February 24, 2022
The functionality of your kitchen will determine your satisfaction with its performance, and the layout of your kitchen appliances is the most important choice you can make in terms of practicality and comfort.
Have you heard of the kitchen triangle theory? It takes into consideration the layout of your refrigerator, sink and cooker, the three most used parts of the kitchen. While this doesn’t necessarily need to be a triangle, it’s still important that the high traffic areas of the kitchen are well placed for the optimum cooking and cleaning experience.
Here are some considerations to take into account when choosing the layout of your kitchen appliances:
What style of appliances do you prefer?
First of all, you’ll want to have a think about your cooking style and what type of appliances will best suit your food goals. You may prefer a cooker at eye level rather than traditional ovens that require you to bend down to lift dishes out, and there are also plenty of choices when it comes to additional multi-function appliances like cookers with steamers or warming drawers.
Space for speciality appliances like coffee machines, wine coolers, and larger sized refrigerators should also be taken into account.
Once you’ve decided on the type of appliances you’d like to include in your custom kitchen, we can start discussing the layout of your kitchen.
Kitchen workflow
The three main work areas of your kitchen are for prepping, cooking, and cleaning up.
Ensure you have ample work surfaces for chopping and storing pre-made starters and side dishes in your prep area, whether that is on an island or countertop. If you do have a kitchen island, we always advise that it has at least 1.2 metres around all sides for easy manoeuvring, and that appliances don’t open across from each other anywhere.
Your cooking area should be easily accessible from the prep area, and keep in mind that for some, hobs are more comfortable to use when positioned lower than the typical height of worktops.
Small appliances like blenders and key ingredients like flour and rice are best placed in easy reach but also hidden away, so talk to our kitchen designers about the possibility of a kitchen pantry. We can design any size or shape of pantry to suit your space and will advise on the optimum storage solutions for all of your kitchen goods.
The cleaning area of your kitchen, including your sink and dishwasher, are best placed with ample space for hiding away dirty pots and pans if possible and near enough to each other to avoid making more of a mess when rinsing dishes.
It’s also important to think about how people besides the chef will interact in the kitchen. Do you want a place for children to do homework while you’re cooking? If so, make sure that there is space for them away from dangerous hot surfaces or consider a safer option like an induction hob, which isn’t hot to the touch. Or perhaps you are a passionate cook that likes to entertain guests while preparing a meal? Consider an area for people to socialise without getting in the way of the chef.
Ready to start planning a new custom kitchen? Contact us to discuss your kitchen layout, dream appliances and the design of your bespoke kitchen.
