Whether you've got plans to redecorate your kitchen or simply want to do a bit of a spring-clean, the '5 zones' method will help you organise the room in a way that makes your life easier. Sorting the room into zones takes the things you use your kitchen for (cooking, cleaning, storing food and tableware) and ensures that everything is in reach when you need it.
If you're anything like us, your kitchen probably isn’t set up strictly in these zones. Your microwave might not be right next to your oven, for example, or you might have to take a few steps to put things away after you've washed them up. But chances are you’ve already got clear worktop space next to your hob, ready for food prep, and your fridge and food cupboards are probably all in the same general area. So let's see how you can make sure your kitchen is set up in the most practical way possible...
Obviously, perishables go in the fridge, but you can organise the rest of your food storage space so that the things you use most are closest to the food prep area. Have your everyday staples on the most reachable shelves. Use the higher shelves in cupboards for ingredients you don't use as often. So make sure things like bread, cereal, pasta and rice, herbs, spices, oils and seasonings are on the lowest shelves. And if baking is an occasional thing, put your icing sugar, cocoa powder, dried fruit and nuts up out of the way.
An Efficient Kitchen Workspace
You want your food prep zone to be as close to your oven as possible, and ideally to have your kettle and microwave nearby too. Clear the clutter off worktops so you've got room for essentials like a knife block and your most-used cooking utensils, and space to slice, chop and mix. If you can, place things like oil, salt and pepper right next to the hob. That way, when you're cooking pasta, sauces and one-pot dishes like curries and stews, you barely have to move. If you're replacing your kitchen doors, it's a great time to have a look through the cupboards and get rid of anything past its use-by-date.
If you can store your crockery and glassware close to your sink or dishwasher. It makes cleaning up that little bit easier - and hopefully minimises the risk of breakages! Again, have the things you use every day within easy reach, e.g. mugs, cereal bowls, dinner plates. Then put larger, more bulky items like pots and pans in floor units, close to your oven if possible. If you have a warming drawer (the drawer underneath your oven), store baking tins and shallow oven-proof dishes in there.
Unless you're completely renovating your kitchen, you have to make the most of where things like the oven and sink are placed, and organise your storage space around them. If possible, have your kettle close to your hob - it makes boiling water for pasta, rice and stock much easier. Make sure there's a clear space next to your hob for serving food - you don't want to be carrying hot pans too far.
Check Your Zones For A Great Outdoor Kitchen Plan
You want your sink and dishwasher (if you have one) close to each other, so that all your washing-up can be relegated to one place. You probably already store your cleaning products under the sink. However, investing in two or three boxes or baskets so you can separate your clothes, sprays and sponges will help you access everything quickly when you need to.
Now you know where everything should go, new cabinet doors make the perfect finishing touches for a refreshed, revamped kitchen. High gloss doors are both stylish and practical - they're a quick update for a tired kitchen and are easy to wipe clean - while white doors add instant brightness and go with literally everything.There is a European movement within the kitchen renovation planning industry, known as the Intelligent Kitchen (Hettich) or Dynamic Kitchen (Blum) based on the ideas and work of the Modern Kitchen Workgroup (AMK).
The AMK is a group of German kitchen design experts whose focus is to maximize both efficiency and ergonomics in kitchen space. Their studies have identified five specific zones that, when properly configured, make kitchens more efficient and ergonomically friendly.
The Open Kitchen Concept: Designing The Cooking Zone
Daily kitchen activity has been compared to a gym workout. Did you know that on average, a person walks to and the table more than 30 times a day? Or that drawers, pullouts and doors are opened and closed more than 80 times a day? More than 50 activities, such as slicing, preparing a salad or buttering bread are carried out daily in your kitchen. On average, someone working in a four-person household kitchen walks, stops, bends and stretches at least two hours a day.
Ergonomically, base units with shelves are the least friendly option because it’s difficult to find items in a cabinet when you can’t see them. It’s simply not efficient to bend, stretch and remove objects to locate what you’re looking for at the back of the cabinet.
The solution? Install drawers and pullouts that let you see and reach what you want – easily, comfortably and quickly. Full extension makes good sense, so you can see and access items at the back of the drawer.
A Guide To Kitchen Zones And Zoning
Store frequently used objects in the “middle” zone – between your shoulders and hips, and less frequently used items above or below this area.
An “Intelligent/Dynamic” kitchen designs offers the benefit of shorter distances, ergonomic work processes and practical, attractive accessories. When properly implemented, you can increase the storage capacity of your kitchen by as much as 55% per storage space or pullout.
The goal of this zone is to provide drawers that store provisions out of the way yet within reach of the cook. It’s important to optimize your workflow, keeping distances short and cutting the time you spend on any activity.
Essential Kitchen Zones To Help You Organise Your Home
Tall, full extension units enable you to plan and organize your food storage so that frequently used items can be reached without bending. Mid-level drawers can be pulled out separately for unimpeded access from above. You should be able to see and reach every accessory with ease.
Ideally, food and cooking utensils should be near your stove and under wall units. In this zone, the goal is to incorporate useful cabinet options to store oils, condiments and spices within easy reach, where you need them the most. Popular items include: spice racks and full extension pullouts, which provide complete visibility and immediate access.
A spacious, organized and easily accessible pan drawer is essential. Extra deep, wide pan drawers are often the answer for bulky items, such as food or utensils, and shallow, under-the-oven drawers are ideal for storing baking trays and tins.
The Five Zone Kitchen: Why It's Ideal For Modern Family Life
A deep drawer, with a high back and closed sides, means you can stack pots and pans with no risk of them falling over or sliding around. To further maximize space, install narrow compartments to hold lids upright.
The space beside and below the sink is an excellent spot for waste. Base unit pull-outs are ideal for towels and cleaning agents, and extra large drawers provide ample space to store larger items, like buckets and cleaners.
Ideally, this area should be located next to the Cleaning Zone, to shorten the distance when you empty the dishwasher or put dishes in the cabinets.
Steps To Designing The Ultimate Outdoor Kitchen
Drawers with a range of organizers offer stacking space for cutlery. china and other kitchen gadgets. Wall cabinets should have doors that open up. rather than conventional swinging doors. so you can work safely and quickly. Pull-down systems that bring items down to the user are also an efficient use of space.
At Laurysen, we use the 5 Zones principles, the kitchen work triangle and other design concepts to design great kitchens. When combined with our love of craftsmanship, the results aren’t just spectacular, they’re usable too.
We publish our print magazine every year, and it’s always full of great advice from our designers. There’s also lots of gorgeous photos showing kitchens, bathrooms and other renovations we’ve created for our customers.While kitchens are designed to suit different spaces and household needs, there is one golden rule to follow while divvying up any kitchen – designating kitchen zones on the basis of task. Here is a rundown of the five main zones, and the ideal placement of each area. The simplicity of it all will astound you and make your cooking experience a lot simpler!
Create The Perfect Five Zone Kitchen
Kitchen experts recommend demarcating space in your kitchen for all your activities. It ensures good flow of activity and makes cooking a breeze
As the name suggests, this area is explicitly reserved for the storage of food items. In a regular kitchen, this would be the ideal space to place a refrigerator as well as cabinetry to store non-perishables, fruits and veggies that can be left in the open. A great way to go about this is to create a built-in vertical cabinet that caters to all of these needs. If you’ve got space, you could also create a slot to keep your microwave oven – this frees up valuable countertop
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