The kitchen is a vibrant part of every home; it’s a vibrant hub that is always buzzing with activity that goes beyond just the preparation of food. Over the years, the kitchen has become the focal point of most homes thereby raising the need to come up with good kitchen designs.
Below are basic guidelines on how to design your kitchen.
Traffic
The kitchen should not be perceived as an island; it needs contact with the outside world that is accomplished by car. You can have the adjoining room used a garage attached to the kitchen or have the back door lead to the driveway, so you do not go through much hassle bringing in your groceries or taking out your trash.
The Work Triangle
In the past, kitchen designs were done around a work triangle; it determined the position of the sink, refrigerator, and the range. A good kitchen design should make the distance between the three appliances comfortable because most kitchen work revolves around them. If the distance is much, whoever will be cooking will become tired trotting between them, and if too close the work area will be cramped.
There are three major layouts for the work triangle; the galley, I-shaped and the u-shaped. The u-shaped design places the three appliances on three different walls. In the I-shaped layout, one instrument is positioned on one wall while the other two are put on another. If you are working on very tight space, you can have all the appliances arranged along the same wall thus the name galley.
Lighting
If you have been wondering how to design your kitchen, light falls among the top considerations. Having good lighting in the kitchen helps bring out your work top, food, cabinets and lastly you. Below are some lighting designs you may adopt:
• Recessed lighting to help you get rid of shadows in the room as you work. You can do this by having different task lights on worktops, sinks, cabinets, built-in pantries and kitchen islands.
• Over-cabinet lights. Such lights are more inclined to mood than function. When mounted on top of cabinets, they create displays that illuminate your ceiling and walls.
• Under cabinet lights. These lights are used for bathing counter tops with their bright light.
Floors
When choosing a floor design for your kitchen, ease of cleaning and durability should top your list of considerations.
The best choices to work with include wood, ceramic tile or linoleum. They are all easy to clean, last long and come in numerous designs.
Another factor to consider is safety especially if you have children; you should consider installing textured tiles since smooth once become slippery when wet. Wooden floors, on the other hand, are a perfect option if you have high traffic in your kitchen.
Theme
When thinking of how to design your kitchen, the theme should be your first consideration. The theme you decide to work with influences your choice of lighting, floor type, kitchen units and numerous other factors.
