The ultimate kitchen: Tips for designing your best kitchen yet
It's never been more true: the kitchen is the beating heart of the home. So, when you're renovating, it's one of the most important spaces to get just right. Fluid Studio has spent decades designing kitchens and you know what? Michael reckons people who love to cook make the best kitchen designers. So, if you love to whip up delicious dinners and bountiful banquets for friends and family, you're well on your way to designing your best kitchen yet. Here are our other top tips:
When your imagination doesn't cut it, whip out the masking tape...
Never underestimate the power of a roll of tape! Masking tape can be an incredibly useful tool when you're planning your ideal kitchen. Use it to create a full-size scale model of your new kitchen. You can set up some trestle tables, use your existing kitchen as a base, or even mark out areas on the floor, the important thing is to get a feel for how daily activities will operate. Imagine taking a hot roast out of the oven, do you have some nearby bench space to set it down? Does unstacking the dishwasher involve an ultramarathon's worth of laps of the kitchen to see everything to its spot? Is the sink going to spray water all over your dinner guests when the tap's full blast of water meets its nemesis, an upturned spoon? Map out your kitchen and experience it to ensure you're happy with where the key spaces are located.
Sink with a view
Positioning a window behind the sink means you can enjoy the view as you wash up, one way to make cleaning up a tad more fun!
In the zone
Speaking of key spaces, people talk about the work triangle, the space between the sink, fridge and stove, but more and more we're thinking about kitchen design in terms of zones and how they interrelate: Food storage for the fridge and pantry; Food preparation for the stove, microwave, small appliances such as blenders, cutting boards and spices; Storage for pots and pans and larger, bulkier items; Cleaning and waste for the dishwasher, sink, bins and space for cleaning products; and finally, a zone for day-to-day items like cutlery and crockery, the kettle, coffee machine and the like. Practically speaking, it makes sense to think about your kitchen and storage space in terms of these zones as it will minimise the amount of effort and moving around the kitchen it will take to achieve common, everyday tasks.
Have fun with colour and texture
All white kitchens are out, my friend. Even if you're not game enough to run with a fire engine red kitchen, the sheer number of colours, textures and materials available in kitchen design means you should feel free to have a bit of fun. Incorporating both low base cabinets and full height cabinetry gives you an opportunity to mix and match different finishes while also providing plenty of practical storage options. When considering kitchen and benchtop finishes, ask yourself this: do I want the materials to reflect a beautiful patina of age with loving use, or do I want to maintain a pristine look? From there, your choices on finishes and materials will be much easier.
Show your true colours
Your personality isn’t beige, so your kitchen shouldn’t be, either! Here, minimal white and natural stone are paired with a splash of orange for the ultimate touch of personality.
Integrate for a clean look
Consider integrating your fridge/freezer, that is, concealing it behind a cabinet door (same goes for the dishwasher). This will create a much cleaner, sharper look to your kitchen and lets you put the focus on the design, not on your taste in white goods. Don't worry, the fridge door will open with the cabinet door, so you won't be creating an extra step between you and a snack.
Think practically
Position the dishwasher next to the sink. The dishwasher can actually fit under the drainer of the sink to maximise space. Practically speaking, this helps you effortlessly load up the dishwasher with dirty dishes from the sink and contains the mess. Plus, make sure you have space to store those everyday items like plates and cutlery within reach of the dishwasher to make unstacking it that little more bearable. Similarly, make sure you have space for a large bin close to the preparation space. You'll want at least four separate bin containers so you can easily sort recycling and organic waste from the general rubbish.
Keep the kids (and others) out of the kitchen
It pays to locate the fridge and cutlery drawer on the outskirts of the kitchen so other family members can easily access them even while the chef of the family is mid-julienning. This is safer and more practical for everyone.
A place for everything…
Access to storage options makes or breaks the functionality of a kitchen design. Here a sneaky cupboard is concealed beside the stove, perfect for oils, seasonings and spices.
Let's talk about storage
Drawers are great for accessing the far reaches of cabinet space, just make sure they're lined with slip resistant matts to prevent cracks, and similar crockery catastrophes. And here's an example when shallow is better than depth: the pantry. Either opt for a pull out pantry or narrower, 280mm-deep shelves so you don't lose your pasta behind a mass of tuna cans. Drawers to the rescue again in pantries, particularly if they have open or glass fronts so you can see what's hiding in there. And to shine even more light on the situation, add warm lighting to the inside of dark cabinets and pantries for easy locating. It's best to store your plates and bowls in drawers directly below your plating up area so they're on hand when you need them. It's also worth creating dedicated above bench storage space for small appliances like the toaster and kettle so you never have to pack them away, but they still look neat behind closed doors.
Preparation space
Allow at least a 800mm preparation space between sink and cooktop. Be sure to incorporate warm task lighting above and in front of preparations spaces so you don't end up chopping in the shadow of doom.
And one last tip...
Avoid sinks and cooktops in kitchen island unless you're a tidy person and/or a teppanyaki master.
