There are many things to consider when designing a kitchen – floor plans or layout, cabinets, appliances, and lighting are just the tip of the iceberg. A new kitchen is one of the most rewarding gifts you can give yourself. A kitchen is the heart of a home, it is where you’ll have late-night talks and casual celebrations along with preparing meals for your family and friends and the dreaded clean up afterwards. For these reasons and more you want to make sure your kitchen works for you and the activities you intend to have it participate in.
Kitchen remodeling can be a big financial commitment but one good way to get a break on the expense is to donate used items to a local charity. Cabinetry, appliances and fixtures can all be donated to local charities if they are in decent working order and good condition. You will be helping others in need and you’ll get a break on your next tax return.
Now as guess you are probably looking to buy trash containers for your home or business or possible both.
Kitchen appliances are now made in a compact size to meet your small kitchen design needs. A refrigerator with a drawer freezer can offer space advantages to your small kitchen. Microwaves and toaster ovens are appliances that can fit underneath cabinet spaces. Clock radios and other counter top items can be stored accordingly. This helps to free up your counter space creating another space saver. Dishwashers can be bought in many different sizes. A space saving dishwasher will save you space for storage. Ovens have come a long way and gotten smaller over the years also. Smaller ovens can free up space for cabinets, which will give you yet more storage space.
1] Make sure workers responsible for dispatching your old kitchen have an available approach and short path from you kitchen to the dumpster. This will minimize the potential for damage to your property and make the job site a less hazardous one. If wooden doors are on the entryways through which trash is to be hauled think about removing the doors altogether to get rid of the possibility of damage.
You should consider how easily you will be able to move around and how convenient everything will be able to be accessed when planning your small kitchen design. The kitchen sink, stove, and refrigerator should be arranged in a triangular pattern. This concept is known as the work triangle. It saves you unnecessary steps when working in your small kitchen and preparing foods. Having more than one work center will also allow more than one person at a time to be able to work efficiently in the kitchen. A self standing chopping block will create another work space. If you separate your microwave from the stove, that will create even more working space. This will allow workers to be in the kitchen without getting in each other’s way. Built in appliances save you space as well being that they do not need to be set on the counter. Appliances that are efficient and space saving like dish washers, garbage disposals and trash compactors are another option to saving space.
Bear in mind the traffic patterns in and through the kitchen. The total footage of the three sides of the work triangle formed by distances between the fridge, stove, and sink should not be less than 10′ and not greater than 25′. Counter height is generally 36″, and the space between base and upper cabinets is 16″ to 18″. Cabinet depth is 24″ but the countertop will hang over 1″ finishing at 25″.
Picture yourself at the sink, doing the dishes or getting them ready for the dishwasher and seeing yourself putting away the dishes, remembering that the ones you use the most are the ones you will want to have a space for close by. Take into consideration the flow of traffic into and out of the kitchen space so you aren’t bumping into each other. If you are a recycler, you might want to have a separate, built-in bin next to your trash bin for easy separation. Same thing with pet foods and bowls. Having a convenient spot for just their bowls and food next to their feeding area will make it easier for you and house/pet-sitters.
The kitchen, for all of its utilitarian functions, often serves as the core of a home. The old saying, “No matter where I serve my guests, it seems they always like my kitchen best!” is well founded in reality, both when the phrase was first coined and today. You know how it goes. You do your best to make the living areas presentable and comfortable so that your guests will congregate in your living room or family room. Then, during the course of your party, you notice that there seems to be less people there than walked through the door! Then you go out in the kitchen and there are a number of people – some sitting on the counter, others leaning against the butcher block and still others sitting at the kitchen table. Oh well, as long as they’re comfortable and enjoying your home, who cares?
