After a kitchen remodel, you want your new kitchen to feel comfortable and easy to work in. The best way to do this is to plan ahead for a good kitchen flow. There are a few things you can keep in mind when remodeling your kitchen that will help you to maximize your space.
The Golden Triangle
“The Golden Triangle” is the reverent name that kitchen designers have given to the three main workspaces in the kitchen: the refrigerator, the oven/range, and the sink. These are the three main point of the kitchen where you will find yourself constantly returning. A bad kitchen design will place the refrigerator and the range on opposite sides of the kitchen island. In this kind of setup, you’ll find yourself easily exhausted after walking around your kitchen island over and over again as you grab ingredients from the fridge and take them to the range to cook. A good kitchen design has a tight Golden Triangle; in other words, the refrigerator, the range/oven, and the sink are all in close proximity to each other, which limits the amount of exertion during meal preparation.
Work Stations
While the Golden Triangle is an important element of an organized kitchen, it is equally important to have well-defined work stations. When there are several people moving through the kitchen at once, it is helpful to have one station where you can do all your work in one place. For example, a kitchen island with a built-in range provides a great work station to prepare food as well as cook it without having to move back and forth between your food prep area and your cooking area.
Open Kitchen Plan
The open kitchen plan is hugely popular in modern kitchens. This kitchen plan involves removing any unnecessary walls and corners in order to increase open space. An open kitchen is airy, breathable, and easy to move through. If you have the option to widen your walkways you should consider it. Visualize your kitchen full of kids or guests. A kitchen with wider walkways is easier to navigate when filled with multiple people.
Entry Points
The entrances to your kitchen are also a part of your kitchen worth planning out. You want to make sure that none of your entrances will ever be blocked. For example, since the refrigerator is one of the most heavily used kitchen appliances, you want to plan for the flow of your kitchen when the refrigerator door is open. Will the open door block an entry point? It might be time to give your kitchen design another look and see if you can find another good place to put the fridge.