How to plan your Indian kitchen

Sunita Vellapally Sunita Vellapally
homify Modern kitchen
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For those who love to cook, planning the kitchen is one of the most important projects when building or remodelling a home. Kitchen design is a process that requires a lot of attention to detail as everything needs to be in the right place so that one can easily access items while cooking. A well-designed kitchen is a joy to work in as it makes cooking a pleasure and less time consuming. Deciding on the style of the kitchen, choosing the perfect type of materials for the counters and cabinets, planning the layout… there are so many aspects to be considered when you design your own kitchen that you can feel extremely confused.

We advise that you take your time browsing through the options and get a professional designer to help you with making the important decisions. After all, your kitchen should last for many years, which means that every element inside it, whether it’s the kitchen cabinets or the appliances, should be practical as well as beautiful.

Today, we present you with the various steps involved in designing kitchens so that you can use these tips to plan your kitchen.

1. Make a list of your specific needs

In your home, you have a few square metres assigned to the kitchen, so it’s vital that you put it to the best possible use depending on your needs. Will you use the kitchen only for cooking? Will it serve as a casual snack or meal area for the family? Would you like to invite people over and entertain them as they watch you create some exotic dishes? Will you or someone else do the major share of the cooking? What sort of meals will you prepare? Will you use any special equipment or gadgets? Whether you are designing the space or hiring a professional to help you, getting a list in place will help to choose kitchen design ideas that work for your space.

2. Choose a design style

Choosing a style for the kitchen is not easy, especially when the number of materials on offer is so vast. Which one will you choose, the clean lines and sober colours of the modern or minimalist style or the cosy comfort of the rustic or country style? It’s important to be aware of the latest trends that feature in the best kitchen designs to assess whether your kitchen will benefit from any of them. The easiest way to decide on the style of your kitchen is to carry through the style that exists in the rest of the house.

If you are confused about which style to use in your kitchen, we recommend putting together a mood board or a collage with images of your favourite kitchen designs, including samples of colours and materials. This will serve as a reference when you want to explain your ideas to a professional.

3. Decide on the budget

Before you get started with designing kitchen layouts and choosing the materials, you need to work out the budget that you can assign towards remodelling or building the kitchen. This will help you to narrow down the options significantly. While calculating your budget, don’t forget to set aside funds for each category of costs such as appliances, cabinets, flooring, counters and furniture. For instance, if you spend most of your money of fancy appliances, you will be left with hardly any choice when it comes to picking materials for the kitchen cupboards or the floor. Don’t forget to budget for transportation costs and installation charges.

Get ideas on how to upgrade the kitchen on a budget.

4. Hire a kitchen designer

Many homeowners think that hiring a professional kitchen planner is an additional cost that can be avoided to make the most of the budget. However, it helps to hire a professional if you want to save costs in the long term. The designer will not only present you with the best kitchen remodel ideas but also help in efficient planning of the space so that it is more functional. As a trained professional, the designer has the knowledge and skills to create the perfect layout for any space. This is especially important in a small kitchen as every inch needs to be used in the best possible manner.

5. Plan the electrical installation and plumbing

The electrical connections and the plumbing in the kitchen should not be an afterthought. Rather, they are the foundation of a well-designed kitchen as without water or electricity, the space cannot function. When you design your own kitchen make sure that you plan for electrical sockets and plumbing connections in the right places. For example, dishwashers and washing machines will require inlet and outlet pipes for water, besides a socket into which they can be plugged. Similarly, the water purifier should have an inlet pipe as well as an electrical connection. Make sure your sockets can take the load of the appliances that will be plugged into them. As far as possible, invest in appliances with a higher rating (4 to 5 stars are ideal) to save on energy costs.

6. Design an efficient work flow

In kitchen design, the rule of the triangle is important as it simplifies the work flow within the room. It involves the positioning of the stove, the sink and the refrigerator in a triangular layout to facilitate efficient movement between these vital elements. From the stove, you should have easy access to the sink on one side and the refrigerator on the other. Ensure that the total distance between the three elements does not exceed six metres.

7. Plan for proper illumination

The kitchen should be planned so that there is sufficient lighting, especially in the places that need it the most to function efficiently. The lighting system should ensure that the entire room is bright even at night and without shadows on the workspaces. The counters should have LED lights above them so that you can work efficiently – a vital factor for safety, especially when you are handling knives. A combination of light sources such as bulbs in the false ceiling as well as over the work surfaces will be ideal. Lighting is especially important in small kitchen design as it helps to illuminate even the darkest corner to make the room appear visually larger.

8. Design sufficient storage and easy access

The kitchen should have proper storage so that the counters are clutter free. A neat kitchen looks beautiful, so while planning kitchen layouts, incorporate efficient storage cabinets with internal systems that help to optimise the space. Pay special attention to the corners and install systems that provide easy access to items stored in the deepest part of the cabinet. Plan the storage according to your needs. For example, spices and utensils should be within reach of the stove to make cooking easier.

Get tips on designing clever kitchen storage for small Indian homes.

9. Decorate to make the kitchen beautiful

A well-designed kitchen needs to look stunning besides being efficient. In addition to choosing the right colour and material for the cabinets, counters, wall and floor, don’t forget to budget for a few décor accessories that will help to beautify the room. Get a few pieces of ceramic, cookbooks, pretty teapots or decorative spice jars that you can display on shelves or counters. If you don’t have a big budget, buy a glass fruit bowl and fill it with colourful fruits to create a décor accessory for your small kitchen.

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