Creating the Heart of Your Home: The Ultimate Kitchen Design Guide!

The kitchen truly is the heart of the home – it’s where we get together to relax, entertain and get creative. This makes it a challenging space to remodel, so we’ve created this kitchen design guide to help you make the most of this important project.

Start by Planning Your Space

While the style and décor part of remodeling a kitchen is the most exciting, planning out your space – the practical side of your project – is the most critical. Getting this stage right will make your space enjoyable to use as well as ensuring you get the most value out of your remodel.

Work Triangle – This design concept minimizes walking distance between the sink, refrigerator and cooking surface for maximum ease of movement, comfort and safety. Experts recommend that the sum of the three legs of the triangle between these critical appliances should be no more than 26 feet and that the stretch of the triangle is between 4 and 9 feet. There should be no obstacles like kitchen islands or major traffic paths within or through the triangle.

Traffic Flow – This refers to the paths through your kitchen space. Ideally, doorways should be at least 32 inches wide and doors should not interfere with appliances and cabinets. Doors should swing out rather than into a kitchen. Walkways should be 42 inches wide in cooking/work areas, and 36 inches wide for other pathways.

Washing and Prep Stations – Sinks should be placed with a border of work surface surrounding them to allow for easy prep work, stacking dishes and washing up. Aim for at least 18-24 inches on each side for your main sink and plan your dishwasher to be within 36 inches of the sink for easy loading.

Countertops – How much countertop your space can accommodate differs from kitchen to kitchen, but design specialists recommend that you plan out at least 158 inches total of usable countertop that is at least 24 inches deep and has 15 inches of clearance above it (for example, between the work surface and wall cabinets). It’s also important to ensure that you have 12-15 inches of countertop on each side of your cooking surface for ease of use and safety. If your cooking surface is on an island, the countertop should extend at least 9 inches beyond it. If seating is included with your countertop design (for example, a breakfast bar), it’s recommended that this surface allows 28-30 inches per chair and has an 18 inch knee space for comfort.

Planning for Your Kitchen Lighting, Electrical and Ventilation Needs

Light up your space – Good lighting is essential for a great kitchen and experts recommend that at least 8% of your kitchen’s total square footage is allocated to natural lighting from windows and skylights. Task lighting should be placed in all prep areas and above cooking surfaces, while ambient lighting can be placed above eating areas. Central lighting should be easily accessed by a switch at the kitchen entrance.

Ventilation – All cooking surfaces should have an outdoor-exhaust venting system to remove cooking smells and water vapor. It’s best to choose one with an exhaust rate of 150 cubic feet of air per minute and install it at the manufacturer’s recommended height above the cooking surface.

Electrical outlets – All outlets servicing the kitchen countertop are required to have GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) protection. One common mistake in kitchen remodels is having too few electrical outlets, so be sure to add enough to accommodate all your appliances (including in-cabinet appliances) as well as additional outlets near work surfaces for temporary appliances and so forth.

Making the Most of Your Kitchen’s Storage Potential

Storage is a primary concern in any kitchen and there are many interesting ways of adding storage in such a way as to maximize your kitchen’s capacity and ease of use. Experts recommend that a kitchen has at least 117 feet of shelf and drawer frontage for smaller kitchens and 167 feet for those kitchens greater than 350 square feet. Cabinets should reach to the ceiling to accommodate less-used items and pot drawers are a very useful addition for storing pots and pans in a way that makes them easy to reach. Corner pantries won’t take up much space while offering considerable storage capacity, and including cabinets for microwaves, toasters and other daily appliances in your design will help maximize your counter space.

Remember to plan your cabinets, drawers and shelves according to how you will use the space, with cookware within easy reach of the cooking surfaces and prep items close to your most functional countertop spaces.

Having a beautiful and functional kitchen is a wonderful addition to your home, making daily life more enjoyable and easier than ever before – and adding value to your home! We wish you the very best and hope your project goes smoothly!