How to lay out a kitchen

Your kitchen is one place you will probably spend a good deal of your time, particularly if you like to cook. Kitchens need to be practical and easy to keep clean and tidy. Plenty of cupboard space is vital so that everything can be stowed away when not in use. Of course you may be limited in what you can do with your kitchen due to size, dimensions and where the service points are. Do not let this put you off as there is plenty you can do even with a small kitchen.

Small Kitchens

With a small kitchen, you can have wall mounted cupboards as well as under counter cupboards, drawers and shelves. It is entirely up to you which style of cupboards you have and there are many to choose from. Your budget will play a part here, but there is no reason not to have a style that you like. Your sink and cooker will probably be fairly set in where they can go, so everything else will fit round them.

Large Kitchens

A large kitchen gives you a lot more to play with and you can really have fun planning where everything will go. As with the small kitchen, your sink and cooker will probably be in place and you just work round them.

Flooring is an area that should not be neglected. Choose a suitable type of flooring which will be easy to keep clean but that is not slippery. You can buy special carpeting for kitchens for those who prefer a carpet. Kitchen floor tiles are very easy to keep and are very practical, however, they are very unforgiving if you drop breakables on them. Linoleum is a good alternative to tiles and there is a cushioned underlay that helps retain heat if you have a stone or concrete floor. It is also easy to keep clean, so for those of you with busy family lives and pets, a washable floor is essential.

Kitchen Planning

When planning your kitchen, draw up the proposed layout on paper so that you can see where things are going to be positioned. This will allow you to get an idea of what the finished kitchen will look like and will give you the opportunity to change things before you buy your cupboards. Make sure you have enough worktop space so that when you are preparing and cooking food, you have enough space to actually do your cooking and preparation. Try to ensure that there are enough cupboards to stow things away. There is nothing worse than trying to prepare a meal in a cluttered kitchen.

Planning a practical kitchen takes time and effort, but you can be sure that at the end of it you will have a great kitchen that you will enjoy using and being in. Think carefully about how you can make the most of the space you have available when you are considering the layout. Take time to plan, that is the key to your success. (graham baylis)