Maximise Your Space: Smart Kitchen Design Tips from a New Forest Architect
Architect Laura from Pride Road New Forest & Bournemouth is always visiting kitchen showrooms and chatting to kitchen designers. In this blog she shares expert tips on optimising kitchen layouts, storage solutions, and integrating modern design elements.
With thanks to https://uk.kutchenhaus.com/ in Westbourne, Bournemouth for the tips and trips shared here.
Optimising kitchen layouts
Almost every project that we complete includes a new kitchen. In our concept design workshops we look at our client’s existing kitchen and count the units. The aim is to always improve on what they have got. A key design criteria is to minimise circulation in the kitchen and create a good run of units. A favourite is an L-shape with an island in the middle. We try hard to create a protected cooking space for our clients with doors to the garden or utility room not positioned where family members will interrupt the cooking activities.
Storage solutions
Utilising the vertical space
This can be through open shelving, wall units with clever Louvre opening doors or pantry units with strong shelves and hinges.
This is just as important if you are designing a utility room. How about including a full height cupboard with pull out shelves that hold individual laundry baskets, ideal for sorting laundry and staying organised.
Increasing dietary issues can mean increasing amounts of kitchen gadgets such as bread makers, kitchen aids and air fryers. But these take up lots of workshop space so often a great idea is to incorporate a clever corner unit with pull out sturdy shelves. These can hold the devices and allowed them to be easily accessed and hidden away.
Larder units remain ever popular and can contain toasters and coffee makers on a hidden away workshop. To hide them a sliding door can be an easy option, providing a one handed action for hiding things away.
New features in kitchens include drawers with fitted jars and containers. The ultimate in organisation, these containers have clear tops so that lentils, rice and other dry goods can be easily seen and replaced.
Modern design elements.
We have seen freezer doors with cold water dispensers but how about going for a freezer with an ice maker within it?
Fridge and freezer doors that open with a knock, great if you are carrying something. These will automatically close after a minute.
Hobs with integrated extract elements, allowing seamless islands with no visual disruption at eye level.
Mixing materials. We are seeing islands with a textured or homely material at the breakfast bar side laying over the more functional quartz of the main island. The end of an island may include a glazed element for display.
Increasingly kitchen designers are getting better at making kitchens usable for those of all physical abilities. Including a pull out worktop in a utility room means that laundry can be sorted an folded at a comfortable height. Positioning washing machines 400mm higher than ground level makes filling the drum much easier and saves bending down to floor level.
We are also seeing an increase in build in seating within a kitchen, often as a window seat. A pull out drawer underneath ensures that all options for extra storage are maximised.
