When an architect is designing a kitchen in a new home or in a kitchen renovation project they try to make clients aware that this space is best approached by prioritizing what you want both functionally and aesthetically and then working in roughly this order:
- GENERAL LAYOUT
- (function, views, circulation, "the tri-angle")
- APPLIANCES
- (fridge, cooktop, range, oven)
- CABINETS
- (make sure you have enough wall cabinets)
- SINKS
- (at a window or island is nice, do you need a second?)
- COUNTERTOPS
- (material, height, transaction counters)
- BACKSPLASHES
- (standard 4" or full height)
- LIGHTING
- (general, pendant, undercabinet, dimmers)
GENERAL LAYOUT:
This is an area that is best approached with “a day in the life” view of the space. How do you arrive to it in the morning and how do you leave it at night, and all the in-between. How will this Kitchen design or kitchen renovation accommodate your needs?
Breakfast/Lunch
- Do you have morning sun opportunities in this kitchen renovation?
- Do you cook breakfast or grab something quick on the way out the door?
- Do you watch a TV to get the news during your morning ritual?
- Does breakfast sometimes move outside in the spring or fall?
Weekend mornings, after school, those non-eating times:
- Do you need a place to sit and just relax with a cup of coffee and read your paper or I-Pad?
- If you have kids the kitchen is often the first stop after school, and can sometimes be a homework spot.
- Do you need that little office/desk type area to capture things
Dinner:
- Is there just one cook, or do more than one of you like to cook together? This has a lot to do with general layout of your new kitchen or your kitchen renovation project.
- Do you typically eat dinner in the kitchen, or does the sit down part happen in the dining room.
Weekend and Evenings and Entertaining:
- It’s no secret that “everyone always end up in the kitchen” Do you have a place for “everyone”? How many is “everyone”?
- How does the space interact with both your formal dining space and your deck, patio or backyard?
Other Considerations
One very common design for your kitchen renovation is the“tri-angle" layout – (sink, cooktop and refrigerator)
This has been part 1 of Kitchen Renovation design considerations. Check back soon for the upcoming posts, and if you're in the DC area please come visit us at booth #849 at the Capital Home Show on September 25-27 at the Dulles Expo Center.