Is Your Kitchen Layout Holding You Back? Here’s How to Fix It
If you are facing problems in your kitchen due to a faulty kitchen layout design, you can incorporate some functional kitchen layout ideas into your kitchen.
The kitchen is the workspace of your home. So, you should improve the ergonomics of your kitchen and eliminate the design flaws by remodeling your kitchen with a professional. This will eliminate the chances of unnecessary bending, twisting, or turning to reach out for things in the kitchen.
In this article, we will focus on the common kitchen layout mistakes and their solutions to build a functional kitchen.
Common Kitchen Layout Mistakes and their solution
1. Not focusing on the kitchen triangle rule
If you want to make your kitchen look beautiful and functional then you should follow the basic kitchen layout ideas such as the triangle rule for the kitchen. The rule states that the three major workspaces of your kitchen such as the range, the sink, and the refrigerator should be at a triangular distance from each other.
That means they should form a triangular shape between them where the minimum and maximum distance between the sides should be 4 feet and 9 feet respectively.
Sometimes, our kitchen lacks this design parameter and creates problems while using this space for cooking.
If this distance is less than 4 feet then your kitchen will look too clumsy and if this distance exceeds 9 feet then the three workspaces will be too far from each other, making the cooking process longer than the usual time.
Fix:
- Fix this problem by optimizing distance. Maintain the workable distance between the three major workspaces in the kitchen to avoid hassles.
- Do not obstruct the path by placing things in between these three workspaces.
2. Using the old cabinets
Sometimes, the kitchen cabinets lose their functionality and do not work as they used to do initially. As a result, we face difficulty in storing our kitchen essentials.
The old cabinets also attract various insects as they fail to function properly. Moreover, the cabinets lose their aesthetics over time.
Fix:
- You need to upgrade the cabinets to make them functional and enhance the look of your kitchen.
- You should wisely choose the material so that it can give a modern and classy look to your kitchen without hampering the functionality of your kitchen.
- Take the help of a professional for modern kitchen layout ideas to increase functionality.
3. Eliminating adequate storage
Sometimes, you forget to add more storage solutions while designing your kitchen. Later, this creates a lot of storage issues in your kitchen.
If you generate more storage space in your kitchen then it will give an organized look to your space.
Moreover, you can store all your kitchen essentials in a better way so that you do not waste a lot of time finding them all around the kitchen.
Fix:
- You need to add a separate pantry unit to store your food items so that they won’t get messed up with other kitchen essentials.
- You can also add built-in shelves inside your storage cabinets to store your daily essentials separately.
- There should be a storage cabinet under the cooktop where you can organize your daily kitchen essentials.
- If you have a kitchen island, you should use that space to add more storage to your kitchen.
4. Faulty countertops and cabinet designing
Sometimes, we make mistakes while deciding on the height and placement of cabinets and, countertops.
You should focus on the kitchen area and upgrade it if your parents are coming to live with you.
The countertops should be at a reachable height so that your parents can have easy access to that area. This is one of the best kitchen layout ideas, suitable for all age groups.
Fix:
- Keep the countertops at a height of 30 inches which will not put too much stress while cooking.
- Place the kitchen appliances and the cabinets at a height that is convenient and reachable.
5. Not Focussing on Ventilation
Sometimes, our kitchen does not have adequate windows, skylights, and vents, which blocks the fumes inside the kitchen.
If you want to keep your kitchen airy and fresh, you should emphasize the ventilation system of your space. You can check if there are skylights in your kitchen.
Fix:
- Skylights let the sunlight enter your kitchen.
- If you want good airflow in your kitchen, you should think about adding big windows to your kitchen. This will help facilitate good airflow into your kitchen and also make it look bright.
Add vents and a chimney with a good suction capacity to allow the oil fumes to pass outside.
FAQs
What factors should you consider while designing a kitchen?
You should consider a few important factors such as storage, available floor space, ventilation, flooring, and water supply sources while designing a kitchen.
How to make a good kitchen layout?
You can focus on various aspects of a functional kitchen such as ample storage solutions, the right placement of cabinets, the kitchen triangle rule, adding vents, windows, and skylights for proper ventilation, etc to build a good kitchen layout. Do not keep your kitchen overcrowded as it will obstruct your path and minimize productivity while working.