What to consider when building your kitchen

Most of us will have heard of the famed ‘work triangle’ principle, conceived by American engineer and psychologist, Lillain Moller Gilbreth in the 1920s and designed to improve efficiency within the kitchen.

The principle, while not a hard and fast rule, is still used by kitchen designers 100 years later and states that an optimal layout is one in which the three main elements — sink, fridge and oven — should be no less than 1.2m and no more than 2.7m away from each other, making the kitchen easily and efficiently navigable.

While certain kitchen layouts, a single-sided galley kitchen for example, will render the work triangle null and void, it is worthwhile to keep the principle in mind and plan for the three work areas to be close enough to each other to allow for easy meal prep and cooking.

If you’re working with a blank space, a clever idea is to mask out the kitchen plan with paper or builder’s tape so that you can walk around the space and really get a feel for how it will function.

A big part of the functionality of your kitchen will come down to the cabinetry, appliances and accessories that you choose. A good place to start is with your appliances, the choice of which will be determined by how hardworking your kitchen needs to be.

Do you have a large extended family you regularly cook for? Are you the ‘host(ess) with the most(ess)’? If so, your appliances are going to need to be up to scratch to cope with the regular work out. With your lifestyle firmly in mind, choose the oven, cooktop, fridge and dishwasher with the level of functionality — and size — that will best suit. Remember, an underperforming kitchen will be more of a liability than an asset.

Another reason for beginning with the appliances is that they will determine how much space you have left for cabinetry and or shelving. Storage is a big concern in any room in the house but in the kitchen it is truly imperative and the right cabinetry will pay dividends.

Once the sole purview of high-end kitchens, elements such as full depth pull outs and corner cabinet systems are now readily available and should be incorporated into every kitchen design at every price point. It is a generally accepted notion that you can never have too many drawers in a kitchen. Similarly, overhead cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling will help maximise vertical space and there is a range of innovative cabinet hardware to make accessibility of even the highest shelf a piece of cake.

When it comes to the kitchen sink, you can maximise bench space by choosing an undermount style. Not only that but they also create a seamless, uncluttered look to your benchtop and make it easy to clean. Again, a good rule of thumb is to create a paper template of various sink sizes to determine which will be the right one for your kitchen and your needs.

Another area of your kitchen design that needs addressing is what surfaces you going to have, both benchtops and flooring.

When it comes to the floor, again you’ll want to opt for a hard-wearing material. Tiles are an easy clean, no maintenance choice that also offer myriad styles. Natural stone is another contender but does require a bit more maintenance. Engineered timber flooring is ideal if you’re looking to create a sense of warmth, while modern vinyl products are budget-friendly, durable and rated for wet areas.

For your benchtops, there are almost infinite options from high-end solid surface materials, through natural materials such as stone and wood, and even down to the OG choice of stainless steel. The idea here is to choose the best quality material you can afford and that will satisfy your needs.