| When considering kitchen design ideas, you | | | | kitchen island. You could also use the |
| could use kitchen design software. But your | | | | kitchen island as a small dining area with |
| first step should be to get an understanding | | | | the addition of bar stools. |
| of the various kitchen floor plans that you | | | | |
| could utilize. | | | | U Shape |
| | | | |
| Good kitchen floor plans follow what's called | | | | The U Shape kitchen is, you guessed it, in |
| the "work triangle", or the area between the | | | | the shape of a letter "U", using three walls |
| refrigerator, the oven and the sink. The | | | | for counters and appliances. It generally |
| smaller the area, the easier it is to reach | | | | requires an 8 x 8 foot space. The main |
| the appliances you need to prepare food, | | | | benefit is that there is no through traffic |
| which is, essentially, at the heart of all | | | | given that the bottom of the U is a dead end, |
| good kitchen design ideas. | | | | limiting interruptions during food |
| | | | preparation. |
| L Shape | | | | |
| | | | Galley Plan |
| Named because it's shaped as a letter "L", | | | | |
| this plan spreads the appliances out, with | | | | The Galley Plan uses two opposing walls for |
| the sink, fridge, and dishwasher, for | | | | counter space and appliances. For example, |
| example, in the top part of the L and the | | | | the oven and dishwasher could be on one wall, |
| stove in its perpendicular base. Of course, | | | | facing the refrigerator on the other. Given |
| the distance from one part of the L to the | | | | the proximity of all the appliances, |
| other, or in this case, from the sink to the | | | | everything is within easy reach. |
| stove, can be relatively long, creating an | | | | Unfortunately, this layout can also be quite |
| inconvenience. | | | | crowded, making it ideal for one cook in the |
| | | | kitchen at a time. |
| Double L | | | | |
| | | | To help determine the best kitchen layout for |
| The Double L shape adds an extra, smaller L | | | | you, consider investing in kitchen design |
| to the L Shape above, giving room for an | | | | software. Why use kitchen design software? |
| extra sink and the oven, creating more | | | | It will help you to both create 3 D models of |
| counter space in the main L where the oven | | | | possible kitchen layouts and estimate costs. |
| would have been. | | | | |
| | | | As you can see, there are a variety of |
| Kitchen Islands Shape | | | | kitchen layouts you can use. The main |
| | | | determinant, other than preference, is space |
| When your L Shape kitchen is at least 100 | | | | and the shape of your kitchen. But remember, |
| square feet in area, you can usually | | | | the ultimate goal is convenience, minimizing |
| comfortably add a kitchen island. This would | | | | the work triangle enough so that all your |
| give you both more counter space in general | | | | appliances are within easy reach while still |
| and the opportunity to move a major | | | | giving you counter space. |
| appliance, such as the dishwasher, to the | | | | |