Kitchens are changing, more and more young couples are looking at their kitchen as the heart of their home. They want to open up the room and make it more of a central hub for social activities than just a room where they make meals and snacks.
To do this, they are removing walls and designing a better layout for their appliances and cabinets. You can do it too if you like the layouts that are considered the best of the best. Keep reading to find out which ones those are.
Having a great kitchen area that is spacious makes it better to work in and easier to move around.
Kitchen Design Principles
Contents
The Triangle
This concept is where you should only have to take 1 to 3 steps in any direction to get to your fridge, sink, or oven. Or 1 to 3 steps to go from the counter to the fridge to the oven.
You are working in a triangle fashion that minimizes your steps and saves you some energy. This principle can work in U-shaped kitchens, kitchens with islands, or those with loner breakfast bars on one side of the room.
Kitchen Zones
In this concept, you have divided up your kitchen into different working zones. One zone will be for peeling, chopping, dicing, and so on, while another zone will be for mixing, pouring and another zone would be your cooking area where pots and pans, etc., are close by.
You are free to create as many zones as you want and even have a separate one for making tea and coffee.
Space Planning
Under this concept, you are making sure that you have enough space to do your work and move about. This means cutting down on kitchen cabinets and possibly that island you like because the area is too small for it.
You are not looking at storage space or extra counter space, but personal space so you can move freely without bumping into things. However, you do not want too much space for then you are spending too much time getting to one spot from another one. The space has to be just right.
Popular Kitchen Layouts
The layout you have will depend on the design of your home and its size. You may not be able to have any of these designs in your kitchen unless you upgrade to a larger home, or you can adapt them to fit the size of kitchen you have to work with.
1. Single Wall
As the name says, all your cabinets and appliances are placed on one wall. This design is great for smaller homes that do not have a lot of extra space. Plus, it gives you room to add a table and chairs for a dining area.
2. Galley Kitchen
This design puts 2 sets of kitchen cabinets on 2 different walls that run parallel to each other. You can walk in and use your triangle principle the best with this design. All your appliances can be divided up between the two counters and you will still have plenty of storage room for your pots and pans.
3. L-Shaped Design
Also, a good design to use when your kitchen space is limited. This puts everything you need in the room along one side wall and one end wall. Everything is in reach, and you do not have to do a lot of walking to get to appliances, the sink, or your cookware.
This design can provide a sense of open space making it a more relaxing room to work in.
4. U-Shaped Design
Just as the name says, you have kitchen counters, sinks, and appliances on three of the four walls in the room. This design gives you more counter and cabinet space which comes in handy if you like to cook a lot.
Plus, there may be room for an island if the kitchen area is large enough.
5. Peninsula Design
In this format, one set of kitchen cabinets comes out into the room in a little l-shape, but it is not against a wall. You get access to the counter from both sides making it easier to serve food and snacks, etc.
6. Kitchen Island
Here you place a large cabinet section in the middle or on one side of the kitchen without having any walls nearby. It sort of floats there in the room like an island does on the ocean. It is not attached to anything and has either more counter space or places for family members to sit and eat breakfast.
Plus, the island helps divide the room from other living spaces nearby.
Some Final Words
The best kitchen layout will be the design that fits your home the best and maximizes all the available space. It does not have to be a large area, just comfortable to work in. Also, you need to be happy with the layout for it to be the best.
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