FUNCTION FIRST: Laying Out Your Perfect Kitchen

An ongoing survey conducted by CNW Research has found that the average length of a kitchen remodel, from design concept to final completion, is two years with the most extreme case taking six (www.nkba.org). Successfully creating the perfect kitchen takes time, patience and, as I wrote about in the first of this new series of “How to” ideabooks, planning - http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/4008 . Nothing could be worse than completing a long and expensive project and, at the end, realizing you overlooked your spouses’ left-handedness or regretting wishing you had placed the microwave closer to the refrigerator.

From last time, we now continue on in the journey to build the ideal kitchen. After you have gathered your wants, needs, likes, dislikes and inspiration in a Project Binder, the next thing you need to do is figure out the overall space plan or layout that works and makes sense to you. To help both professionals and home owners accomplish this, standards for residential design and construction were created, which resulted in a list of commonly used layouts for kitchens, which are listed below:

o Single galley: This layout finds all cabinet storage and appliances along a single wall.
o Double galley: This layout finds the kitchen divided into 2 parallel, opposite planes.
o “L”: Using geometry, an “L” shaped kitchen has two planes meeting to form a 90 degree angle.
o “U”: A three sided configuration, best for large spaces.
o Island: An option that could be added to any of the configurations above adds more prep and storage space.

So which layout is your best choice and how will you make a decision? At first glance, the choices appear simple but with a laundry list of variables to balance, the decision making is daunting. Before you attempt to draw out a plan, step back for a moment. Here are some hints and important items that I consider when I first approach remodeling any kitchen. I always find that simply outlining the information you gather first is a great guide when it comes to physically laying out your perfect kitchen.

•Know your home: Make yourself familiar with the basic structural, plumbing, electrical and mechanical layout of your home.
o Moving pipes across the room or even just a few inches, will require building inspectors to visit and cost you time and money.
o Make note of which directions windows face and how much light floods the room. This is especially important if you are looking to lower electricity usage for an energy efficient space.
o If you want to change over from an electric range to a gas one, do you know where the gas lines run and which kind of gas you have access to?

•Kitchen Work Triangle: We all use the kitchen differently but for the most part there are three standardized functions in a kitchen: storage, preparation and cooking. Better known as the kitchen work triangle the concept was developed by the Building Research Council as part of contemporary building standards where storage is the refrigerator, preparation is the main kitchen sink and cooking is a stove or range. The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) advises that the overall triangle should be a total of 26 feet with “no single leg of the triangle measuring less than four feet nor more than nine feet” (www.nkba.org). In addition, there should be no obstructions so that a user can walk a straight line from one point of the triangle to another.

•Zones: When I am planning a kitchen, one of my tools to laying out a functional space is to expand the Kitchen Work Triangle into zones. I consider how a client would use the space and go down the list point by point and make notes. For example, many clients ask for the dishwasher to be placed to the right of the sink. I like to break down the use of a kitchen into stages, determine what zones are needed and how each relates to one another.
o Storage:
 Food: dry and fresh goods
 Dishware: plates, serving
 Utensil: cooking, eating
 Cookware: pots, pans, baking
 Glass: drinking
 Beverage: cooler, dry
o Preparation:
 Fresh wash or prep sinks are used to wash produce and vegetables. I prefer to place these close to the refrigerator and a main work surface.
 Garbage and recycling center close to this area(s)
o Cooking:
 Cooktop
 Baking
 Microwave: If you use a microwave oven on a regular basis chances are you are heating or reheating food that is stored in the refrigerator. Placing it close to food storage works well for convenience.
o Cleaning:
 Wash station & dish washer: For easy unloading of dishes, plan to have your dishware storage within feet of your dish washer.

• Views: This point is strictly based on personal preference. Consider what your new kitchen would look like from every conceivable angle. Do not forget what views you would like to see from the inside of it.
Ask yourself questions like these:
o Are you the type of person that would like to see an outside view while washing dishes?
o Do you like full view of your children and the TV in the adjacent family room while you are using the cooktop?
o Do you want your island to be the focal point?

At this point you should be ready to start drawing out general placement of the Triangle and your zones using your room measurements as your boundaries. You will know immediately which of the standard layouts will not work for you. You will probably create several layouts but try to narrow the choices to 2 or 3 space plans that you really like. Take these choices into the space with you and use them like maps to guide you through and see which one feels the most comfortable to you.

Hopefully I have been able to share some useful tips and tools that have helped me tackle kitchens throughout my career. Perhaps your upcoming remodel begins with you laying out your perfect kitchen.