ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Kitchens get used for other things than cooking, so factor this into your layout. Have some surface space on an island where you can sit down to work with a laptop, and if you don’t have a laundry room, create a dedicated area away from the cooking zone with an extra sink, a washing machine hidden behind cabinet doors, and space for storing laundry products. Used cleverly, storage can make your kitchen feel more personal. Repurpose antique cabinets or armoires as pantry cupboards or use a vintage glass-fronted display cabinet for your best china. If your freezer’s always filling up and you don’t have space elsewhere in your home for a chest freezer, think about adding extra freezer drawers into a kitchen island. If they’re cabinet depth, they’re ideal for bulkier items. Open shelves on the walls can be a lovely way to store and display favourite things, as well as making a small kitchen feel airier. If you are worried about things collecting dust and grease, though, glass-fronted cabinets give a similar look. Wherever space is tight, use folding cupboard doors rather than ones that open outwards, so you have more space to move around. Don’t forget access to storage. D-shaped handles are more practical with wet hands than fiddly knobs. The end of an island or run of cabinets is a great place to add open shelves for cookbooks, so they are easily accessible.