When looking into purchasing a new kitchen some consideration needs to be given to floor planning. This involves looking at how much space you have to work with and where different parts of your kitchen will go. It is something that often gets overlooked by home owners but is crucial to the success of your kitchen. This is because buyers are often caught up in the excitement of choosing a new kitchen design.

As few home owners have the skills or knowledge to devise floor plans many kitchen retailers offer full design services. This involves the use of specialist kitchen designers to help advise on where to place appliances and kitchen units. In this article we will explore some of the basic things you need to consider when devising your kitchen floor plan.

When looking at floor plans for kitchens, you will need to take into account where the cabinets, fridge, counters and the oven will be located as this can impact upon the overall cost of the kitchen. It also has usability implications as you don’t want to walk back and forth between appliances. This is where the work triangle approach comes in.

The idea behind the work triangle is that the sink, refrigerator and oven should be in a couple of steps of each other. This is because these are the items you tend to use most in the kitchen. The work triangle approach means you can access these quickly and easily.

One of the most common layouts you will find in kitchens is the L shaped kitchen. The L shaped kitchen typically gives you a good amount of workspace to work with and still makes use of the work triangle. This layout works in most kitchen spaces and you usually have two of your main appliances fitted along the wall.

Other popular layouts include the U shaped layout and the use of kitchen units. A U shaped kitchen again uses the work triangle approach and you typically have one appliance on each side. You will need a large room for this and gives you a good amount of workspace. You could also use a kitchen island. These are particularly popular at the moment and can hold appliances such as a dish washer or oven. In most cases a kitchen island will push up the cost of your kitchen.

These layouts can be used in almost any kitchen space however some spaces are more flexible than others. If you have a particularly small space then you might need to make use of specialist units and appliances. These are becoming more popular with a rise in modern city centre flats.

As most people are not experts in this area the best thing home owners can do is take exact measurements with them to the store. Doing some homework around layout structures can also help but ultimately home owners should make use of specialist kitchen designers. Most stores offer this as part of their service and will help you get the most of your kitchen space.

Author Bio: Steve Palmer – Specialist in kitchen design

Category: Home Management
Keywords: kitchen design, kitchen floor, kitchen plans, kitchen floor plans