Kitchen Cabinet Design indeas and Style information - Aneka Kitchens, Canberra Australia

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last modified: 26 January, 2005

Australian Kitchen Cabinet DESIGN, LAYOUT & SAFETY ideas.

These pages identify current kitchen cabinet design trends, layout options and styles; and implementations based on Australian Standards and adaptations from the latest European methods in storage and shelving for kitchen renovation and remodeling.

< Trend is to larger, multi use kitchen spaces
As reported in the "HIA Kitchens and Bathrooms Report – Past Growth and Future Prospects, 2004/05"
"Sophisticated and knowledgeable consumers have created a whole new set of challenges for kitchen designers. Many commented on how the industry was beginning to share similarities with the wider fashion industry with TV personality name brand cookware and signature series kitchen designs. Designers also reported that consumers continue to gravitate towards the quality end of the scale rather than buying on price alone.

Most designers reported that in general terms, three categories of kitchen design had emerged.

First and foremost is the flamboyant fashion statement with a number of different surfaces, bench heights, and the work triangle (sink, refrigerator and oven/cooktop) expanding into additional zones such as coffee zones, breakfast zones and wine zones.

Second is the influence of commercial or restaurant style kitchens with respect to stainless steel benches and cabinets, under-bench glass fronted fridges, multiple ovens, wider ovens, multiple sinks, and large ducted stainless rangehoods with strong sculptural features.

Thirdly is the kitchen that recedes into the background in particular in smaller spaces such as apartments and smaller lot housing developments. Unimposing and minimalistic and is seen as more of a food preparation area rather than a cooks ‘stage’.

Another interesting outcome from the designer’s point of view has been the emigration of the kitchen into other areas of the home; that is, basement kitchens, outdoor kitchens and even media room kitchens. Clearly this trend has a considerable impact on use of materials in that the one-kitchen-per-home rule used in our forecasts and estimates of activity could well become less valid over the next 5 years.

A number of common threads were reported among kitchen designers that will continue to fundamentally change the respective use of materials in kitchen design over the coming years. These include:

The ongoing desire to integrate the kitchen with the rest of the house. Just as cabinets and benchtops are making their way out into the living area to house books, videos and DVD’s, artwork and sculptural elements are making their way into the kitchen space in an effort to create a feeling of one seamless room.

The explosion of the on-line revolution has seen internet and computer alcoves being added in kitchen design, the inclusion of which allows for easy supervision of children when accessing the internet in addition to providing easier access to on-line resources such as recipes and shopping networks.

The breakfast bar has become the centre of the home, accommodating everything from chairs for easy sit down meals, to multiple storage areas for knives, place mats, wine, paper towels etc. Design has moved rapidly toward the square box shape with very chunky benchtop profiles.

Alternative materials and finishes are gaining more and more acceptance including solid surface benchtops (from reconstituted materials such as quartz or granite granules, marble dust or glass chips right through to blend of polyester and/or acrylic resins with mineral fillers), lighter wood veneers with horizontal grains, etched glass tops and cabinets, pewter and concrete benchtops, and glass splashbacks.

Smarter storage solutions are more prevalent in kitchen design including pull out pantries, 1200mm wide drawers with full extension, and deeper drawers with superior load bearing properties to house heavy cooking utensils and appliances."

Layout

Basic new new kitchen design starts with a sketch considering the workflow on the understanding that kitchen tasks should flow smoothly from one work station to the next basically in an almost circular fashion, from sink or preparation work station, to hot plate, to fridge or pantry then back to preparation/sink. This flow is normally depicted in a triangular shape as shown in the basic kitchen layout below; this is to more easily show distances.

Wall design

Advantages Fits into a narrow space.
Can be screened off, if needed.
Ideal for kitchens with limited floor and wall area.
Lower cost.

Disadvantages Much running around.

Ensure that the walk way space is at least 1200mm to allow two people to pass one another. And to allow drawers or cupboard doors to be opened.

L-Shape

Advantages Efficient work flow.
Less running around.
Opens up floor space for eating area.
Modest cost.

Disadvantages Less room to share with assistant cooks.

The distance between each point of the triangle should not be more than 2 to 3 meters (2000mm to 3000mm) and in total should not be more than 7 meters, otherwise you as the cook may need roller skates.
Also you need consider the position of the door(s) to ensure that other traffic does not interfere with your freedom of movement; remember that the kitchen is the most accident-probe area in the house. Do not place cooking appliances near doors, in awkward corners, under windows or near the fridge or storage, areas that are frequented by children. Preferably have bench space on either side of the hot plates and also near the wall oven.

Other considerations are of course, the amount of space available, the need to accommodate more than one cook at the time, the preference for an eating area within the kitchen and the amount of entertaining that is planned.

U-Shape

Advantages Very efficient use of space.
Less running around.
No through traffic.

Disadvantage May not suit all environments.
More expensive.

Minimum space is 1200mm but the ideal is 1350mm - 1500mm. A size in excess of 1700mm is not recommended as it is then harder to reach different parts of the kitchen conveniently.

Corridor Shape

Advantages Efficient workflow using a small area.
Easier for assistant cooks.

Disadvantage More dangerous if corridor used for traffic.
More expensive.

U-Shape with Island

Advantages Efficient workflow.
Easy for multiple assistant cooks.
Very nice for entertaining.
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Disadvantage Uses much more space.
More expensive.

Ensure that the kitchen design suits your personal dimensions and is ergonomic for you. Special considerations apply to height of benches and bench space recommendations if wheelchair access is required. Recommended space between rows of cupboards/benchtops would then be 1500mm to 2250mm depending on the layouts; also recessed kickboards will need to increase in height to about 200mm and depth to 150mm.

Style

If your home reflects a specific style, for example a Tudor style of country home, then you may find that making the interior design reflect the exterior will bring continuity to the whole.

The kitchen cabinets' door styles, patterns and colour will have the most impact on the visual statement that you make.

Once the basic layout and style have been decided you can choose the matching bench tops, tiling, wallpapers, paints, lighting, plumbing and flooring - assisted by experienced kitchen designers.

Additional Design ideas can also be obtained from some of the better magazines that you may want to peruse in the comfort of the settee in our well equipped Showroom.

These include:

Australian House & Garden

Australian Kitchen Trends

Australian Vogue

Kitchens & Bathroom Quarterly

Home Beautiful - Kitchens + Bathrooms

and others including some USA and European publications.

Safety

Adequate set down bench space adjacent to both sides of the hotplates and at least one side of the wall oven

Separating the active area (hotplates / preparation bench / sink) from the passive area (pantry, refrigerator and adjacent bench space)

Locating hotplates 300mm from vertical surface, edge, or corner to allow for saucepan handles

Cooker / sink relationship

When meeting with a Kitchen Designer the following checklist will be most helpful.

Kitchen Renovation Checklist
Needs and Wants
Check the Items you feel your kitchen must have in the "need" column, and the items you would like, if the budget and design allow, in the "want" column. (This should be used as a preliminary guideline; they may change along the way.)

Need Want Need Want

New cabinets _____ _____ Trash Compactor _____ _____

New benchtop _____ _____ Waste Disposal _____ _____

New floor _____ Recycling Bins _____ _____

New oven(s) _____ _____ More workplace _____ _____

New refrigerator _____ _____ More storage _____ _____

New cooktop _____ _____ Pantry _____ _____

New microwave _____ _____ Wet Bar _____ _____

New dishwasher _____ _____ New window(s) _____ _____

New sink(s) _____ _____ Desk area _____ _____

New light fixtures _____ _____ Eating Area _____ _____

Cutting/chopping surface _____ _____ Media/TV Center _____ _____

Other ____________________________________________________

Lifestyle/Room Use
This worksheet will give you some things to think about in your initial planning, but it's only the beginning. We will conduct an in-depth interview with you in order to create a design that suits your lifestyle and satisfies your needs and wants.

Who is the primary cook? How many other household members cook?____________________

Do any of these members have physical limitations?____________________________

What type of cooking do you normally do? ____Heat and Serve Meals

____Full Course, "from scratch" meals

____Bulk cooking for freezing/leftovers

____________________________Other

Do you entertain frequently?____ Formally?____ Informally?____

Is the kitchen a socializing place?___________________

Where do you plan to store recyclables?

Kitchen____ Laundry____ Garage____ Other____

What type of feeling would you like your new kitchen to have? ____Sleek/Contemporay ____Warm & Cozy Country

____Traditional ____Open & Airy

____Strictly Functional ____Formal

____Family Retreat ___Personal Design Statement

Contact Information

Telephone - 02 6241 7778 (Answering machine switched on at 4.00pm week days)

Fax - 02 6241 8068

Postal & Showroom Address - Aneka Kitchens, Unit 2 / 5 Tooth Street, Mitchell ACT 2911 Canberra, Australia

Send us an e-mail to book an appointment, or to ask for more details or even to express your comments about this website - we are open to suggestions -

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Aneka Kitchens : Layout and Style

created by Henk Thijssens, Custom Design and Administration (CDAS)
Kitchen design criteria, designs.html
last modified: 26 January, 2005


< Trend is to larger, multi use kitchen spaces	As reported in the "HIA Kitchens and Bathrooms Report – Past Growth and Future Prospects, 2004/05" "Sophisticated and knowledgeable consumers have created a whole new set of challenges for kitchen designers. Many commented on how the industry was beginning to share similarities with the wider fashion industry with TV personality name brand cookware and signature series kitchen designs. Designers also reported that consumers continue to gravitate towards the quality end of the scale rather than buying on price alone.
	Most designers reported that in general terms, three categories of kitchen design had emerged. First and foremost is the flamboyant fashion statement with a number of different surfaces, bench heights, and the work triangle (sink, refrigerator and oven/cooktop) expanding into additional zones such as coffee zones, breakfast zones and wine zones. Second is the influence of commercial or restaurant style kitchens with respect to stainless steel benches and cabinets, under-bench glass fronted fridges, multiple ovens, wider ovens, multiple sinks, and large ducted stainless rangehoods with strong sculptural features. Thirdly is the kitchen that recedes into the background in particular in smaller spaces such as apartments and smaller lot housing developments. Unimposing and minimalistic and is seen as more of a food preparation area rather than a cooks ‘stage’.
	Another interesting outcome from the designer’s point of view has been the emigration of the kitchen into other areas of the home; that is, basement kitchens, outdoor kitchens and even media room kitchens. Clearly this trend has a considerable impact on use of materials in that the one-kitchen-per-home rule used in our forecasts and estimates of activity could well become less valid over the next 5 years. A number of common threads were reported among kitchen designers that will continue to fundamentally change the respective use of materials in kitchen design over the coming years. These include: The ongoing desire to integrate the kitchen with the rest of the house. Just as cabinets and benchtops are making their way out into the living area to house books, videos and DVD’s, artwork and sculptural elements are making their way into the kitchen space in an effort to create a feeling of one seamless room. The explosion of the on-line revolution has seen internet and computer alcoves being added in kitchen design, the inclusion of which allows for easy supervision of children when accessing the internet in addition to providing easier access to on-line resources such as recipes and shopping networks. The breakfast bar has become the centre of the home, accommodating everything from chairs for easy sit down meals, to multiple storage areas for knives, place mats, wine, paper towels etc. Design has moved rapidly toward the square box shape with very chunky benchtop profiles. Alternative materials and finishes are gaining more and more acceptance including solid surface benchtops (from reconstituted materials such as quartz or granite granules, marble dust or glass chips right through to blend of polyester and/or acrylic resins with mineral fillers), lighter wood veneers with horizontal grains, etched glass tops and cabinets, pewter and concrete benchtops, and glass splashbacks. Smarter storage solutions are more prevalent in kitchen design including pull out pantries, 1200mm wide drawers with full extension, and deeper drawers with superior load bearing properties to house heavy cooking utensils and appliances."

Wall design
Advantages	Fits into a narrow space. Can be screened off, if needed. Ideal for kitchens with limited floor and wall area. Lower cost.
Disadvantages	Much running around.
Ensure that the walk way space is at least 1200mm to allow two people to pass one another.	And to allow drawers or cupboard doors to be opened.

L-Shape
Advantages	Efficient work flow. Less running around. Opens up floor space for eating area. Modest cost.
Disadvantages	Less room to share with assistant cooks.

U-Shape
Advantages	Very efficient use of space. Less running around. No through traffic.
Disadvantage	May not suit all environments. More expensive.
Minimum space is 1200mm but the ideal is 1350mm - 1500mm.	A size in excess of 1700mm is not recommended as it is then harder to reach different parts of the kitchen conveniently.

Corridor Shape
Advantages	Efficient workflow using a small area. Easier for assistant cooks.
Disadvantage	More dangerous if corridor used for traffic. More expensive.

U-Shape with Island
Advantages	Efficient workflow. Easy for multiple assistant cooks. Very nice for entertaining. font>
Disadvantage	Uses much more space. More expensive.


	Adequate set down bench space adjacent to both sides of the hotplates and at least one side of the wall oven
	Separating the active area (hotplates / preparation bench / sink) from the passive area (pantry, refrigerator and adjacent bench space)
	Locating hotplates 300mm from vertical surface, edge, or corner to allow for saucepan handles
	Cooker / sink relationship

Australian Kitchen Cabinet DESIGN, LAYOUT & SAFETY ideas.

Telephone - 02 6241 7778 (Answering machine switched on at 4.00pm week days)

Fax - 02 6241 8068

Postal & Showroom Address - Aneka Kitchens, Unit 2 / 5 Tooth Street, Mitchell ACT 2911 Canberra, Australia Send us an e-mail to book an appointment, or to ask for more details or even to express your comments about this website - we are open to suggestions -

Postal & Showroom Address - Aneka Kitchens, Unit 2 / 5 Tooth Street, Mitchell ACT 2911 Canberra, Australia

Send us an e-mail to book an appointment, or to ask for more details or even to express your comments about this website - we are open to suggestions -