Whether it is the kitchen in a newly built apartment or house or the renovation of an entire kitchen, it is the best to seek advice of experts, early in the planning phase. In our article, we talk to an interior designer about what aspects to consider when renovating a kitchen or designing a brand new kitchen.
How should we get started? Please give advice, outline the phases that we need to go through to get to the specific plans and to have a final budget!
When planning the renovation of a kitchen, we must first think about what our goal is, why we want to get rid of our current furnitures. If we are planning a kitchen in a new property, or we want to change the style of our equipment, then of course we have to dream up and choose the new style, design and color we want. The reason for the renovation may simply be that our kitchen is worn out and the light on our furniture has faded. In this case, we can also choose a new image, but this is not necessary.
After choosing the style of our new kitchen – which includes determining the height of the lighting, the worktop, the handles, the back wall and the plinth – the expediency should come to the fore. We need to think through what tools we need to use, what we need to store in the kitchen, and what layout would be the most practical for storing these tools, utensils and machines. After that, we can start writing down our plans and making a budget.
Let’s talk about the technical content. What degree of mechanization can be expected from a modern, up-to-date kitchen? What are today’s standard equipments? How should you plan their location in the room, in the kitchen furniture?
A stove, oven and refrigerator are standard in today’s kitchens, but if we add an extractor, a dishwasher and a microwave, we can create a comfortable kitchen for its user. In order to experience the home-cooked gastronomic experience today, our kitchen can be equipped with a number of accessories, such as a steamer, built-in coffee maker, wok burner, wine cooler, freezer or heater drawer. It is important to choose the machines at the same time as choosing the furniture, because the installation and cutting dimensions must be taken into account as well. It is also advisable to assess their electricity demand and choose energy-saving devices. Although modern devices consume less, we typically use more machines at once.
It is practical and useful to have a work surface between the stove and the sink, as this puts less waste on the floor. To the best of our ability, keep a distance of 60 cm on each side of the stove and at least 80 cm between the sink and the stove to meet ergonomic and safety considerations. The furniture elements, in which the kitchen utensils used for cooking are stored, should be placed near the stove and our everyday utensils and small machines should be placed in an easily accessible place. We can even put it on free shelves, as this saves us from a lot of unnecessary door openings and makes our kitchen friendlier. Small kitchens look more spacious when using open storage. Be careful, this solution only looks nice if we always keep our objects in order!
What are the trends of 2022? What is fashionable in terms of material usage, color, and solutions?
The pandemic situation of recent years has brought a change in the desired layout of kitchens as well. In addition to large, open kitchens, the aspiration to build smaller, enclosed spaces can be discovered in the trend of newly built kitchens, as if all members of the family are doing their work from home, they will need more private, separable spaces.
For many years, the color beige, white, gray dominated in the world of kitchens, but 2022 will bring a change in this as well, as we can choose from soothing pastel shade colored furnitures. The trendiest color this year is green, which invites nature into our kitchen. It could be either a subtle moss green or perhaps a fuller laurel shade.
This year the soft-touch HPL decor board that is decorative, scratch and heat resistant, and has high abrasion resistance is really popular. It is perfect for back wall cladding instead of traditional tiles.
What practical advice could you give us? How to use places, storing, etc.
For storing kitchen utensils that require more space, the lower cabinet elements are the most suitable, here we can hide our dishes and objects that are less satisfying to our sense of beauty. The upper kitchen cabinets can be wedged into our kitchen with glass fronts and lighting, even with eye-catching handles. Here we can nicely arrange our beautiful porcelain dishes, and our more specially shaped glass sets can look great. When designing new kitchens, we can use wall recesses, wall surfaces left free in a row of cabinets as a visual curiosity. As I have already mentioned, pedantic housewives can put their dishes and utensils on free shelves, making their kitchens friendlier and more spacious.
Individually designed or prefabricated items? Is only the expensive good?
Only our imagination limits our possibilities, and of course not only the expensive items are good. We can create a spectacular, quality space for our kitchen activities from both individually designed and prefabricated elements. Of course, a uniquely shaped, scaled room requires a unique design, but most kitchens have already been designed to be furnished with standard-sized furniture.
What else should we pay attention to?
In general, we pay little attention to providing space for houseplants in the kitchen, which have so far been placed primarily in the living room or in the bedroom. It’s also good for the kitchen to get a little green. The last few pandemic years have revived everyone’s love for nature. In our wall recesses or in our kitchen windows, even above the sink, we can design a small hanging kitchen garden with herbs, constantly growing strawberries and mini seedlings.
