#Choosing the optimal kitchen layout and style - Domain Blog

Let your imagination run wild – from G to L to U, which layout and style is right for you?

These days many kitchen manufacturers and software suppliers provide free online design tools which can help you plan and visualise your new kitchen layout.

This is your time to play with every element of your kitchen, including the floor plan, appliances, finishes, dimensions and colour schemes. But before you get carried away with 3D modelling, let’s look at some of the design and function basics.

Function and zoning

When designing your kitchen think about the different functions the room needs to fulfil. This can help you create zones within the space.

• Equipment storage– pots, pans, cutlery, plates, cups and glassware
• Food storage – pantry, fridge and freezer
• Preparation – prep space, prep utensils, commonly used cooking items and appliances
• Cleaning – sink, waste, recycling and cleaning products
• Cooking – stove, oven, microwave and grill.

Award-winning interior architect George Livissianis, who has designed numerous residential and commercial kitchen spaces. has a key recommendation –ensure that the kitchen has enough preparation space to allow a natural working flow.

“You need a set-down space on either side of the cooking area and you need ample preparation space … Make sure there is nice flow –if you’re chopping up vegetables then the bin should be close by and you should be close to the sink so you can wash them. When you open up the dishwasher, you don’t want to close off half of the kitchen and have to step over it.”

Layout

Six common layouts form the basis of most kitchen design.

1. Galley: Named after the galley (cooking area) on a ship, many industrial and restaurant kitchens use this configuration. Designed like a corridor, the cabinetry and appliances are lined up parallel against each wall.
2. Wall: Perfect for small spaces and open-plan living, the kitchen is along one wall, making great use of restricted spaces.
3. G-shape: A popular design when the kitchen is a separate room, the cabinetry and appliances wrap around the walls in the shape of a G.
4. U-shape:   This is a very common kitchen design, which is better suited to a single cook household.
5. L-shape: This is an excellent design for open-plan living and complements the use of an island bench.
6. Island: Most kitchen configurations can incorporate an island bench if you have enough space. Adding an island bench to a Wall or L-shaped kitchen is particularly popular. An island bench can operate as a cooktop, preparation area or dining space and invites an inclusive, social kitchen environment.

Livissianis encourages the use of island benches. “The kitchens I feel work better are the ones where you have a formal cooking line and an island in the middle. They’ve got a circular rhythm to them,”he says.

“It’s a gathering spot, really. A lot of people, if they’ve got a formal dining room, choose to eat day-to-day in the kitchen, rather than in a separate space.”

Combining kitchen styles

Whether it is to be an open-plan entertaining area. the heart of the home or an outdoor kitchen. referencing different styles such as rustic, industrial, modern, vintage, old world or minimal, will help prevent your kitchen design from dating.

For example, imagine combining the old-world European charm of marbled white granite benchtops with aged bronze industrial factory lights and the modernity of high-sheen laminate cabinetry in midnight blue.

Or the dramatic effect of a brushed-concrete island bench and walls, softened by the use of rustic wood finishes on the benchtops and finished off with minimalist white cabinetry and steel appliances.

To make sure your ideas work together collect pictures from magazines, kitchen manufacturer and appliance brochures, and supplier swatches, colour cards and sample materials. Check online, including Pinterest, Facebook and any of your favourite interior or home-brand blogs and websites.

If you are technologically savvy, try using the 3D modelling tools mentioned at the beginning of this article, or talk to a designer or manufacturer  who can help you create a kitchen plan.