100 Highlights of Kitchen Design

Author: (English) Hugh Rose / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: The first step in planning your kitchen is to design a layout that suits you—this step cannot be rushed.
1. Draw a scaled floor plan of your kitchen on graph paper, marking the positions of doors and windows. In many cases, to improve the layout, you may even need to move their positions, but if you prefer, adapting to the space can be more convenient and cost-effective.
2. List everything you want to place in the kitchen—from the stove and microwave to the dishwasher, food cabinets, broom closet, food processor, dining table, and more—then rearrange them based on their importance. It’s possible that you won’t be able to find a suitable spot for everything. Next to each item, write down your preferred dimensions or specifications—corner cabinets with stoves, built-in double sinks, drip racks, and whether you want a low or high refrigerator. In some choices, you might compromise, but others are likely very important to you.
3. On another sheet of graph paper, draw each element to scale, cut them out, and label them. Select the final elements needed—typically the stove, refrigerator, and sink—and arrange their positions first.
4. Calculate how much cabinet space you need; this is the most flexible part of your plan. Corner cabinets with rotating shelves save space, while pull-out units mean your food cabinets can be tall and narrow, offering more drawers than standard base cabinets. Narrow shelves can be used where wall cabinets won’t fit, and hanging rods mean you don’t need as many drawers. P7