Kitchen & Bathroom Design Blog

The many functions of the modern kitchen mean that most kitchens today are designed in zones, with each zone targeted to a specific purpose.  While you are busy planning the zones your new kitchen should include, don’t forget that the core purpose of your kitchen is still food!  Whether you are an avid amateur chef or just cook the occasional meal on the run, your newly designed kitchen must be fully equipped to meet your food storage, preparation, and cooking needs before you address any other requirements.  Your kitchen’s “food zones” must also be designed with a sensible layout allowing you to move smoothly between food storage, preparation, cooking, and clean up, and allow easy access to all the tools you need.

How you personalize these food zones will be dictated by the members of your household, the types of meals your family eats, and more.  For example, if you have children you may consider including a separate zone with handy access to healthy snacks and beverages away from the main cooking area.  If you entertain guests frequently, then a separate beverage center may be useful to allow guests to get drinks without passing through the cooking zone. 

Your main food storage areas should be easily accessible to the cooking area, though you may choose to have a separate pantry to store additional food items.  The food preparation area should allow plenty of workspace, and could even include chopping blocks built into your island or main countertop.  Access to tools such as knives will simplify your food preparation, and a handy pull-out garbage or compost bin makes it easier to clear away food waste when you are done chopping.

When you are ready to get cooking, it helps to have your pots and pans close to hand and well-organized, as pictured to the right in this easily accessible pull-out storage.

Other utensils, spices, and oils that are used regularly in cooking should be within arm’s reach of your cooktop.  Ideally, purpose-built storage like the kitchen design in New Hope, PA pictured below ensures these items are well-organized and reduces clutter on your countertop.  

Your kitchen island is a great place to include an extra cooktop, stove, steam oven, microwave and more to ensure you never run out of space for cooking, even when preparing a special holiday meal.  A second dishwasher in the kitchen island can also make the messy dishes and cooking utensils disappear more quickly.  If you bake, don’t forget to include storage for your baking supplies, measuring cups and bowls, and even your stand mixer, as pictured below.  For the avid baker, a specialized worktop space for mixing and rolling out pastry would make your kitchen complete! 

Finish off your design with well-placed task lighting and plenty of electrical outlets in suitable locations for your small appliances.  Even better, if the outlets are angled power strips, hidden underneath your kitchen cabinets like those pictured in this kitchen remodel in Yardley, PA, they will not interfere with your backsplash design.

Get the basics of your kitchen right first, and then you can have fun planning and adding on all of those extra features you want to include, like a built-in television, custom-designed desk, and pet feeding station!  Visit our kitchen design gallery for more ideas or contact us here.