The kitchen is the heart of the home. This is where the family gathers at the common table, in the morning you take the first sip of your coffee, or you try a new recipe. The place where we spend so much time should not only be aesthetic, but above all it must be distinguished by functionality. A non-functional kitchen can effectively make the moments spent in the kitchen unpleasant, introducing frustration and nervous atmosphere.
Below, we discuss the most common kitchen arrangement mistakes – so you know what NOT to do.
NO DIVISION INTO FUNCTIONAL WORK AREAS
Functional zones in the kitchen are the basis for its planning. The most important areas are: washing and preparation area, cooking and baking area, dining area and storage space.
How to avoid mistakes in the arrangement of individual zones? You should especially remember to keep the communication route. It is worth making sure that the sink, the hob and the worktop are not too far apart, and that the cooker is not too close to the wall. Thanks to this procedure, we will avoid the problem of hard-to-wash stains on the walls or fronts, but also the trouble of placing a large pot or pan with a handle on any burner.
WRONG LIGHTING
Lighting in the kitchen is extremely important. It is in well-chosen kitchen lighting that the potential of its functionality, comfort and aesthetics lies. A bright kitchen is much more comfortable in
use. Lighting should allow us to work freely, even after dark. The kitchen without a window is particularly demanding in this respect. Therefore, if you are the holder of the so-called “Blind kitchen”, you should install in it not only central lighting, but also additional lighting that will adequately illuminate the worktop or the hob.
However, you also have to watch out for too strong, glaring light or the light behind your back. This arrangement will cause the appearance of shadows on the countertop, making it difficult to use the kitchen furniture.
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT PLACED TOO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER
If you arrange a kitchen, you must respect functional and safe distances between the various kitchen appliances and devices. Often, especially in small kitchens, the sink is too close to the stove, making both cooking and washing up very inconvenient. There should be a kitchen worktop between these devices with a minimum distance of 30 cm. Therefore, when planning the arrangement of household appliances, one should follow the principle of the working triangle and the division into kitchen zones – this way, we can easily avoid arrangement errors while designing the kitchen furniture.
MISMATCH TO THE LIFESTYLE OF THE HOUSEHOLD AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF THE SPATIAL INTERIOR
A big mistake made when planning a space is to follow fashion without taking into account your lifestyle and the arrangement possibilities of a given room. For example, if you decide to persistently opt for a popular island in the middle of a small room, the effect will not be as spectacular as in the catalog photos, where it separates a large kitchen from an even larger living room. However, if you really want such a solution, you should choose an island that will also function as a table, or one that can accommodate an oven, sink or additional storage space. Another common mistake is that the height of countertops or hanging shelves does not match the height of the household members. Currently, you can adjust the dream housing to the expected size and you do not have to stick to the prescribed standards.
NOT ENOUGH SPACE FOR STORAGE
The most common and life-annoying mistake is not having enough storage space. Even modern, minimalist kitchen furniture can have dozens of hidden shelves, cabinets, posts and drawers. It will also be a great idea to build in a small pantry. You have to remember that the furniture should be of the right depth and its quantity should be sufficient to accommodate all the necessary equipment, but in this interior there should also be a place for items such as cloths, shopping bags, garbage bags or cleaning agents … also don’t forget about devices used occasionally, such as Christmas cookie cutters or an old blender, which will certainly be useful one day!
In the case of a room such as a kitchen, arrangement errors will remind of each other and make life difficult for the household members. Therefore, it is not worth making compromises when it comes to arranging the kitchen, and the basis for a good arrangement should be a good kitchen layout and functional furniture.