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Designing a kitchen is about far more than just making it look pretty – in fact, you actually need to take into account important kitchen design principles to ensure that you tick all the important boxes. It’s mostly about capitalizing on space, positioning things logically, and designing the room in accordance with workflow. That way, you can ensure that your kitchen not only looks great but also meets all your practical, everyday needs.
Some of the most important things to prioritize when designing a kitchen and its layout are things that normal people probably take for granted. Things like the logic behind placing a sink near a countertop or where you position electrical outlets and plumbing. In some ways, getting all these different things right is like putting together a puzzle.
Luckily, there are tips and guidelines you can use to ensure that you stay on the right track, and today, we’re going to share some of those with you.
We’re going to dive into 10 kitchen design principles that you need to know if you’re designing a kitchen. We’ll take into account practical considerations like space and ergonomics, as well as aesthetics, acknowledging the effects of materials and finishes, among other things.
10 Kitchen Design Principles to Live By
Naturally, everybody will have different priorities and preferences when it comes to the layout and design of a kitchen. Here are 10 kitchen design principles to consider, regardless of your specific taste or preferences regarding layout.
1. Zoning
No matter what your personal preferences are in terms of how you like to cook and what you prefer the layout of your kitchen to be, there are certain things that are fairly universal, and it’s all about logic and practicality.
So, one of the first things you ought to do is divide the space into strategic zones – that is, different areas that are more or less used for specific tasks or functions. This helps create a kitchen that is organized efficiently and promotes workflow.
Here are some basic zones to use as a starting point:
- Cooking Zone: Includes the stove, oven, microwave, or whatever it is you use. This space is dedicated to food preparation and actual cooking. The nearby cabinets or drawers should contain your pots, pans, cooking utensils, and spices.
- Cleaning Zone: Should be near the sink, dishwasher, and bin. This is where you’ll be washing your dishes, and nearby storage space should probably be used for detergents, dishwashing liquid, sponges, and so on.
- Prep Zone: It’s important to have a space dedicated to preparing food, and it should have enough room for chopping, mixing, and preparing ingredients. Ideally, you’d have drawers or cupboards nearby containing cutting boards, mixing bowls, small appliances, and knives.
- Storage Zone: Normally, this includes the space for the fridge, pantry (if you have one), and general storage cabinets. You should be able to easily reach your dry goods and other essentials from here.
- Serving Zone: The serving zone is normally near your dining area, or it’s on the island or bar counter with seating. It should have enough counterspace for plating food and storage space for your everyday crockery like plates, bowls, utensils, and more.
Taking the time to zone your kitchen is the best way to ensure streamlined workflow, practicality, and efficiency, and it’ll help you make proper use of your space.
2. Work Triangle
Following on from zoning is the process of perfecting the work triangle – that is, preferably linking your three main zones, the fridge, sink, and stove, or, in terms of zones, the storage, cleaning, and cooking zones.
The idea here is that they’re spaced out optimally in order to ensure efficient workflow and minimize unnecessary movement.
3. Ergonomics
In terms of kitchen design principles, ergonomics refers to creating a layout that minimizes strain and maximizes comfort. This means looking at things like the height of your countertops, the placement of appliances, and how easy it is to access items that are used frequently.
It’s also recommended that you incorporate universal design principles to ensure that the kitchen is accessible to people of all abilities – things like easy-to-reach storage, wide walkways, and slightly lower countertops. This will help with the resale value of the home.
4. Storage
The two most important aspects of storage are having enough space and making good use of the space you have.
The best thing to do is to be creative by means of using a variety of different storage solutions, including cabinets, drawers, pantry units, and pull-out shelves. This will help you keep things organized while still having somewhere to put everything away.
If you’re working with limited space, try make use of vertical storage options.
5. Ventilation
Always prioritize proper ventilation in a kitchen so that you can remove cooking odors, smoke, and moisture too. You can do this by installing an exhaust fan, an extractor fan, or something similar. In fact, even having openable windows or doors on each side to create a draft is a bonus.
6. Lighting
Always start off by surveying potential for natural light, because you’re going to want to make as much use of this as possible. See where you can incorporate windows, glass doors, skylights, and more – this will make the kitchen feel brighter and more spacious.
Another option is layered lighting – that is, implementing a combination of ambient, accent, and task lighting to create spaces that are well-lit. This can include under-cabinet lighting and pendant lights too.
7. Sustainability
Make an effort to use eco-friendly materials and methods in creating your kitchen, and try to include spaces for recycling and compost bins if possible.
8. Aesthetics
Remember to take into account that the materials and finishes you choose will influence not only the overall aesthetics of your kitchen, but durability and maintenance too. So, while it’s super important to remember aesthetic cohesion – the idea that the materials and finishes you use around the room complement each other and align with the overall design theme of the kitchen – you also need to be smart about what you’re using.
9. Flexibility and Adaptability
Try to design the kitchen so that it’s at leas reasonably adaptable to the potential needs of future home owners. That is, things that’ll allow them to change appliances or even install modern technology that may not yet exist.
It’s also advisable that the aesthetic you choose is fairly neutral and if you do add personal touches, that they’re things that can potentially be changed – for the purpose of selling the house at a later stage.
10. Safety Features
Always consider safety when you’re positioning certain things, and try to incorporate additional safety features like non-slip flooring and rounded countertop-edges.
There you have it – 10 kitchen design principles to help you design a kitchen that is attractive, practical, and versatile.