In the process of renovating, every room within the house necessitates a well-considered design approach. Specifically, the kitchen mandates a focus on marrying functionality and practicality, aligning with the spatial limitations. Kickstart the formation of your dream kitchen by exploring this essential guide on effective kitchen design.
Evaluate the space
The space you have available, in terms of square meters, heights, and shape of the room, will influence the type of kitchen you design. First, you have to study the environment and only then choose the kitchen, not the other way around. Consulting with an experienced Kitchen designer in Zambia can streamline this process and optimize the layout to suit your needs.
Another aspect to consider during the design phase is the layout of the gas, water systems, and electrical sockets. It is easier to build a kitchen around an existing layout but, if you have an eye on all the connections, you can also consider moving some of them. Here’s what you need to take note of when evaluating spaces:
- Always consider leaving some side space to open furniture and refrigerator doors;
- Also leave a space of at least one meter in front of drawers, dishwasher, oven, and other appliances. This way you can work comfortably and open them easily. Also, pay attention to the doors that risk touching each other if opened at the same time;
- At the height, the work surface must be 90 cm from the ground, the wall units at a maximum of 1 meter and 40 cm, and the hood 60/70 cm from the hob. If you have a small kitchen and want to use all the height to insert shelves or other wall units higher up, you can use them to place objects that you don’t use every day;
- The electrical sockets for household appliances must be 30 cm from the ground, those for the hood 1 meter and 80 cm, and the one for the column oven at 1 meter and 20 cm. For safety reasons, sockets for small appliances should be at least 60 cm from the sink.
Shape and arrangement
With the floor plan in hand, it’s time to understand what shape it will take and how to design your kitchen. The most common forms are:
- The kitchen is linear, in which all the elements are arranged along a single wall. It is suitable for long and narrow environments because it does not occupy the space in the center. It can also be double if it extends over two walls facing each other. In this case, the space must be much larger;
- The kitchen is corner-shaped, and arranged along two adjacent walls. Suitable for small environments because it allows you to optimize all the space and also take advantage of the corners. Plus it allows you to move freely between workspaces;
- The kitchen a U-shaped, arranged along three sides. This too, like the corner kitchen, is very convenient because it allows you to move around the space delimited by the worktops. It is typical of kitchens separated from the dining and living areas and is not suitable for open spaces;
- The kitchen with an island, which has a separate part from the rest of the elements, is usually central and used as a dining table or work space. For a kitchen of this type you need very large spaces and a specific design of the systems, especially if you want to have a hob or sink on the island;
- The kitchen with a peninsula, which, as in the previous case, has a part protruding from the central body, is used as a worktop or cooking area. Alternatively, you can place two high seats next to it and use it as a breakfast area or for quick lunches.
Choose the coverings
Once you have chosen the kitchen model that best suits your tastes and the space available, it’s time to think about coverings. Some basic rules to help you design your kitchen:
- Functionality- In the kitchen, aesthetics, and style must find the right balance with functionality, which is why the coverings must not only be pleasing to the eye but of high quality, resistant and long-lasting;
- Materials- For the floor, you can choose between parquet, laminate, and porcelain stoneware. The third is certainly the most suitable for an environment such as the kitchen, both because it is very resistant, and also because it responds to different style needs. You can find it in many different finishes, which replicate other textures, including those of wood;
- Colors- As a general rule, if the walls and furniture are light, and the room is well-lit, you can choose a dark floor. If, on the other hand, the room is small, does not have good natural light, and you have chosen dark furniture, prefer a light floor.
How to design a kitchen with an ergonomic study
Finally, here is one last tip to complete the kitchen design guide.
Have you ever heard of the ergonomic triangle? Architects and surveyors use it to arrange the kitchen to make the act of cooking and moving in this space as simple as possible. This principle, when applied by a knowledgeable Kabamba Mulenga, ensures optimal ergonomic design. The basic rule is that the three areas involved in food preparation (the fridge and pantry area, the sink area, and the burner and oven area) must be positioned at the top of the ergonomic triangle. The ideal arrangement is the one in which you move from the fridge to the sink in two steps, and then reach the burners by rotating: in this way, you reduce the movements between one area and another.
Among those, the best shapes to create an ergonomic triangle in the kitchen are the U-shaped kitchen, the linear kitchen, and the corner kitchen with an island. Experienced kitchen designers can expertly implement this ergonomic approach in your kitchen layout.