Kitchen furniture design: Tips to follow while designing

Kitchen furniture tips

It goes without saying that a kitchen is the most important part of one’s house where food is prepared. So, a kitchen should remain clean and organised as this helps in easy functioning and makes the cooking enjoyable. Thus, having kitchen furniture or opting for a modular kitchen is the norm today to keep it more arranged. Some of the tips you can consider while doing your kitchen furniture are mentioned below.

Kitchen work triangle

Before planning the kitchen furniture design, decide on the kitchen work triangle. In simple terms, before proceeding with the kitchen layout and the kitchen furniture, decide on the triangle for the placement of fridge, hob, and sink. Once this is done, you can go ahead with your planning of the kitchen furniture.

Source: House Beautiful

Sometimes all three — sink, hob, and fridge — come in a straight line. Then the kitchen furniture should be planned in such a way that one side will have the kitchen furniture cabinets and the other side will have the kitchen workstation. So, the kitchen furniture layout changes as per the kitchen shape — U-shaped kitchen, L-shaped kitchen, corridor kitchen or open kitchen.

Create a floor plan

Everyone has his/her own style of working in a kitchen. So, try and identify your style of working. While one may need a big fridge and does not use a microwave oven, another may want space for both microwave oven and an OTG. Some people may also want a dedicated shelf for cutlery. So, once the kitchen appliances are decided, it becomes easier to design the kitchen furniture.

Kitchen furniture and counter height

Remember, the gap between the counter height and the kitchen furniture is an important point while designing the kitchen furniture. The difference should not be more otherwise the purpose to work conveniently will not be served. Further, it will cause inconvenience to people with average height to work in a kitchen where things are kept at some height. They will constantly need a kitchen ladder or a stool to get things from upper cabinets of the kitchen furniture. As a thumb rule, the kitchen countertop height should be around the waist of a person and other kitchen furniture should be planned accordingly so that one can easily reach things while cooking.

know about: model kitchen

Kitchen furniture colours

Colours play a major role while deciding your kitchen furniture. While white and pastels are pleasant to eyes and look amazing, the Indian kitchen furniture gets dirty very soon owing to strong spices we use in food including turmeric, coriander, and red chilli powder. Hence, maintaining the light-coloured kitchen furniture will be a big task. Instead opt for dark colours, but not overwhelming. If you like pastels, opt for dark pastels shade so that the risk of getting dirty kitchen furniture is minimised. You also have the option to go for a single tone colour and do the entire kitchen in single colour or opt for dual tones. Remember the kitchen’s décor should match and complement the rest of the house, even when it makes a style statement. It should not be in a contrast to the rest of the house.

Some of the kitchen furniture colours and designs are shown below, you can take ideas here.

Source: Ideal home

An open kitchen in single dark shade looks classy and matches with rest of the home décor.

Source: Elle Decor

You can also experiment with dual tone kitchen furniture. Here the greyish white complements the wooden-brown colour, giving a classy countryside look to the kitchen.

all about: kitchen trolley design

Kitchen furniture material

In case of kitchen furniture, design and materials used for cabinets will have a direct impact on the budget. Choose materials that are durable, maintainable, and available in plenty.

• Laminates: Use of laminates for the kitchen furniture is the most recommended option as they last long, easily maintainable and are available in various designs and colours that make users happy.

Source: S.K. Modular

 

• PVC: These are easy to maintain as they are water-resistant and remain unaffected by insects like termites. Further, it is easy to install PVC-made kitchen furniture. However, the PVC kitchen furniture material is not very strong, it may start to sag or bend after some time. Also, they are prone to surface scratches that one should be careful of.

Source: Aashirwad interiors and home automation

 

• Wood Veneers: The surface is made up of wood but not the entire cabinet, reducing its costs. Also, they save your cabinets from termites and moulds while giving a perfect wooden look to your kitchen.

Source: Pepperfry

 

• Steel: While the age-old kitchens were made of steel, they are not preferred today due to high cost involved. However, steel is preferred at inside surface of cabinets and racks as they are hard and better choice as compared to other metals available in the market.

 

Kitchen furniture: Right time for makeover

You can redo your kitchen furniture if your kitchen falls in the categories mentioned below:

• Damage to the existing kitchen furniture: Kitchen is the most important part of a house with a lot of functionality involved. Constant opening and closing of cabinets can cause damage. A broken hinge or a channel can be repaired and used. However, broken cabinet walls, dealignment of kitchen trolleys may call for a major revamp.
• Need for space: If you have a modular set-up of the kitchen furniture with basic facilities and you want to redesign your kitchen for more space. The kitchen needs to be redone so that the newly available space is put to the most efficient use.
• To increase storage capacity: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, people continue to stay and work from home, hence your kitchen should have enough storage capacity to manage adequate groceries. If your kitchen furniture is low on storage, create more space in the form of additional cabinets or shelves.
• Outdated: If your kitchen furniture has become outdated in terms of usability or out of fashion in terms of appearance, then it is time to revamp it.

Make Your Kitchen Multifunctional

• Go for a proper kitchen furniture planning so that the storage cabinets are created on the top.
• A drawer with all cooking necessities like spoons, forks, and ladles should be incorporated below the hob.
• Storage for daily use vessels
• Construct cabinets to keep additional groceries, and spices
• Kitchen furniture should have space to keep all expensive crockeries and cutleries.

Know about: kitchen design

Consider your cupboards

All the items of a kitchen should be at their designated places if the kitchen has to appear clean and organised. In addition to kitchen wares, it’s a good to conceal appliances too as they improve their life expectancy, look clean and protect them from dust and rust. It’s a good to invest in the kitchen furniture cabinets and cupboards to protect kitchen appliances. It also gives a grand look.

Source: Elle Décor

 FAQs

What are the criteria for choosing the kitchen furniture colour?

Go for the dark shades or the one which is easily maintainable. While white looks classy, it needs to be constantly cleaned and maintained as stains may change its colour to yellowish white.

What should be kept in mind while planning the kitchen layout?

While designing the kitchen layout, do remember that kitchen furniture shouldn’t be very close to the gas or exhaust fan/chimney as they will have negative effect on the kitchen furniture. Kitchen should be well-ventilated, and the kitchen furniture should not become an obstacle in it.