ZONE IN
Good layout and planning are the keys to a successful kitchen, says LESLEY TAYLOR
DECORATIVE styles and aesthetic considerations are of course important, but the time spent on planning a kitchen can make the difference between a nicely decorated one and one that is not only pleasing to the eye but functional, comfortable and user friendly. The best layout for your kitchen depends on the individual needs of your particular family, so invest time in making a list of the facilities that your finished kitchen must offer to fulfil the requirements of your busy family.
Some of the questions you may wish to consider are…
■ Is your kitchen purely for the preparation and storage of food?
■ Will you need to incorporate laundry facilities into the design?
■ Do you need to include a dining area and if so, is it purely for family eating or will this space also be used for entertaining guests?
■ Will the space be used for home study or for your children to do homework?
■ Do you want the room to be multi-functional with space for a television and seating area?
Once you have established the main functions of your new kitchen, you can consider your personal preferences to the finished look, style and atmosphere of your room.
Large open spaces incorporating food preparation, dining area, seating and a relaxing space has become a must-have in many modern homes.
The secret to creating an open plan space like this is, is by paying great attention to zoning. A large space can appear impersonal and you want to concentrate on creating more intimate zones within the overall larger space.
You can do this with the careful planning of lighting, so areas within the room can be illuminated whilst the others are cast into shade.
The way you place your furniture within the room, can help you zone the larger area and simple things like grouping furniture around large rugs can also help to make the space more personable.
Flooring is also a great way to break up a large floor area by introducing panels of pattern within the design to highlight dining or seating areas for example.
You now have a checklist as to what you are going to need from your kitchen, this I guess, is where the fun starts.
You can start looking into a style for your kitchen space by getting inspiration online, in magazines and even on television programmes.
Collate as many inspirational shots and screen grabs as you can until you have a collection that can help to point you in one general design direction.
If you’re struggling to break your images
It’s all in the detail and the accessories you layer your kitchen design with will help set the tone of the room. Accessories by Dunelm
down into elements to find a common thread, don’t just look at the colour but also look at the style of the kitchen.
You may find you’re drawn to traditional styles and once you realise that, regardless of the smaller detail within the images you like, there is a uniting trend that links everything and you will find identifying your preferred kitchen style will become easier.
My advice if you are still really unsure, is be guided by the age and style of your property.
A new kitchen is a big expense so make sure you select a style that will age well with your property and doesn’t end up an on-trend style that you will soon tire of.
If you want to keep your room current add contemporary pieces of occasional furniture and accessories.
■ Lesley Taylor is lead designer at Edit home and design. edithomeanddesign.co.uk