Anyone who has ever built or remodeled a home knows that the most expensive room to construct and outfit is the kitchen. Along with extensive plumbing and electrical systems, there are cabinets, countertops and appliances. It's estimated that the average kitchen-remodeling job costs between $15,000 and $20,000.
The kitchen has also become the place where the family comes together and the partygoers always seem to group.
Is it any wonder, then, that so much focus in home design is on this room? Do it right and it makes the entire home function and flow. Do it wrong and you have an unwelcome, unworkable wasted space that wastes your time every day.
To help you and professionals do it right, here are a few guidelines to designing a kitchen.
Rule 1: The Triangle
Most kitchen designers start with the basic "work triangle," also known as the "golden triangle," the three points representing the locations of the refrigerator, cooking area and sink. You should be able to pivot only from one part of the triangle to another to avoid unnecessary movement while preparing meals.
Generally the total length of the triangle's "legs" - the combined distance between its three points - should be between 12 and 26 feet, depending on the size of your space, the size of the house for which the kitchen is being designed and other factors.
This rough rule leaves a lot of leeway. The big question: Which shape is best for your needs?
Rule 2: Heed Needs
Triangle theories aside, Barbara McLane of By Design Kitchens Etc. said she first talks with her client. Other factors also have to be considered, among them the client's lifestyle and particular needs: Are many people involved in cooking? Is the space meant for entertaining? Rule 3: Be Practical
Kathleen Tish, a certified kitchen designer who runs her own firm in Foothill Ranch, Calif., says that "most important is that a kitchen should be functional."
"In using the work triangle," for instance, she said, "I try to create work space on either side of the cooking surface and sink." She also always makes sure there is enough elbow room.
Rule 4: New Triangles
"A lot more homes are being designed with kitchens and dining areas in one big room," said Sandra Rodriguez, a certified kitchen designer with L&S Interiors of Anaheim, Calif. "Partly because of this, I view many kitchens I design as having more than one triangle."
