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How to Design a Kitchen That Makes Life Easier
Whether you’re planning an extension or redesigning your existing space, we’ve got all the advice you need
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So, you’re planning a new kitchen and you know it needs to be stylish, functional, and most of all, it needs to work for you, but with so many aspects to consider and choices to make, how do you ensure it has both show-stopping looks and is designed to make your life easier? Yes, that’s right – your kitchen can actually help to make life less stressful, and let’s face it, we could all do with a design that saves us precious time when it comes to cleaning, has everything we need within easy reach and a range of appliances that work hard and do the job we want them to.
However, before you begin picking out your benchtops, colour scheme and accessories, there are some key questions you should be asking yourself. Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve broken it down for you, so you can feel well equipped to start making those tricky decisions and begin planning a kitchen that is guaranteed to succeed. Read on to find out more…
However, before you begin picking out your benchtops, colour scheme and accessories, there are some key questions you should be asking yourself. Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve broken it down for you, so you can feel well equipped to start making those tricky decisions and begin planning a kitchen that is guaranteed to succeed. Read on to find out more…
Simplify Your Layout
The key to planning a kitchen that works for you is to understand the space that you’re working with and think about the way that you live. That way your kitchen layout can be designed to fit around your lifestyle.
For example, if you have an open-plan kitchen space, consider whether you’d benefit from a dining table, where you can gather as a family to eat, or entertain – or maybe that open-place space would be better used as a second living area with a sofa for relaxing, a TV that you could watch as you prepare dinner, or a play area? Do you want to be cooking with your back to that open-plan area, or be facing it?
Think about your routine… Do the kids come home from school and do their homework – in which case a breakfast bar might be helpful? Do you need somewhere to fling the groceries as you come in? Maybe you entertain regularly and could benefit from an island that you could cook at while guests congregate, as well as a dishwasher that’s close to your eating area. These questions will all help you determine what you need from your kitchen so you’re clear before the design starts.
The key to planning a kitchen that works for you is to understand the space that you’re working with and think about the way that you live. That way your kitchen layout can be designed to fit around your lifestyle.
For example, if you have an open-plan kitchen space, consider whether you’d benefit from a dining table, where you can gather as a family to eat, or entertain – or maybe that open-place space would be better used as a second living area with a sofa for relaxing, a TV that you could watch as you prepare dinner, or a play area? Do you want to be cooking with your back to that open-plan area, or be facing it?
Think about your routine… Do the kids come home from school and do their homework – in which case a breakfast bar might be helpful? Do you need somewhere to fling the groceries as you come in? Maybe you entertain regularly and could benefit from an island that you could cook at while guests congregate, as well as a dishwasher that’s close to your eating area. These questions will all help you determine what you need from your kitchen so you’re clear before the design starts.
You’ll also want to consider what’s called ‘the working triangle’ when it comes to the layout, which is where your kitchen is designed with the fridge, sink and cooktop in easy distance of each other to make meal preparation efficient.
And, if you don’t want to be carrying your meals a long distance, it’s worth looking at your cooking zone in relation to your eating area and keeping them close by.
Then there’s the materials to think about. If you’re a messy chef, then designing your layout so you have easy-clean cabinetry and splashbacks in these areas is a must.
Design tip: Why not use an online design tool to play around with the plan of your kitchen? That way you can see what does and doesn’t work for you, rather than having to make snap decisions without careful thought.
And, if you don’t want to be carrying your meals a long distance, it’s worth looking at your cooking zone in relation to your eating area and keeping them close by.
Then there’s the materials to think about. If you’re a messy chef, then designing your layout so you have easy-clean cabinetry and splashbacks in these areas is a must.
Design tip: Why not use an online design tool to play around with the plan of your kitchen? That way you can see what does and doesn’t work for you, rather than having to make snap decisions without careful thought.
Make Your Kitchen Island Work Harder
Gone are the days when an island unit was simply a place to pull up a stool – these days they are key components with a variety of functions, from storage and dining, to a cooking or wash zone.
How do you know if an island unit is for you? Ask yourself if you have a compact space and could benefit from more storage? Or if you want to minimise wall cabinetry and keep items on a lower-level? Perhaps you need more benchtop space on which to work? An island unit works for all of these needs and creates a sociable space and a focal point for your kitchen design.
The next point to consider is what you want to use your island for. Maybe you want to integrate a cooktop or sink into its design? Or have a bespoke dining table seamlessly built into it, or a breakfast bar with stylish bar stools or chairs?
If you entertain regularly, a raised area on your island is extremely useful for serving drinks and nibbles – and works well to hide dirty dishes behind after dinner, too.
Gone are the days when an island unit was simply a place to pull up a stool – these days they are key components with a variety of functions, from storage and dining, to a cooking or wash zone.
How do you know if an island unit is for you? Ask yourself if you have a compact space and could benefit from more storage? Or if you want to minimise wall cabinetry and keep items on a lower-level? Perhaps you need more benchtop space on which to work? An island unit works for all of these needs and creates a sociable space and a focal point for your kitchen design.
The next point to consider is what you want to use your island for. Maybe you want to integrate a cooktop or sink into its design? Or have a bespoke dining table seamlessly built into it, or a breakfast bar with stylish bar stools or chairs?
If you entertain regularly, a raised area on your island is extremely useful for serving drinks and nibbles – and works well to hide dirty dishes behind after dinner, too.
It’s important to make sure your island is in a position where it won’t interrupt the flow of the room, with ample space to walk around and for drawers or doors to be opened (around 90-100cm on each side is a good measurement to aim for).
Islands aren’t only functional either – use it as a display area, with glass doors to show off your best dinner set, or with some open shelving for cookery books and jars of dried goods, so you can see them easily.
When it comes to the design, consider if you want curved edges to soften the overall feel and prevent small children from hurting themselves if they bump their heads, or whether you’d rather a design with sleek, clean lines.
Choosing the right surface can also help make your life easier, from using marble (if you’re a keen baker), which is ideal for pastry, or incorporating a butcher’s block into your work station. Can’t decide? Split surfaces are a good option if your island is catering to more than one function, so you could have wood in one area, and granite in another, for example.
Design tip: Not sure you have the room for a breakfast bar? Why not consider a peninsula unit instead, which will give you some extra bench space without taking up too much space centrally.
Islands aren’t only functional either – use it as a display area, with glass doors to show off your best dinner set, or with some open shelving for cookery books and jars of dried goods, so you can see them easily.
When it comes to the design, consider if you want curved edges to soften the overall feel and prevent small children from hurting themselves if they bump their heads, or whether you’d rather a design with sleek, clean lines.
Choosing the right surface can also help make your life easier, from using marble (if you’re a keen baker), which is ideal for pastry, or incorporating a butcher’s block into your work station. Can’t decide? Split surfaces are a good option if your island is catering to more than one function, so you could have wood in one area, and granite in another, for example.
Design tip: Not sure you have the room for a breakfast bar? Why not consider a peninsula unit instead, which will give you some extra bench space without taking up too much space centrally.
Introduce Healthy Living Habits
With healthy living more forefront in our minds than ever before, there are some easy ways to design your kitchen so that it helps you factor this in. To start with, look at how much fresh food you eat and where you need to store it. If you eat fresh most days, then you’ll need a larger fridge, for example, or perhaps you’ll want some extra under-bench refrigerator drawers if you’re a large family?
Likewise, with most of us leading busy lives, freezers are ideal for storing our healthy ingredients, so ensure you have one large enough to accommodate your usual weekly batch cooks, as well as regular frozen goods.
With healthy living more forefront in our minds than ever before, there are some easy ways to design your kitchen so that it helps you factor this in. To start with, look at how much fresh food you eat and where you need to store it. If you eat fresh most days, then you’ll need a larger fridge, for example, or perhaps you’ll want some extra under-bench refrigerator drawers if you’re a large family?
Likewise, with most of us leading busy lives, freezers are ideal for storing our healthy ingredients, so ensure you have one large enough to accommodate your usual weekly batch cooks, as well as regular frozen goods.
Nuts, seeds, wholewheat pasta and nut butters are great, but you don’t want them all piled up in your kitchen cupboard ready to fall out every time you open the door. Why not look at incorporating a dedicated pantry cupboard into your design?
Or, incorporate some open shelving to store them as having them on show and easy to spot will make it much easier to use them, rather than having to search at the back of your cupboards to see what you’ve got.
The same goes for fresh herbs – keep them close by on shelves, a windowsill or your benchtop so you can easily use them in your recipes.
Design tip: Go for a green kitchen (and we’re not talking colour!) by factoring in recycling bins. Have them close to where you might be peeling vegies and opening packets or jars, for ease of use.
Or, incorporate some open shelving to store them as having them on show and easy to spot will make it much easier to use them, rather than having to search at the back of your cupboards to see what you’ve got.
The same goes for fresh herbs – keep them close by on shelves, a windowsill or your benchtop so you can easily use them in your recipes.
Design tip: Go for a green kitchen (and we’re not talking colour!) by factoring in recycling bins. Have them close to where you might be peeling vegies and opening packets or jars, for ease of use.
Choose Clever Appliances
The appliances you choose will really depend on how you live, so before you start buying, think about what products would work best for you. You’ll also need to take into account whether you want your appliances built in or freestanding, and what style you’d like – sleek and modern, or traditional or classic?
If you love cooking and whipping up new recipes, you might want an oven and cooktop that are equipped to deal with heavy use, and also allow you to personalise the timings and heat settings to suit your exact requirements.
For those that are always pushed for time, appliances with easy, time-saving settings would benefit you. Induction cooktops are great if you like instant heat – and are also a safer option for families with small children – while large families or households will want to factor in the capacity of their chosen fridge-freezer.
Designing a kitchen is the ideal time to think about those ‘extras’ that will really add something to the mix, from coffee machines to give you a morning caffeine hit, to a steam oven for healthy, nutritious food, or even a teppanyaki grill or boiling water tap.
Design tip: If you entertain regularly, why not consider a warming drawer to keep your culinary creations warm for longer, and a wine fridge to keep your beverages at the ideal temperature?
The appliances you choose will really depend on how you live, so before you start buying, think about what products would work best for you. You’ll also need to take into account whether you want your appliances built in or freestanding, and what style you’d like – sleek and modern, or traditional or classic?
If you love cooking and whipping up new recipes, you might want an oven and cooktop that are equipped to deal with heavy use, and also allow you to personalise the timings and heat settings to suit your exact requirements.
For those that are always pushed for time, appliances with easy, time-saving settings would benefit you. Induction cooktops are great if you like instant heat – and are also a safer option for families with small children – while large families or households will want to factor in the capacity of their chosen fridge-freezer.
Designing a kitchen is the ideal time to think about those ‘extras’ that will really add something to the mix, from coffee machines to give you a morning caffeine hit, to a steam oven for healthy, nutritious food, or even a teppanyaki grill or boiling water tap.
Design tip: If you entertain regularly, why not consider a warming drawer to keep your culinary creations warm for longer, and a wine fridge to keep your beverages at the ideal temperature?
Opt for Easy-clean Materials & Surfaces
If you’d rather be spending time in your new kitchen socialising or cooking, without the hassle of cleaning, then choosing materials and surfaces that make the job quicker and easier is a no-brainer.
Laminate and solid wood are both good benchtop options with minimal maintenance required, however, if your heart is set on a stone surface you might want to check that it doesn’t have any indentations that can sometimes allow dirt to gather.
When it comes to splashbacks, the easiest option is a one-sheet surface, such as glass or perspex, which won’t have any grout to maintain and is quick and easy to wipe down. If you prefer tiles, though, opting for a larger format design with less grout lines will cut down on your cleaning time.
Spills are inevitable in the kitchen, so make sure your flooring choice is easy to clean. Laminate and vinyl are ideal, as is stone, although you’ll want to keep in mind that it’s not very forgiving if you drop crockery! Wood is also easy to clean, but if you’re factoring in underfloor heating, then it may not be the best choice as it’s known to warp.
Design tip: If you have an open-plan space, why not zone your kitchen area by using a different flooring to the rest of the room?
More: For more information about Bunnings and the kitchens it offers, click here.
Tell us: What type of kitchen is on your wish list? Share with your fellow Houzzers in the Comments section below.
If you’d rather be spending time in your new kitchen socialising or cooking, without the hassle of cleaning, then choosing materials and surfaces that make the job quicker and easier is a no-brainer.
Laminate and solid wood are both good benchtop options with minimal maintenance required, however, if your heart is set on a stone surface you might want to check that it doesn’t have any indentations that can sometimes allow dirt to gather.
When it comes to splashbacks, the easiest option is a one-sheet surface, such as glass or perspex, which won’t have any grout to maintain and is quick and easy to wipe down. If you prefer tiles, though, opting for a larger format design with less grout lines will cut down on your cleaning time.
Spills are inevitable in the kitchen, so make sure your flooring choice is easy to clean. Laminate and vinyl are ideal, as is stone, although you’ll want to keep in mind that it’s not very forgiving if you drop crockery! Wood is also easy to clean, but if you’re factoring in underfloor heating, then it may not be the best choice as it’s known to warp.
Design tip: If you have an open-plan space, why not zone your kitchen area by using a different flooring to the rest of the room?
More: For more information about Bunnings and the kitchens it offers, click here.
Tell us: What type of kitchen is on your wish list? Share with your fellow Houzzers in the Comments section below.
- This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
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The biggest design flaw I see in EVERY ONE of these kitchens, is not having a wall oven, where it is convenient for vision, manoeuvring, as well as for not having to bend over. All new kitchens, if they have adequate space, should always have the oven at eye level. And as for those microwaves they install under the bench: that's the next biggest flaw. The controls can't be easily read down there, and who wants to be bending down there to clean out spills? They belong above the wall oven, up at eye level.
Great observation numberwoman. None of these options has those qualities.
So agree. Why bend down. Wall oven was my number one priority. Worked around that.