Kitchen Layout and Function: More important than the look.
Updated: Jun 24, 2022
As a designer, I am asked to help out clients with making their kitchens more workable. Sometimes it comes in the form of “my kitchen is too small” or “my kitchen is not a space I enjoy”. Clients don’t often understand why their kitchen does not work for them and that’s why they engage a design professional to assist.
New kitchen design is all about the correct layout and functionality to meet our client’s needs. It’s got very little to do with the size of the area, it’s all about what goes into the space. Often people think that if they have a large kitchen or implementing the work area triangle theory, their kitchen will become a more user-friendly space. This is not always the case.
Blum is an international company that produces cabinetry hardware including hinges, lift and runner systems for all your kitchen needs. They have put a lot of research into what they call their Dynamic Space. This is used as the basis for kitchen planning in order to come up with the most practical kitchen possible in the available space.
Blum has studied what our typical kitchen tasks include meal preparation, food storage and cleaning, and have divided the kitchen into 5 different work zones. These zones cater to typical tasks, shorten the distance between zones and everything is exactly where you need it. These zones include Consumables, Non-Consumables, Cleaning, Preparation and Cooking. These zones can be implemented no matter the size or shape of your existing room.
Check out Blum’s Dynamic Space site at https://www.blum.com/au/en/ideas/dynamic-space/workflow/
Blum also ofter different practical cabinet solutions that enhance your user experience. They optimise the available space in your kitchen and offer a variety of different products to ensure that they have the right solution to your difficult storage problem. These include internal drawer systems, hinges, pantry solutions etc.
Check out their cabinet solutions at https://www.blum.com/au/en/ideas/cabinet-solutions-6grid/
Often a well-planned out kitchen is much more important than the final aesthetics of a kitchen. This is why, as a kitchen designer, I always focus on the layout and client needs for usability before the final finishes. If you would like help designing the new layout for your kitchen, please get in contact with me today to arrange an appointment.
