Kitchen Design: layout your own kitchen remodel ideas
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Kitchen Design and Layout: Where to Start
If you're planning to make your own kitchen design layout, you have plenty of choice on how to get started. On this page I'll show you two good ways to start, and you'll also get a variety of ideas that you can use in your own kitchen design.
The first way to get started is to begin with the kitchen floor plan and how it functions. That means, you look at the way your appliances are laid out, how the traffic flows, where you store food and equipment in relation to where it's used, etc.
The second way flows from the style of the kitchen you desire. Whether you love cottage, Tuscan, or contemporary minimalism, you can design your kitchen to fit.
The first way to get started is to begin with the kitchen floor plan and how it functions. That means, you look at the way your appliances are laid out, how the traffic flows, where you store food and equipment in relation to where it's used, etc.
The second way flows from the style of the kitchen you desire. Whether you love cottage, Tuscan, or contemporary minimalism, you can design your kitchen to fit.
Contents at a Glance
The Kitchen Floor Plan
For people who care most about how their kitchen works
Are you someone who thinks function - how the kitchen works when you're cooking - is most important? In that case, you probably want to start by working on the floor plan. You don't need a carefully-measured scale drawing to begin with: a sketch plan of your room with the measurements, doors and windows, and the existing positions of gas, water and power lines marked on it is a great starting point.
The first items to place are the areas where you do most of your work. If you're using the classic work triangle concept, these would be the fridge, cooktop (or range or stove) and sink. If you prefer to work with today's idea of "work centers", this corresponds to the food-storage center, cooking center, and cleanup center.
Try making paper cutouts of your appliances and the sink, (or use one of the many planning kits which provide them, or kitchen design software) and move them around on your floor plan to make different arrangements. Save or make sketches of arrangements you think might be useful, or take a quick photo with a digital camera.
Here are a few questions to think about as you experiment:
Where do you eat? Which work center should be closest to the eating area? Should it be the fridge for quick snacks and drinks, the range to serve cooked meals, or the sink to gather dirty dishes?
How much fresh food do you use? Where does it come into the kitchen, and where is stored?
What else do you do in the kitchen as well as cook? Where do these activities happen, and who is involved?
What's the main traffic flow through the kitchen, and can it be routed outside the main work triangle?
How many people cook together? Do you need two work triangles? Two sinks?
Does any one with special needs use the kitchen? Kids? Seniors? People with disabilities?
The first items to place are the areas where you do most of your work. If you're using the classic work triangle concept, these would be the fridge, cooktop (or range or stove) and sink. If you prefer to work with today's idea of "work centers", this corresponds to the food-storage center, cooking center, and cleanup center.
Try making paper cutouts of your appliances and the sink, (or use one of the many planning kits which provide them, or kitchen design software) and move them around on your floor plan to make different arrangements. Save or make sketches of arrangements you think might be useful, or take a quick photo with a digital camera.
Here are a few questions to think about as you experiment:
Where do you eat? Which work center should be closest to the eating area? Should it be the fridge for quick snacks and drinks, the range to serve cooked meals, or the sink to gather dirty dishes?
How much fresh food do you use? Where does it come into the kitchen, and where is stored?
What else do you do in the kitchen as well as cook? Where do these activities happen, and who is involved?
What's the main traffic flow through the kitchen, and can it be routed outside the main work triangle?
How many people cook together? Do you need two work triangles? Two sinks?
Does any one with special needs use the kitchen? Kids? Seniors? People with disabilities?
Kitchen Decorating
For people who care most about how the kitchen looks
Historic: Freestanding dressers, cabinets with face frames and inset doors, glass door upper cabinets, old-fashioned appliances (though they may have modern features hidden under the historic facade), porcelain and apron-front sinks, bin pull handles, zinc or wooden counter tops ...
Retro: Choose your favorite 20th Century decade and go wild with linoleum floors, boomerang or sparkly laminate patterns, vinyl-upholstered dinette sets, rounded appliances, and metal edgings ...
Contemporary: This is usually a minimalist look with clean lines, stainless-steel appliances, sleek backsplash, granite counters, undermount sinks, "all drawers" in the lower cabinets, and glass everywhere ...
Country: Open shelves with fabric or paper edging; wood everywhere; buffets and hutches; rough finishes and natural materials; round handles; even stenciled or stamped motifs (but nowadays not too many cows or ducks!)
Professional: huge stainless-steel gas range; glass-door fridge and freezer, often two separate appliances; open storage racks; array of shining pans and utensils; super-hardwearing and cleanable surfaces ...
Traditional: Glass cabinet doors with muntins; dark wood paneled cabinets; floral or other patterned fabrics; wood floors; discreet appliances in plain colors or stainless; pendant light fixtures ...
Euro: smooth cabinet-fronts, closed storage, minimalist color schemes, integrated appliances, stainless steel, tile floors ...
Of course, all of these styles have sub-styles within them, and you can also mix together styles for your very own eclectic style.
Kitchen decorating books on Amazon
Country French Kitchens by Carolina Fernandez
Country French continues to be one of the most popular more...0 points
Good Green Kitchens: Ultimate Resource for Creating a Beautiful, Healthy, Eco-Friendly Kitchen by Jennifer Roberts
With more than 150 color photographs, comprehensiv more...0 points
House Beautiful Design & Decorate: Kitchens: Creating Beautiful Rooms from Start to Finish (House Beautiful Design & Decorate) by Emma Callery
Creating the perfect kitchen is like cooking a special more...0 points
Victorian Kitchens & Baths
Romance is in and Victorian design and architectur more...0 points
Contemporary Kitchens by Beta Plus
This is the first book in Beta-Plus' thematic seri more...0 points
Classic Kitchens by Beta Plus
Thirty classically inspired kitchen designs in a c more...0 points
Contemporary Asian Kitchens and Dining Rooms (Contemporary Asian Home Series) by Chamsai Jotisalikorn, Karina Zabihi, Luca Invernizzi Tettoni
With over one hundred full-color photographs, Contemporary more...0 points
Trends Very Best Kitchens & Bathrooms (Trends Very Best) by Editors of Trends Magazine
Your kitchen and bathroom are the most hardworking more...0 points
Southern Kitchens and Dining Spaces: Design, Inspiration, and Hospitality from the American South by Alicia K Clavell
Gracious living, southern styleA home is more than more...0 points
More kitchen layout and design information
Visit my main website for more kitchen layout and planning help.Island Kitchen Layouts
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Kitchen Layouts and Floor Plans Lens
What do you Hate Most About Your Kitchen
Tools for Interactive Kitchen Design
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Kitchen floor plans for real working kitchens
New model kitchen design layouts
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kevinw1
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