The kitchen has always been my favorite place to spend time. Since I was young it has been a place to gather with friends and family, a tradition spanning across many different cultures and generations. Warm, inviting, and soothing, the kitchen can make a house feel like a home. Does your kitchen make you feel that way?
The layout of a kitchen has a lot to do with who spends time there and why. An old cramped kitchen with a closed galley might feel more like a jail cell, where you only enter to prep and cook meals while looking forward to leaving as soon as the tasks are complete. I’ve experienced this style of kitchen a couple times in my life and it’s definitely not for me! A new open kitchen is a completely different experience. The layout invites others to spend time either helping the chef prepare a delicious meal or relaxing at the island while discussing the day’s events with loved ones. Either way, all parties get to enjoy the comfort of sharing in an experience together. You may also have the benefit of integrating other family spaces to your kitchen. Being able to see everyone in the living room enjoying themselves while still being apart of a conversation as you prepare the food and beverages is something my wife and I have always enjoyed.
When it comes to the details of the kitchen, I would have to say my favorite part is counter space. The more the better! Have you ever been part way through cooking a meal and realize you cannot make the next 2 dishes until the others are finished simply due to lack of counter space? Not a fun realization. With today’s overall society thinking bigger is better, if you ever find you’re running low on counter space during the design process it might be a worthwhile sacrifice to go with a smaller fridge or oven to get a few extra inches in.
We could go on and on about all the components of a well-designed kitchen but l will leave you with one more thought and it just might be the most important factor to consider for your kitchen layout. That would be ‘the triangle’. You may have heard the term, if not I will break it down. It consists of the route between your fridge, stove, and sink. This one deserves a lot of thought and depends on the needs of each family and how much space you have to work with. More importantly, you need to consider the work flow of how you and family will be moving through the kitchen and making use of all the appliances. Do not have something like an island in between your triangle route, or you may regret it!
There are many factors that weigh into how much time and enjoyment you can get out of your kitchen. Even though I haven’t always had the perfect kitchen, I have always enjoyed spending time with the people I care about while together we spend time creating delicious food!