Style and Function in the Kitchen
Home decorating has its challenges, but most designers would agree that kitchen design is especially complicated. Sure, choosing styles, colors, and kitchen decorating ideas can be fun, but there’s more to it than that. As the busiest room in the house, it’s also important to make it safe, comfortable, and easy to work in. Most people forget that a good kitchen is a combination of both, and often end up with a nice but barely usable kitchen.
Well, the good news is that it doesn’t have to be one or the other. With proper planning and the right accessories, your kitchen can be both an efficient workplace and a gathering place for the whole family. And it doesn’t even have to cost a fortune—with more and more people getting into "modern" design, manufacturers have started offering functional pieces that fit pretty much any décor theme. If you’re still not sure how to go about it, here are some useful kitchen design tips to get you started.
Create a work triangle
You’ve probably heard of the kitchen work triangle: a setup where the sink, stove, and fridge form an imaginary triangle in your kitchen. Experts recommend this arrangement for most kitchen work stations, because it concentrates activity to a single area. This limits the risk of spills, slips and falls, and helps you work faster since everything you need is within easy reach.
To make the triangle work, it’s important to keep it to a specific size. If you have a large kitchen, you may be tempted to take advantage of the extra space and make a really big triangle. But that doesn’t always work. A large work area means you have to take extra steps to get from one point to another. As a general rule, the longest part of the triangle should be no more than nine feet, and the shortest no less than four feet.
Protect your floor
You may not notice it, but kitchen floors get a great deal of abuse. Besides the constant flow of traffic, there’s also the occasional dropped pot, spilled water, and sauce stains. The hot, humid environment of the kitchen doesn’t help much either. So it’s not surprising that kitchen floors are often the first to show signs of wear. If you’re not careful, you may find yourself paying for a new kitchen floor before you’re ready for it.
The best way to avoid such fixes is to choose a good floor in the first place. But not all of us have the money for a genuine hardwood or stone floor. If you’re on a budget, you can protect high-traffic areas with kitchen rugs—rugs made with strong, synthetic fibers designed to withstand the harsh environment of the kitchen. Polypropylene rugs come in all sorts of styles, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find one that suits your kitchen theme.
Plan your layout
Layout is probably the most underrated element of kitchen design. Although a good work triangle is essential, it takes more than that to create a truly efficient kitchen. The problem usually starts with a poorly positioned fridge. In a typical household, people come in and out of the kitchen to grab something from the fridge. This constant flow of traffic can easily get in the way when you’re working, increasing the risk of kitchen accidents. Make sure to place the fridge away from your usual work area, so that foot traffic won’t interfere with your work.
If you have the space, it also won’t hurt to try some kitchen feng shui. Even if you don’t believe in positive and negative elements, feng shui arrangements can help you work more effectively and use less energy. For one thing, feng shui favors large windows and natural lighting, which can help you save money on electricity. Bright colors are also recommended, which makes sense since it’s primarily a work area. You don’t have to follow all the rules—just find a few that fits in with your kitchen design.
Accessorize wisely
Finally, you’ll need to choose a few accessories to finish your kitchen décor. Planning by the book can make your kitchen nice and efficient, but it won’t really feel like your own. Your kitchen accessories put a bit of "you" into the room and set it apart from other kitchens. You don’t have to adorn every bare inch, but you don’t have to leave it too plain either.
Start with functional accessories—pieces that serve both a decorative and practical purpose. A stylish spice rack, country-style kitchen cabinets, and contemporary pull-out tables are just some of the most popular kitchen design details. If you’re looking for a quick fix, you can also decorate your counter with accent tiles—they have a strong yet subtle effect, and you can install them in a day.
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