A kitchen’s design greatly affects how often and how enjoyable it is to cook there.  We’ve all cooked in kitchens that have had a terrible layout, either in someone’s home or in a restaurant, and it’s not an enjoyable experience.  In this post I want to share some design and layout tips with you so that you can get the most from your kitchen.

The most important thing to consider is the placement of the large appliances.  Avoid the obvious stuff, like not being able to open the refrigerator and the oven door at the same time.  Also watch for things like having the refrigerator on the opposite side from the area that you’ll do your prep work, or having it too close to the stove – which will force the fridge to work extra hard to stay cool.  Ideally, you want there to be a logical workflow from the refrigerator, to the sink, to the prep area, to the stove/oven.

Placement of small appliances is important as well.  If you don’t have lots of space on the counter, be sure to figure out some ways to increase storage so that the food processor and blender can have a home that’s away from the action, but still easily accessible.

A large prep area is also key.  You want to have enough space for a good sized cutting board and the tools that accompany cutting things (knives, bowls, mandolin, etc.).  If that area is cramped you’re not going to want to spend time cutting up vegetables, and will resort to bagged and frozen stuff.

You can also look into accessories that improve the flow of the kitchen, like a cookbook holder (cookbookholder.org).  Something as simple as an under cabinet cookbook holder can save a ton of space in the kitchen when it’s time to cook.  Other tools like this are under counter can openers and paper towel holders, as well as knife racks and cutting board stands.

Cooking should be fun, but if the kitchen is tough to cook in it never will be.  Spend time now figuring out what to do to make it right, rather than trying to work it out after the job is done.