happy to spend an hour chatting over zoom about your plans and offering her suggestions and questions to ensure that you are confident with your plans and that it will work for you and your family.
Good Luck!