Success Strategies for Kitchen Design

Designing a kitchen is never a task to take lightly, but the challenges multiply when the kitchen opens to a family room, eating area or outdoor living center.

For such kitchens, an organized work core is just the starting point. Better Homes and Gardens Remodeling Ideas magazine’s Kitchens Plus planning guide suggests using a design that welcomes family members and guests, yet organizes their activities with carefully planned traffic patterns and task areas.

To help create such a space, editors sought advice from two sets of design professionals.

All four experts recommend that homeowners seek professional help in planning a kitchen. But they also suggest some basic design tactics to get started.

--Begin by thinking about what will be done in the kitchen besides cooking: what family activities will take place, who will use the space. Then plan for those needs.

--Design the kitchen as a series of activity areas, rather than one free-for-all space. Architectural variety will be gained and traffic through the kitchen will be reduced.

--Fine-tune traffic flow by planning every detail of what happens where.

--Choose materials that unify the design and make the kitchen inviting.

Large or small, multipurpose kitchens function best when the work area is open to--but distinctly separate from--social areas where family and friends gather.

“You want guests to be able to interact with the cook but not to interfere with the cooking,” says designer Stephanie Davis. “One mistake we see in kitchens is a little too much openness. When you sit down to a gourmet dinner, you don’t want to be looking at dirty pots and pans stacked up in the sink.”

One of the first decisions to make is where to locate the work core. That depends partly on practical matters. Architect Ernie Munch advises homeowners give equal weight to an important aesthetic consideration: the outside light and view that the site affords.

“Think about the exposures you have and whether the kitchen area should get the view, the sitting area or both,” he says.

Once the decision on the basic orientation of the remodeling has been made, design elements can help one define work and social areas. One method is to distinguish areas by the form of the space: Angled walls, alcoves and bump-outs can help break up an open plan.

Island plans are ideal because they provide a natural transition point between social and work areas. To the kitchen side, they provide a work surface. To the social side, they offer guests a spot to pull up and chat with the cook.

Other options for breaking up space include:

--Placing peninsulas and overhead cabinets to physically divide the area.

--Changing ceiling heights and floor levels.