Kitchen Design 101: A Guide and Practical Design Tips

Sarah Lavinski
DIY Plumbing
Published in
3 min readApr 29, 2019

Nowadays kitchen attends manifold routines besides dining and cooking. It’s the center of family’s interactions, therefore it has to be functional, cozy and attractive. Whether you are building a new or renovating a kitchen, a good design is principal toward your dream cook’s room.

One of the greatest challenge in designing a kitchen is surely the logistics. Effective plumbing would be the key, thus remodeling kitchen with a lot of plumbing relocation might double the price tag. Start with accurately measure the available space, and then consider these few elements:

DOORWAYS AND PASSAGEWAYS:

Any doorway into the kitchen must be at least 32 inches wide, and swinging doors shouldn’t be in clash with appliances, or other doors. In a petite kitchen, hang doors swinging out to evade clearance complications. Passageways through the kitchen should be at least 36 inches wide. In work areas, alleys should be at least 42 inches wide for one cook or 48 inches for multiple cooks.

WORK TRIANGLE:

Shorter distance between the sink, refrigerator and primary cooking surface (the work triangle) will make kitchen routines more comfortable, for this reason, the sum of the three distances is maximum 26 feet, and each stretch of the triangle should measure between 4 and 9 feet. When there is two or more people cook at the same time, plan triangles for each cook at least measuring for one leg, however they should not cross each other. It will be best to also think of preventing a high traffic walkways cross through the triangle.

SINK AND DISHWASHER:

Line any sink with landing areas of at least 24 inches on one side and at least 18 inches on the other. If your kitchen should have a secondary sink, make a minimum 3 inches of countertop on one side and 18 inches on the other. Home the closest edge of the dishwasher within 36 inches of the nearest edge of a sink, if possible the primary prep sink. Also, leave at least 21 inches between the dishwasher and any adjacent appliances, or hardware.

COUNTERS:

A kitchen at best comprises at least 158 total inches of functional countertop, which is considered any span, including islands, that is at least 24 inches deep and has at least 15 inches of clearance above. It’s recommended to embrace a minimum 24-inch-wide extent of countertop next to a sink for prep work. Plan for at least 15 inches of countertop beside the handle side of the refrigerator or on either side of a side-by-side refrigerator. Tolerate at least 12 inches of countertop on one side of a cooking surface and 15 inches on the other. If the utensil is in an island, also prolong the countertop at least 9 inches past the burners. For a separate oven, include a 15-inch span of countertop on either side. When these countertop areas overlap, take the larger of the two guidelines and add 12 inches.

SEATING:

When a countertop also serves as a seating area, a 28–30-inch-wide space per diner works best. Also plan for 18-inch-deep knee space for 30-inch-high counters, 15 inches for 36-inch counters, and 12 inches for 42-inch counters. Give a 36-inch clearance behind chairs or stools, measured from counter/table edge to the wall or obstruction. If there is a pathway behind the diner, allow 44–60 inches for comfortable passage.

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