Kitchen Remodeling for the Soul
The kitchen is the soul of a home. All the other rooms have function. We live in them. The kitchen nourishes. It’s where we get things that taste good. “Life is a kitchen,” the saying goes. Another motto of family life says, “This kitchen is seasoned with love.” Author Barbara Costikyan said, “In the childhood memories of every good cook, there is a large kitchen, a warm stove, a simmering pot and a mom.”
To create a wonderful kitchen is to deeply enrich the life of the home. You can buy the best appliances in the world and the best cabinets, but sometimes when you put it all together, you never feel that the kitchen is yours. It never feels like home. If you are going to make a big investment in a new kitchen, it is important that you own it, that it feels like home, your special place.
The Perfect Surrounding
1. Planning
How do you do that? When planning a kitchen, it’s important to give careful consideration to how the space will be used. Examine your cooking style and discuss that side of the plan with your contractor. The kitchen design professionals should be able to translate how you cook and use the kitchen into floor-plans and layouts.
• What kinds of appliances are you likely to use?
• How many burners do you need in a stove?
• What about ventilation? Do you prefer a range hood or an over-the-stove microwave?
• Do you plan to eat in the kitchen?
• Do you like to have people share the kitchen with you?
• Do you like people in the kitchen when you cook?
• Do you need an island for preparation or do you prefer floor space in the middle?
Kitchen Designs
2. Layout
Every kitchen design is unique. However, there are certain guiding principles that could help. There are also state and local codes that apply to every kitchen design. You have to work around those structures. The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) provides some guiding principles for making good use of your space.
• For instance, if the kitchen has only one sink, the NKBA recommends that it be located adjacent to or across from the cooking surface and refrigerator.
• The sink should have a two-foot wide landing area to one side and at least an 18 inch-wide landing area on the other side.
• The nearest edge of the dishwasher should be located within three feet of a clean-up/prep sink for maximum convenience.
Traditionally kitchen planners would see the stove, sink and refrigerator as points of a triangle in which the cook moves. However, as new appliances and more cooks get added to the mix, the triangle idea expands and doesn’t hold up quite as well.
The triangle idea works for smaller kitchens with one cook but there is a better basic design for larger, busier kitchens, the work station design. In a work station kitchen, each standard task (for instance, preparation, cooking, storage, and cleanup) or more specialized tasks like baking and canning is centered around a major appliance and a “landing area” of at least 15 inches of adjacent countertop.
Some people like kitchen island layouts. The kitchen island is a great way to add more seating, as well as extra specialized task space or preparation space to the kitchen. Island designs often feature customized details like prep sinks, second dishwashers, and warming drawers. Islands offer a good place for shelving for cookbooks or storing wine. Any kitchen design that includes an island should allow for 42 inches of space around it to allow for movement.
3. Lighting
Lighting is very important in a kitchen. A well lit kitchen is important for safety. But light is also an important psychological element in maintaining a sense of warmth and joy.
Keep in mind that no single light source is sufficient to light a kitchen. Light sources have to be layered and blended for ambiance, accent and decoration.
The Casali Companies provide the kind of expert design partnership that could make your special kitchen come to life.
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” We are very passionate about educating homeowners. From design ideas to hiring a contractor, we hope this blog helps you in your project process. ” ~ Jim Casali
