Hello Friends,
“How much space do I need?” This question
leads to decisions on where you want to live, what type of home fits you and
how you remodel. The trick is to assess what you own and decide how you will
store it for convenient access. Carefully consider this challenge because
poorly organized spaces often become daily irritations, impeding the pleasure
of being at home. Kitchens top the list of rooms in which you need to get
your storage right.
A contemporary high-end kitchen features open
display storage.
The kitchen deserves special attention because it is home to a long list of
items, some of which cycle in and out of the house. Requirements vary widely,
so kitchen organization principles, combined with your household type, are the
common threads.
Consider grouping your storage around three primary activity areas: the
refrigerator, the sink and the range.
1. The Refrigerator Center
The refrigerator center serves as a receiving and initial
food-preparation point in the kitchen layout. It is best positioned
near the entrance from the direction of grocery arrival. Even if this
arrangement is not the case in your kitchen, considering this function can help
you determine how to begin organizing your space.
A counter top next to or across from your refrigerator is the
ideal spot for setting down grocery bags. This position allows immediate
transfer of cold items to the fridge and freezer, and storage of staples,
canned goods, condiments, cereal boxes and other dry food items in nearby
cabinets or a nearby pantry.
Easy access to your staples for initial food preparation helps
make the job go faster and easier. Since your staples are placed here, plan to
have this same area hold mixers and mixing bowls and their preparation
utensils, such as measuring spoons and cups along with sifters, graters,
salad molds, cake tins, pie plates and
muffin tins.
The refrigerator center is also the ideal spot
for the can opener, food processor, coffee and bread makers, and other small
appliances you use with dry goods.
Appliance garages such as this one help
eliminate counter top clutter near the refrigerator station. Cookbooks can
be anywhere in the kitchen, but the refrigerator center is a good location
since cookbooks are used in initial food prep. Place a small bookshelf in a
place where it will remain dry but be within reach, as shown here.
Consider placing brooms, dustpans and mops in a pantry or small closet near
your refrigerator center.
This table offers a rough starting point for
planning storage around the refrigerator. Mix and match ideas to adapt it to
your lifestyle.
Pantry and dry food storage. Allow at least 16 cubic feet for storing
dry groceries. Pantry pullout cabinets begin at about 24 cubic feet, while
dedicated closet pantries begin at about 72 cubic feet (a space that’s 3 feet
square by 8 feet tall).
Initial food prep equipment and tools. Start with wall and base cabinets
of at least 24 inches in width. Bigger families and collectors need to begin
with at least 42 inches in width.
Refrigeration. The smallest fridge starts at about 10 cubic feet of food
storage space. Top-of-the-line units start at about 25 cubic feet of
refrigerated food storage space.
Small appliances, occasional vases, bowls and trays. Minimalists begin
with 12 inches in width of wall and base cabinets, while big families may want
to start with 36 inches.
2. The Sink Center
The sink center should be between the refrigerator and the range center,
or cooking area, for maximum efficiency. Since sinks get the most use and
traffic of any spot in the kitchen, centrally located sinks and
dishwashers work best.
Plan to have the most uncluttered counter top space in the sink
center. The area in and around sinks is used for food-preparation tasks
involving cleaning and cutting, as well as washing and cleaning up after meals.
Place trash and recycling containers strategically so that tidy disposal
happens effortlessly.
Storage at sink centers includes places for everyday flatware, dishes
and glassware, as well as activities involving waste management, dishtowel
placement and storage, cleaning supplies, polishing and drying.
Place cutting boards and knives at
a midpoint between the sink and refrigerator so you can easily access items
from the refrigerator, cut and chop as necessary, and dispose of the remnants
to the sink center, which holds the refuse containers.
Most people store drinking glasses in
wall cabinets near the sink and dishwasher, which works well, but drawers
designed to hold glassware offer another solution and can make access more
convenient. In any case, maintain a location convenient to the sink and
dishwasher for your glassware and everyday dishes.
When organizing your kitchen, look for ways to
store items related to each other, such as mugs near the coffee station, as
shown here.
Sink, dishwasher and cleaning supplies. Minimalists can find sinks as small as 12
inches in width and dishwashers at 18 inches in width. Big families may require
two 24-inch-wide dishwashers and a 36-inch sink.
Dishes, glasses and flatware. The smallest kitchen needs at least 18
inches in width of wall and base cabinets, while gourmet cooks and large
families should begin with 42 inches in width of upper and lower cabinets.
Cutlery, cutting boards and small appliances. Minimalists begin with 12 inches in width of
wall and base cabinets, while big families should begin with 42 inches.
Trash and recycling. Depending on how you recycle, compost and
dispose, begin with 12 inches in width of base cabinets and go up to 36 inches
in width for a big household.
3. The Range Center
Two configurations, a range or a cook top with wall ovens, comprise the range
center, where cooking food and preparation for serving takes place. Place these
functions toward or near the dining room. Anything that involves the cooking
process needs to be within the range center. Ovens with ample counter top space
next to or closely across from them provide a spot to set down hot items
quickly. In immediate and obvious proximity to the range center, put potholders
and other items that aid in handling hot cookware. Also use this location to
transfer cooked food to serving dishes. Plan to store platters, bowls and other
equipment used to get food to the table around the range center.
Consider dedicating a cabinet for cookware frequently
used on the stove top, and another cabinet with cookware more commonly used in
the oven. Place warming appliances in this area to allow
convenient transfer of food to your serving dishes. Breadboards and
bread bins work well in the range center. Small appliances that belong
in the range zone include toasters, waffle irons, bread makers and portable
grills.
Spice storage, pots and pans, and cooking
utensils placed immediately around cooking equipment ensure convenient
and intuitive access to the tools and staples you need in meal preparation.
Personal preference determines whether you want to place these items in upper
shelves or cabinets, as in the previous photo, or in drawers and pullout
cabinets that are below eye level, as shown here. Either can work, so decide
what is best for you and conforms to your design aesthetic.
Cooking surfaces. While a New York City apartment dweller may
be able to get by with a tiny 12-inch-wide two-burner cook top, big families
will need at least 36-inch-wide ranges or cook tops, and some may go as wide as
60 inches.
Microwaves. These ovens can be found in 24-inch widths for
minimalists, while some units are built into double-oven arrangements that need
30 inches in width.
Cookware, bake ware and small appliances. Small abodes need at least 24
inches in width of wall and base cabinets, while big families begin with at
least 60 inches in width.
Serving pieces, tableware and table linens. Minimalists need at
least a 12-inch width in base cabinets, while a big household needs at least 36
inches in width.
Consider the three-center concept flexible,
and use it as a starting point to organize your kitchen depending on how you
plan to use it. For example, you may want to have a spot in the kitchen for
young children to safely contribute, or you may set up your space to suit
multiple cooks. The key is to organize items so that they are placed in an
obvious location and can be easily accessed for the coordinating activity.
An efficient transitional-style kitchen has
closed storage lining every wall.
The number of people and cooks in your household will drive many of your
kitchen storage choices. Consider four common scenarios:
• The Minimalist: Those with efficient and concise lifestyles, such as
urban dwellers and singles
• The Starter Houzzer: Those just beginning homemaking and still
adding to house wares
• The Empty Nester: Those who downsize but still have plenty of
things they want to keep
• The Big Family: Those with a houseful of children of all
ages, lots of stuff to stow or a resident gourmet cook
The Minimalist Kitchen
From left to right, the refrigerator begins this one-wall kitchen, followed by
a pantry cabinet. Next, a dishwasher and small sink provide an efficient
cleanup space, with open shelving for everyday dinner and glassware
artistically displayed. A small cook top and wall oven frame the right-hand end
of the scheme. High ceilings allow an extra bank of cabinets above average
reach, which can be accessed when necessary with a stepladder.
The Starter Kitchen
Efficient but thorough should be your thoughts when putting together a starter
kitchen. This example has a simple 30-inch-wide range and a built-in microwave
oven strategically placed next to the fridge. The U-shape provides an efficient
work triangle but allows enough space for a couple of cooks to work together.
The Empty-Nest Kitchen
In an urban neighborhood of Philadelphia, this kitchen provides plenty of
glamour and upscale finishes for the empty nest of these owners. Spaces and
features are generous but not over-sized.
The Big Family Kitchen
This kitchen begins with a large built-in refrigerator with an ice and water
dispenser. A microwave and coffee maker come next before transitioning to the
cooking center, which hosts a double oven and warming drawer, and a large
professional-grade cook top to the far right. The sink and dishwasher in the
island complete the work triangle positioned comfortably between the cooking
and refrigerator centers. https://goo.gl/yHfRWz
Thanks so much,
ERA
Skyline Real Estate
3376
Harrison Blvd.
Ogden,
UT 84403
(801)627-6500
