I'm always asked, "
What makes good kitchen design?"
Many of my clients are at a point in their lives where they want to treat themselves with a professionally designed kitchen. One they can spend many memorable hours with their family and friends. They want their investment to reflect the best possible design.
The best kitchens are personalized to the needs of the cook and only limited by the physical environment in which the kitchen is installed.
There are basic elements of design that we always try to achieve.
You may have heard of the "work triangle." It's the imaginary straight line drawn from the center of the sink to the center of the rangetop, to the center of the refrigerator, and back again to the sink.
The rules are:
- The sum of the work triangle's three sides should not exceed 26 feet, and each leg should measure between 4 and 9 feet.
- The work triangle should not cut through an island or peninsula by more than 12 inches.
- No major traffic patterns should cross through the triangle.
- If the kitchen has only one sink, it should be placed between or across from the cooking surface, preparation area, or refrigerator.
In a kitchen where it's impossible to create an uninterrupted work triangle, consider adding an additional sink to create an alternate work triangle.
For a one-cook kitchen, appliance and sink placement should be designed based totally on how the cook likes to move in the kitchen or what type of cuisine s/he likes to cook. If it's a heavily used kitchen by a trained chef, it's going to look a lot different than a kitchen for occasional light use.
Families want the kitchen set up for multiple cooks and multiple functions requiring more than one person in the work flow of the kitchen. For holidays like Thanksgiving, more than one cook may be desired as part of the holiday experience of getting the family together.
Special attention can be given to specific tasks. I recall one couple who liked to make their own spaetzle with antique hand implements. This required custom-height cabinetry to allow the use of these implements.
Another client, after taking a cooking course in New York, wanted a similar set-up with a professional gas rangetop and professional ventilation. The placement of this high BTU rangetop and the correct sizing for the overhead ventilation presented certain problems from how to run the required ducting to the correct height of the hood in relation to the cook.
Another client wanted the ability to grill steak in the kitchen without having to go out onto the patio. Voila! An infrared grill for searing the steak and a high-end oven to complete the job.
So, not only does the design accommodate the way cooking is done, it must also integrate into the rest of the house to achieve the special needs of the client.
Before designing your kitchen, consider how you really use it; the design should reflect your special needs as well as remain functional for other occasional users.
The kitchen is the center of the home. How do you want family and friends to interact in the kitchen? No matter what, everyone congregates in the kitchen! So, why fight it? Set it up so it's part of the experience!
Ernie Lehmann is Canadian-born and has lived here in Atlanta for nearly 10 years. He owns and operates
Dream Kitchens of Georgia
which is a full service design and build firm specializing in fine kitchen cabinetry, appliances and accessories.
