Kitchen Design Introduction
Any house is incomplete without a nice, cozy
and efficient kitchen. The powerhouse of our existence, it
is this part of our living space that adds flavor and taste
to our lives.
Remodeling of an old kitchen with new state of the art technology
and making it look sleeker and trendy is the need of the age.
With the shrinking size of our sweet homes, it has become
necessary to make maximum use of space and still give our
kitchen a minimalist look. This section will give you a brief
introduction to kitchen
design and what it will consist of.
It is important to remember that kitchen
remodeling is different from making a new one. Here we
expect to already have a basic kitchen shape and structure
.However we can work on its layout and give it a completely
new dimension .It is also wise to think of a remodeling process
which makes the best use of what we already possess in the
old kitchen and what we can incorporate from the old one to
the new. Of course we intend to do this, without marring the
style and finish of the new kitchen. So before your kitchen
undergoes a makeover it is better to plan out the following
things to consider during your kitchen design.
- First and foremost decide upon the size of the
kitchen. This will depend upon the strength of
your family and also for what purpose you want to use the
kitchen. If your kitchen has to merely satisfy the need
of a good storage and cooking place, then you can keep it
small and simple. For this you can chose the “L/U”
shaped kitchens. These kitchens can be accommodated in the
odd corners of your house and thus is a great way to compliment
your house pattern and geometry. Moreover the “L and
U” shaped kitchens require less of floor area, provides
more storage opportunities and plus the cook top legs can
be used for various purposes like dining or breakfast table.
- Secondly decide on the kitchen layout.
Based on the location of the electric points and the water
connections, it is important to fix the position of the
work station, the sink and the refrigerator. They together
form the work triangle. It is advisable to keep the perimeter
of the work triangle at least 12 feet but less than 25 feet.
Having fixed the three main important kitchen components,
you have to now think of organizing the other appliances
based on its utility. It is also advisable to lookout for
drainage points, position of the gas etc. You can hire kitchen
design firms to do your layout or you can do the design
yourself using kitchen design software.
- Without proper storage facilities your
kitchen can be a real mess, so don’t forget to place
as many cabinets and cabinet counter tops as possible without
making your kitchen look clumsy. Storage is very important
for a well planned kitchen and we shall discuss this aspect
in details later.
- If you want to go by modern trends and have a family
that sleeps together, eats together and also cooks together……
then you can opt for the multiple work station concept which
is quite unique from the conventional kitchen shapes. It
is possible to do so simply by putting the cook top in the
center of the kitchen along with the sink, so that at any
time 2 – 4 people can stand around it and work together.
- The next thing to decide is the theme.
You can choose from the country look to the contemporary
look or if you pocket permits how about a Designer Kitchen.
Finally, before you get started, it is important to plan your
budget and compartmentalize your expenditure.
In our kitchen design
articles section we talk about kitchen shapes, layout,
color, flooring, cabinets and cabinet counter tops, sinks
and appliances in a detailed but simple manner so please be
sure to check them out. Until then you have got lots of homework
to do, in order to make your kitchen look pretty.
If you are looking for a kitchen remodeling contractor to
do the work please refer to our kitchen
remodeling section to find a reliable professional near
you. All of the firms have been prescreened and are ready
to start on your project whenever you are ready. Otherwise
check out the kitchen
design software section to see our reviews on top tools
that you can use to design your dream kitchen.
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