The Cook’s Kitchen
Everyone's idea of the perfect kitchen design is different, as it comes down to their specific design preferences and how often and for what purposes the kitchen will be used. For example, if you seldom cook and tend to eat out, you’ll benefit from having a dry kitchen, but if you’re a cooking enthusiast who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, a wet kitchen probably sounds like a dream come true.
Even though there are a lot of things to keep in mind when designing your custom-made kitchen, there are also ways that you can add your own twist to it.
Below, we’ll discuss all the elements that a cooking enthusiast needs to have in their kitchen for it to be functional, so you can pick and choose what you specifically need before doing a remodel and talking with a designer. We’ll talk about the functionality of the design and all the necessary appliances, as well as storing kitchenware, food, and spices. So, let’s start planning the ideal kitchen from the cook’s point of view.
Before You Start Planning
Cooking enthusiasts know that prep is a crucial step in food preparation. If we consider that the French term “mise en place” or putting everything in place is crucial for making the cooking process easier, we realize how that helps us not forget a crucial step or an essential ingredient during the process. For that reason, we’ll start the design process with the prep stage, so when the time comes for you to start discussing the kitchen renovations with your designer or architect, you’ll be prepared to explain your exact vision.
Create a Wishlist and a Vision Board
In the era of Pinterest, Instagram, and social media overall, starting a creative project has never been easier, so the first step towards creating the kitchen of your dreams would be to write down all your preferences. You can start with writing down all the features that your kitchen needs to have, think about different design styles, appliances you’d like to incorporate, materials you’d like to use, and everything else that comes to mind. On top of that, you could also get visuals off of social media platforms and create a vision board on Pinterest so your designer can get a feel for the style of your ideal kitchen.
Set a Budget
After the brainstorming stage comes the reality check part which involves setting a budget. Consider how much you can realistically spend on the kitchen remodel, and make sure you take into consideration not only the cost of the design stage but also plumbing, wiring, lighting, flooring, and purchasing all the materials and appliances. In addition, you should also set aside 10% more from the final budget for any unforeseen costs during the building process.
Think About How You Already Use This Space
Your new kitchen needs to feel like it was made for you, and to do that, the design needs to focus on how you use the central hub of your home.
First, think about the different areas you need, for example, a place to cook, eat, gather with family, entertain, and maybe even work.
Next, take out all your kitchenware and see what you have, so you can figure out what type of storage you’ll need and how much you’ll actually need to store. You can even start decluttering some of your essentials and keep the things you’ll actually use in your new kitchen.
Think about whether you’ll need drawers or cabinets to store your pots and pans. Make sure that the dishwasher and sink are close to where you’re planning to store the pots and pans after washing them. Consider both horizontal and vertical organization for some of your kitchenware and think about what would make more sense.
Then, make sure you have a designated space to store all your non-perishables, spices, and small appliances. This will save you a lot of time and clutter if you plan it based on how you use them. You can consider including a separate pantry if you store a lot of food and install a spice cabinet or a drawer close to where you do most of your cooking so they’re easy to grab. Include a coffee station or a breakfast cupboard to follow the theme of creating designated zones.
Finally, store all your small appliances in a cabinet with sockets, so you can just pull them out of the cabinet whenever you want to use them. Consider integrating your fridge, dishwasher, and other appliances into the kitchen for a more unified look. And remember that good design is a combination of aesthetics and practicality.
The Design Process
From this point on, you can start discussing your kitchen ideas with an experienced professional, such as a kitchen designer or an architect, who can help bring your vision to life. This will be the stage where you think about dimensions and how you can make use of every nook and cranny in your new kitchen.
Measuring
Once you figure out the domains of use of your new kitchen, you can proceed to take measurements in order to start planning. When doing so, keep in mind that most kitchen units are 600mm wide and you can start thinking about where you can place the oven, the fridge, and so on. As a result, you can easily make a rough plan for the kitchen even before talking to a designer.
Think About Your Perfect Layout
After figuring out what you want and measuring out your space, it’s time to create your perfect layout. As having flow while cooking is essential, you’ll need to consider where you place the appliances and the order of the configuration that you place them in. To be as efficient as possible, try to organize the kitchen in a way that you first have storage options, such as cabinets and the fridge, next a free countertop where you’ll prep your food and a sink next to it, and finally, the oven and cooktop where you’ll prepare the food.
The amount of countertop space you want in your kitchen depends on your personal preference, however, it’s a good rule of thumb to have at least 600mm on either side of the sink and the stovetop to wash and prepare food, as well as some free counter space close to the oven where you can leave hot dishes.
Kitchen Island
If you have the space for it, a kitchen island is a great way to add more space for prep and storage, which also works as a great social hub. A good size for a kitchen island would be between 2 and 3 meters in length and between 1.1m to 1.4m in width. It’s important to leave at least 1m of space all around the island so you can move without having any obstacles, especially if you have bar stools that don’t fully tuck in under the kitchen island.
Cabinets vs Drawers
Next, you’ll need to consider whether to put in more drawers or cabinets with shelves. While drawers can be very useful for seeing everything at a glance, they’re also more expensive than shelves. When making a final choice, think about the research you did at the beginning, take another look at all your kitchen belongings, and make the decision.
Storing specific items should also be taken into consideration during the planning stage. If you already have a kitchen island with a stovetop, we suggest that you use the storage under the island to store all your spices for easier access. Another suggestion we have is to keep some condiments that needn’t be refrigerated and some shelf-stable staple ingredients close to where you’re cooking. You can place all these ingredients in jars and store them in drawers or maybe even shelves, and incorporate a Lazy Suzan or two for easier access.
Appliances
Even though the standard appliances are 60cm wide, there are also a lot of wider appliances that you need to take into consideration when planning your new kitchen.
The main appliances you can’t do without if you’re a cooking aficionado include a fridge and freezer that can be built-in or not, a stovetop that can go on the kitchen island or on the countertops, a dishwasher, an oven, and a microwave, as well as an extractor fan if you have the space and budget for it.
Apart from these more standard appliances, cooking aficionados will often require additional appliances, and with that more space for cooking.
Think about incorporating two ovens, or even two sinks if you feel like you need them based on the research you did at the beginning. Additionally, you may want to include a sous-vide machine and equipment to cook delicious meals, an instant pot to help you prep legumes and meats much faster, and a vacuum sealer so you can do lots of experiments in the kitchen.
For the avid baker, you can’t imagine a well-equipped kitchen without a kitchen aid. This stand mixer is one of the most versatile kitchen appliances that can mix bread and cake dough, but also shred and grind meat, dice, spice, spiralize vegetables, and much more.
Another great investment for chefs is the hand-held blender which is useful for making sauces, soups, or smoothies. You’ll also benefit from a high-speed food processor and a juicer for the essential trifecta.
Another appliance you might want is a warming drawer where you can proof bread dough, warm up plates, and keep your food warm. Next, you have the waste disposal that will make your food scraps mushy and prevent your sink from clogging up. And last but not least, a boiling water tap means no more waiting for the kettle to boil to make tea or coffee, or add hot water to your recipes.
Finishing Touches
After having the layout for your whole kitchen done, there are just a few additional things you need to choose before you start construction.
Kitchen Lights
To be able to cook or entertain guests in the kitchen, you’ll need adequate lighting. As you already know, different lights are required for cooking and cleaning, compared to the lights you’d need if you were entertaining guests in your kitchen.
For example, you could install LED lights under the wall cupboards to light the worktop, put task lights in the main areas for prep and cooking, dimmable ceiling downlights for general lighting, and pendant lights over the island, the breakfast bar, or other key areas. It’s a good idea to also think about practical lighting inside the pantry, wall cupboards, and even a breakfast counter that lights up when the door is opened.
Lighting should be planned as you’re designing the layout for your kitchen so you can make changes in the wiring or add additional sockets if needed. We recommend using a smart control system to pre-set all your lights instead of having to flip multiple switches all the time.
Kitchen Flooring
During the planning stage, you should also consider the kitchen floors and their characteristics. They need to be durable to handle all those accidental spills, but they should also be easy to maintain. Additionally, they need to enhance the style of your room and go with the color palette you chose for the kitchen. In the end, the choice of material will depend on your budget and what you consider practical and aesthetically pleasing.
Final Thoughts
After going through all kitchen design essentials, you’re now equipped with the knowledge to start planning a functional kitchen.
The last step is choosing who you’ll work with on this project. Some people would prefer to work with a designer from a big company who has serviced numerous clients, while others would rather contact a person who specializes in building custom kitchens for half of the price, or even someone whose work they like based on their Instagram images and social proof.
In the end, whichever option you choose, you need to consider every aspect as your kitchen is one of the rooms which should be both aesthetically pleasing and functional if you’re to use it for cooking each day.