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Kitchen Design Advice

Successful kitchen design begins with research. It’s probably a number of years since you last bought a kitchen or this could be your first time to design your own kitchen. Either way there is probably a lot more available to you than you realise. The IKBA regularly hosts free homeowner seminars that will give you a good understanding of the kitchen design process. Also you should talk to friends and family who have recently installed new kitchens; look online and in magazines and build a scrapbook of ideas that appeal to you. Keep an open mind at this stage – if you’re feeling conflicted about styles simply clip images of everything you like. You’ll be able to narrow things down later.

Next you need to write a wish list. The best way to do this can be to think about your current kitchen and any other kitchen you have worked in. What do you like/dislike about it? Now think about who will use the new kitchen and list all the activities that will be carried out there. It will be important to plan for each of these activities and to ensure that you have adequate associated storage and lighting. Be realistic about this. For many of us the kitchen is a hardworking area of the home and the activities carried out there go far beyond food preparation and dining. Again when writing your kitchen wish list don’t limit yourself to what you think is possible or within your budget. Indulge every whim! Remember that this is your kitchen and should be designed around your lifestyle.

Now look at the space you are working with. Traditionally in kitchen design we talked about the work triangle of the fridge, sink and cooker and while that still holds a better approach is to design your kitchen around the activities that take place there and to allocate zones for each activity. Typically these zones might include food storage, tea/coffee and light food preparation, washing up and crockery storage, main meal preparation. Bear in mind that for a large kitchen to function well you may need two sinks one each for food preparation and washing up. If you are having a sink in your island unit it’s probably best to make this a food preparation sink as with the best will in the world pots and pans will occasionally accumulate around the sink and this is unsightly on an island unit. I’ve given advice on a number of kitchens in the last while that are designed around this principle and will post some drawings and photos soon.

At this stage in the process it may be time to visit a few kitchen retailers to discuss your ideas. You will find a list of IKBA accredited members on this site or feel free to email info@ikba.ie and we can recommend someone in your area. If you would like to have a go at drawing your own kitchen plan here are some dimensions you may find useful: A standard base unit measures 600mm x 600mm x 900m (you can of course vary these if your kitchen is being made to order). An absolute minimum of 900mm to an ideal 1200mm is required around island unit or in a galley kitchen. American style fridge freezers need a depth of 700mm but vary with the model. Don’t forget that you will need ventilation over the hob. If you are right handed you will need to place your dishwasher to the right of your washing up sink. A prep sink will need work surface either side of it and a food disposal unit or composting bin close by is useful.

It is important to remember to plan your kitchen early in the renovation or new build as before you know it your builder will be asking you to make decisions for the first fix electrics and plumbing and from experience will usually give you a half hours notice!

And finally have fun designing your new kitchen and know that in all design there will be an element of compromise and don’t forget we’re here to help!