New research shows that around 55% of US citizens are eating at home more regularly than before nowadays. That means we’re spending a lot more time in the kitchen.
Chances are, if you’re one of those people who has discovered the joy of cooking, you’ve noticed some flaws in your kitchen design layout.
Are you considering refurbishing your kitchen to suit your new stay-at-home lifestyle? Keep reading for more on the latest kitchen design basics.
Things to Consider When Designing a Kitchen
Your kitchen’s more than somewhere to cook and eat, it’s the heart of your home. This is where you chat with friends over coffee, complete your kiddies’ homework, and even fulfill your work commitments nowadays.
One of the most common kitchen design mistakes is failing to consider your kitchen layout in the context of these non-food-related activities.
Many older homes have kitchens in a separate room that isolates them from daily activities. In this case, you should consider taking down the wall between your kitchen and living areas. This is an expensive alteration, but it modernizes your home and improves your lifestyle.
Designing the Ultimate User-Friendly Kitchen
Another important thing to consider is the work triangle. This refers to how your refrigerator, cooking appliances, and kitchen sink work together.
You should plan your layout so you can move easily and quickly between these important points. In some cases, a center island may disrupt this flow, so don’t feel you have to incorporate one into your design.
Adequate storage is another prime consideration in your kitchen layout. Modern space-saving storage helps you keep your kitchen tidy and clutter-free.
Lazy Susan’s, pull-out spice drawers, and hidden doors in your center island all make the best use of space.
Lighting’s an important part of kitchen design. There are three types of lighting commonly used in kitchens. These are:
Task Lighting
This is the most important type of lighting in any kitchen. Overhead lighting can cast shadows that complicate food prep and strain your eyes.
Task lighting helps you see what you’re doing and can prevent injuries like cuts from chopping vegetables. It’s often installed under cabinets over work areas, but you should also consider task lighting above your sink.
General Lighting
General lighting radiates throughout your kitchen. Pot lights work well to disperse light evenly across the room and you can dim them when needed.
Pendant lights and chandeliers are other examples of general lighting.
Accent Lighting
You don’t need accent lighting in your kitchen but it’s a nice touch if you want to highlight your kitchen design to the best effect. Uplighting in glass cabinets is perfect for showing off your display of fine china.
Under-cabinet lighting can also function to show off your newly acquired countertops and cabinets.
Most Popular Kitchen Layouts
It helps to get an idea of what works well in similar spaces to yours when planning your kitchen layout. These are the most popular kitchen designs today:
One-Wall Kitchens
These kitchens originally went by the name, Pullman kitchens. They’re a popular choice in a small studio or loft.You’ll save a lot of space with this design since everything’s affixed to one wall.
Often these kitchens feature an island that doubles as an eating or work area, reminiscent of a galley-kitchen design.
Galley Kitchens
One of the best small kitchen design tips is taking a tip from ship design into consideration. This trimmed-down layout, known also as a walk-through kitchen, comprises two walls opposite each other.
With this design, you needn’t worry about any expensive corner cabinets since the short walls remain blank.
L-Shaped Kitchens
An L-shaped kitchen makes the best use of corner space and also suits small to medium-sized kitchens.
This design has two perpendicular adjoining walls with countertops on both. You can make each side of the ‘L’ as long as you want to suit your needs.
You’ll rarely have a space issue with this design as the L-shape prevents people from using it as a thoroughfare. If preferred, you can easily add different work zones to this layout.
If you have large space available, you can add a center island to this design too.
Horseshoe Kitchens
This design works well for large kitchens since it has cabinetry on three walls. This gives you plenty of extra workspaces as well as storage.
You can add plenty of extra conveniences to this design such as a wine cooler, center island, scullery area, or somewhere to enjoy family meals.
Budgeting For Your Kitchen Design Layout
Setting up a budget for your kitchen refurb’s an important first step. Most home improvement projects incur unexpected expenses and the last thing you need is to run out of cash halfway through.
Start with the most important items and work from there. Most homeowners find they can save on kitchen cabinets by refurbishing instead of replacing their kitchen cabinets.
Try to incorporate good-quality countertops into your budget. These materials immediately catch the eye and can add huge appeal to any size kitchen.
You should also consider picking high-end appliances, sinks, and taps when designing your kitchen. These investments pay off with durability as well as aesthetics.
Do You Need Help Deciding on the Best Design for You?
When you’re in doubt about the best kitchen design layout for your home, it pays to get an expert kitchen layout planner on your side.
An interior designer knows all the best tips and hacks for streamlining your home’s layout, so it’s worth getting their input.
If you want some more expert advice on home-related issues, explore some more of the articles on my website.
