Kitchen Layout Ideas

Whether you’ve just moved in to a new home or are in the midst of a renovation, planning how to organize the storage in your kitchen takes some thought. The size of the drawer or cabinet, proximity to the stove or dishwasher, and ease of access are all factors you should think about when deciding which cabinet your glasses should go in, where to store your cookie sheets, and so on.

To help us nail down the absolute best and most efficient layout for a kitchen, we turned to custom cabinetry pros (and bros) Tyler and Justin Sachs, the brains behind New Jersey-based Stonington Cabinetry and Designs. Clients come to them with a blank slate, and Tyler and Justin work to design a highly functional (and incredibly beautiful) kitchen from scratch.

With years of experience—and dozens of custom kitchens under their belts—we knew they’d have some ingenious tips. As Tyler explains it, “custom kitchens should be planned from the inside out. Focus first on the function, and then let the form follow.” After all, kitchens “should be created to make cooking more enjoyable and efficient, so you can spend more time hanging out with our family and friends!”

Stylish & Practical Kitchen Layout Ideas

Whether you’re designing your dream kitchen from scratch or are just trying to make an awkward rental kitchen more efficient, the Sachs brothers’ tips are useful for anyone. Scroll down for five of Tyler and Justin’s best tips for optimizing your kitchen’s layout and storage organization like a pro.

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Anyone who has had to get down on their knees to dig around for pots and pans in lower cabinets can appreciate that drawers (allowing for a full view of and easy access to their contents) are a smarter choice for cookware that, quite frankly, doesn’t stack well and can be clumsy. Stuck with lower cabinets? Try installing wire or wood drawers like these inside your cabinets to gain the utility of drawers.

Modern Kitchen Ideas We Love

Yes, your KitchenAid mixer is pretty enough to leave out on the counter, but do you have somewhere in your kitchen to store it if you wanted to? Aside from cutting out the shelves in your cabinets (which is a totally valid but permanent option), there isn’t much you can do with an existing kitchen that doesn’t accommodate large appliances like mixers, slow cookers, and blenders. So file this tip away for when you get to build that custom kitchen from scratch.

As much as we love large drawers for lower storage, they simply aren’t an option for your upper cabinets. And despite prevailing opinion, that drawer beneath your oven is not for storing baking sheets and pans. So make sure to prioritize some vertical storage near your range for cookie sheets, muffin tins, large platters, etc. Tyler says their favorite place to put vertical storage is “above any tall, deep cabinet, like a double oven tower or a large pantry.”

If you’re able to install a roll-out mechanism for your trash and/or recycling bin inside your cabinets, make sure it’s close to your sink and dishwasher. Additionally, Tyler recommends storing your knives in a top drawer near your trash and sink. The less distance your knives have to travel for use, cleaning, and storage, the safer you and those wandering aimlessly into your kitchen will be.

Kitchen Ideas: Design, Layout, Colour And Island Inspiration

Outfit your top drawers with appropriately sized dividers for longer cooking utensils and everyday flatware, and pick top drawers within an arm’s length of the dishwasher for those items, Tyler says. His recommendation to use a top drawer for spices may not be an option for smaller kitchens, but the thought of having spice containers on a slanted drawer organizer where you can see all of them does beat digging around for spices you need—and knocking others over in the process—in your upper cabinet or pantry.

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Stylish & practical kitchen layout ideas Some practical kitchen layout ideas from our experts to help you make the most of your space - whilst keeping style in mind.

The kitchen is now the central hub of a home due to the boom in an open-plan design. It is not just the room for cooking. It is the entertaining space, getting home and snuggling-up space and the cooking whilst overseeing the homework-time space. To achieve all of these when, unfortunately, we don’t have the square meterage of a Kardashian household is going to be tricky, so let’s explore how ‘pragmatic chic’ can become your new best friend.

L Shape Kitchen Layout Ideas (photos)

When first designing your kitchen, it can seem incredibly overwhelming. You can spend the extra cash on a custom design that is worth every penny if you are time-poor and cash-rich.  For those who want to do it themselves and avoid costly mark-ups, there are some easy steps to take. Firstly start your research mode using Houzz, Pinterest even estate agent listings to discover styles and additions that take your fancy.

Once you have your concept, approach it like a well-put-together outfit, and use basics well with a dash of luxury. Begin with the tried and tested Ikea for their kitchen system designs. You can create your basic structure at a fraction of the price using their kitchen design planner to imagine the space.

When it comes to the layout of your kitchen, there are a few classic options that could help you decide which one suits your need best:

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The most important consideration and do not skip this, is making sure you design with storage and organisation in mind. Most people would benefit from the golden triangle rule. Simply, it is arranging your sink, fridge and stove into a triangle so you can easily flow from one to another with sufficient practical space in between. The golden triangle should give you a foundation to build your kitchen around.

Usable space should guide every decision you make, so consider lower-level storage, and maximise utility above as well as below your countertop. Utilise top-hung doors for high-level storage to avoid opening doors into usable space, and pull-out larders for maximising capacity.

For smaller kitchens, it is also advantageous to design your storage with the use case of the items in mind and where that task will be performed, such as knives and chopping boards near your prep area and cooking utensils, spices and pans near the hob space. Make sure to take advantage of corners by installing functional corner cupboards that use swing doors and rotating racks.

The Best Kitchen Design Ideas For Your Home

Clean lines and minimal distractions are crucial to achieving a ‘wow’ moment regardless of your style preference. To do this in a kitchen is trickier than almost anywhere else. To start with, we have the sheer number of appliances that take up counter space, espresso machines, toasters, blenders, and that 3-tonne microwave you’ve had for decades.

When designing your kitchen make sure to account for the storage of these appliances. Built-in microwaves or even open appliance storage can be an effective way of creating easy access whilst clearing space-consuming clutter. For some accessories like a beautiful ‘Le Creuset’ collection consider displaying these as your practical art installation. I have seen this executed to perfection on a shelf above the hob. If you have them, flaunt them right?

Something that inflicts discomfort on almost everyone is the sound of a tumble dryer making more noise than an F-35 during your bolognese and chill night. Save your ears and ample storage space by considering a separate utility room when designing your next extension. You can also use the additional room to store less frequently used items, the cupboard-under-the-sink cleaning supplies, bins and anything else you just need out of the way on your entertaining nights.

Luxury Modern Kitchen Design Ideas That Will Inspire You

When it comes to appearance, build multi-layered textures by considering the combination of materials you are using, their shine, colour, and feel whilst varying these throughout the room. Of course, you don’t want to create a cosy feel in the cooking area, so use differing finishes rather than layered textures to add depth. For smaller kitchens use darker materials sparingly to create a more open feel, reserve this palette for areas you don’t want to highlight to your guests such as your bin area.

From here you can start to add in your