Kitchen Layout Ideas

If the key to a man's heart is food, then the heart of the house is the kitchen. There are three basic kitchen designs: the L-shape, the galley and the U-shape. These designs can be accentuated with a kitchen island added to the design where space allows. Regardless of the design, your kitchen needs to be functional.

Work Triangle

When talk about designing a kitchen starts, architects and designers talk about the "work triangle." The reason is that a kitchen needs to contain certain appliances in order to be complete, but they also need to be arranged in such a way that they increase your ability to get through cooking preparation, cooking and then cleaning.

The work triangle refers to a triangle created between the refrigerator, the range and the primary sink. These items are usually located between two or three walls or countertops. Keeping your work triangle smaller will make you more efficient in the kitchen. But, don't keep them too close as you still need room to work. If the refrigerator was next to the sink with the stove next to that, you would become less efficient because, as you pulled something from the refrigerator, you would have to find a counter to prepare it then find a space to keep it and other ingredients near while cooking.

Kitchen Shapes

Your work triangle should be implemented regardless of what shape you choose for your kitchen. A galley kitchen often seems like the most cramped kitchen. It is narrow with two parallel walls of cabinets, appliances and counters. An L-shape kitchen uses two walls also, but they meet at a corner, making the center of the kitchen available for movement, tables or a kitchen island. A U -shape kitchen has three walls meeting at two counters, offering more counter and storage space while still leaving room for a kitchen table or island. Make sure there is ample room around an island or table to still walk around the kitchen and open appliance and cabinet doors.

Where to Place Stuff

Think accessibility when designing the kitchen layout. You already know you should have a work triangle, but that doesn't say where you should actually put certain items. Most people place the sink under a window to make the area brighter and more pleasant for prep and clean up. You may want this area for storage instead. A refrigerator is often best kept near a door for those quick stops in the kitchen during a commercial break for a snack. Rather than move through the entire kitchen, you can simply grab something and leave. If you have a kitchen island, this is a good place to have the range. You will have more space to lay ingredients out while cooking.

Place frequently used items close to the location of use. Bowls, knives and cooking utensils should be kept near your prep station. Glasses should be kept near the refrigerator to quickly grab a glass and drink with minimal effort.

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