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| Not my kitchen; from here |
My tumblr page has a lot of images tagged kitchen.
We like to cook as a team so it's important to me that a kitchen functions smoothly with 2 or more people helping. This is what I've learned so far about kitchens:
1. Our current kitchen and the past 6 kitchens were laid out with the sink, stove, and refrigerator in a line. In my opinion the best layout is a u shape that isn'
t too big or too small.
2. There should be ample space between each work station: washing dishes, prepping/chopping, and standing at the stove. Our current kitchen has about 12 inches between the stove and the sink, so it's hard to wash dishes if someone is at the counter chopping vegetables. I've read that 24 inches is ideal.
3. There should be a suitable place to set things that you take out of the fridge. The best arrangement we've had for this was a tiny kitchen with an extra small fridge. It worked because you could sit at a chair (at the table) 2 feet from the fridge, and unload what you wanted onto the table, and then start chopping/prepping on the table. The other person still had easy access to the stove and sink. It's amazing that that tiny kitchen functioned so much better than the larger kitchens we've had since.
(That kitchen was also laid out in a line, but because the tiny table & 2 chairs were on the opposite wall, it formed something of a triangle.)
4. Natural light is best. Our current kitchen is quite fancy, with granite countertops and classy dark wood cabinets, but it has only 2 windows, one to the outdoors and the other facing a carport with limited light. The dark cabinets seem to block a lot of light, particularly when cabinet doors are open. I'd far rather sacrifice some storage and have more natural light, which is so much brighter than the overhead lighting. It's really hard to see what I'm cooking, even with the over the range light on.
5. Open shelves. This works best if you regularly use everything that is displayed on the open shelves. Otherwise, they do get dusty. In our last place, we removed the cabinet doors from the upper cabinets and left the lower ones on. (I'd love to do this here, but the cabinets are fancier and from my 1 day experience as a cabinet installer, I know this type would be very tedious to re-install.)
Open shelves means you can skip the step of opening a cabinet and directly reach for the bowl or mug you need. Your plates, mugs, and collection of mason jars and spice bottles is rather appealing to look at. You can keep the less beautiful things in the closed cabinets.
If you've ever bumped yourself in the face opening a cabinet too swiftly, you'd probably appreciate open shelves.
6. Regarding counter height, I would like to copy the following snippet I found in a book recently: "In rethinking the philosophy of the kitchen, I realized the need for a new approach to counterspaces in terms of height and materials. First, there should be a stainless steel or granite cooktop that is impervious to food acids and can handle very hot pans; then, two different heights for food preparation and chopping, made both of hard end or flat grain wood such as maple, cherry, or oak. A water repellent teak or stainless steel surface that slopes surrounds the sink. The sink itself should be at the highest level to make working in the basin (generally 8 - 10 inches deeper) comfortable. The chopping block is then about two inches lower. Finally, think about installing another counter six inches below that--or slightly higher than a table for such appliances as a Cuisinart, juicer, or coffee maker, that can double as a food prep area for children." --Johnny Grey, custom kitchen designer
I'm already of the mind of having eclectic furnishings in the kitchen rather than a matching set of cabinets, and this suggestion works well with that.
7. Eat in kitchen is desirable! Even in my tiniest kitchens I've managed to squeeze in a small table which I've always used rather than a larger table in the living area (it ends up being the work/project table.). In my dream kitchen I'd build in a booth next to a window.
8. Access to the outdoors, preferably via a patio or deck. I like to step outside and pick some herbs. If the outdoors is visible and directly accesible, you're more likely to take breakfast or a cup of coffee outside. If you have to step through 3 doors and a gate, it's easier to stay in. The outdoor eating area would ideally be shady in summer and sunny in fall and spring. You can get this with a removable canvas awning or a pergola with a vine (grapes, wisteria) that loses it's leaves in the winter.
9. I like to hang pots & lids on the wall. I also hung the biggest bowl and a colander over the sink where they can drip dry. These items are harder to store in cabinets and they're easily accessible this way.
10. Pantries and cabinets should have shallow shelves so items are not stacked in front of other items. This way you won't lose track of what you have, and you don't have to move something to get something. Also, if you're not using something, you can think about getting rid of it since you'll see it all the time.
11. You can place a viney plant in the corner of the kitchen farthest from a window, and it will grow toward the light. Place a few hooks in the wall to support it.
12. I wash plastic bags and then hang them to dry using clips that stick to the fridge. Then I have a storage system for the bags (a smaller card board box for regular bags and a clothespin for ziplocs) so that I can reuse.
13. Compost. If you compost, you can keep quart sized yogurt containers with lids on a counter. Once they're full, place them in the fridge or empty them into the compost. When we lived in an apartment and didn't have our own compost, we'd wait until we had 6 or more yogurt containers and then made a trip to the compost pile.
14. Keep a stack of dishtowels (ones you like) for using as a napkin, drying rack, or to pile washed greens and veggies on.
15. I have a cabinet dedicated to coffee and another for baking.
16. Make a little cubby for a kitty to keep you company while you cook.
17. Have a place for recycling.
This is my very personalized summary of kitchen design notes. I may come back and add more if I think of it. Otherwise I'll move on with my weird and wacky ideas about bedrooms and bathrooms.
