It is worth mentioning right away that each project is unique, and the headset is selected for a specific layout, and not vice versa. The main thing is that it doesn’t work out like Winnie the Pooh, who got stuck in the aisle from the Rabbit’s kitchen. But you do not think that Winnie is somehow to blame for this, no! It’s just that the rabbit had the wrong distribution of priorities: there is a lot of food on the table, and the passage between the refrigerator and the cabinet with jam is very narrow. Therefore, Rabbit’s short-sightedness let him down. The bear has been rehabilitated!
Now to Planning!
There are six kitchen configuration options:
- U-shaped;
- island;
- G-shaped;
- two-line;
- L-shaped;
- linear.
First, in order to understand which option suits you best, you need to consider the location of the zones. There should be several of them: storage compartment, working, cooking and washing.
Naturally, the sink should be located closer to the pipes for water and electricity, if you have a dishwasher. There should also be a sink with a tap and a drying rack for dishes. For convenience, all of the above can be arranged on a kitchen-island. It all depends on the size of the room.
There is a storage area too: a cabinet for cereals and other bulk ingredients; a niche for a refrigerator of the required size. Next comes the zone for preparation of the ingredients. It can be a countertop made of marble, granite, wood or MDF – the chosen style often determines the materials for the entire kitchen set. It must be at least 40 cm. The washing area can be located nearby. Then, the cooking area. For safety reasons, it should be at least 50-70 cm away from the washing area: stove, oven and microwave.
After an approximate calculation of the zoning for the kitchen has been made, we proceed to the designing. To do this, you need to find out:
- family size (how many people);
- the time they are in the kitchen;
- do they like to cook;
- anthropometric data of family members (the location of drawers or lifting mechanisms depends on this – at the top or bottom);
- where to place the dining area: it will be a specially designated room, or it will be a part of the kitchen;
- the dimensions of the main segments of the kitchen – some can be excluded or included.
1 More Rule to Break
If the kitchen is not very large, then the working triangle scheme is often used. It looks like this: the food storage area is directly opposite the food processing area. And diagonally from them is the washing area. This is very convenient, since everything is close and not interspersed with each other. From a psychological point of view, there is no confusion.
The best option is an area from 4 to 7 m2. If more, then you can get tired of walking from one zone to another, and if less, it will be crowded.
But in planning a kitchen space, you need to focus on your lifestyle. The triangle is a rule, but not a law.