Not only housewives, but all family members dream of a spacious kitchen. A large kitchen means freedom of movement, the ability to conveniently place all furniture and household appliances, maximum functionality of the room and a design free from restrictions. No need to think about where to put the dishwasher or washing machine, dish dryer or mezzanine. A two- or three-compartment refrigerator, a separate freezer, a dining table in the middle of the room, a kitchen corner and a bar counter – all this will fit without any problems. The large area can be divided into separate areas – a dining room, a work room, a storage and a place for relaxation (with a TV and a music center). On the negative side, the furniture will have to be ordered according to individual sizes, taking into account the configuration of the room and its dimensions.
How to design a large kitchen
Interior decoration and design of a spacious room is a special art. You need to be able to combine the incongruous – place appliances and tools so that they are always at hand, but do not interfere with work, the refrigerator and dishwasher should be installed in places so that they do not interfere with movement, and all this should correspond to the design of the room, and not be lurid clumps of necessary things and objects. Read about MDF film facades in the kitchen here.
Spacious rooms should be illuminated in accordance with SNiP 23-05-95 and SP 52.13330.2011. Large window openings, a lot of local lights are a must.
How to plan a kitchen project for a large family – modern ideas
Designers recommend using ten principles when planning:
- Working triangle rule: the sink, hob and refrigerator are placed in a triangle, at a distance of ≤ 1.8 meters. Take food out of the refrigerator, put it in the sink and wash it, cut it or chop it on the countertop, place it in a saucepan or frying pan – all this can be done without unnecessary walking around the room.
- The first step in planning your space is choosing a location for your kitchen sink. The sink is installed no more than 2.5 meters from the water pipe. The ideal place for the sink and table is near the window. The dishwasher is installed on the left for right-handed people, on the right for left-handed people.
- The hob or stove should be placed 400-1800 mm from the sink, preferably as close as possible to the ventilation hole and the gas pipe. Designers recommend installing a work table with a wide and powerful worktop between the hob and the sink. The length of the table is about 90-100 cm. On the other side of the hob, it is necessary, according to the safety requirements, to leave a free space with a width of about 400 mm. It can be occupied with a small countertop.
- The large area allows you to make comfortable passages that comply with the rules of the SES – 1200 mm. If the kitchen is spacious, but walk-through, the distance can be extended up to 1500 mm. In a small room, it is allowed to narrow the passages to 1000 mm.
- It is recommended to install the refrigerator and freezer asymmetrically – closer to the sink and farther from the stove. But even in a spacious kitchen, there may not be enough space, and then you can take the refrigerator to another room – an entrance hall, a corridor or a living room.
- If the kitchen is designed with ledges or recesses, they can be covered with shallow pencil cases, shelves, or shelves. An extreme case is the transfer or resizing of doorways. To save space, swing doors can be replaced with sliding or folding doors. If the stove is gas, then you cannot completely remove the door, so the sliding option will be the best solution. And the last option is to make the door open not inward, but outward.
- There are free or shareware computer programs for drawing up and editing a project: Planner5D, SketchUPPro, an online kitchen corner designer from IKEA.
- Accompany the development of a kitchen plan with real examples: draw the contours of furniture and equipment on the walls and on the floor – this will help you not to make a mistake in the dimensions;
- To get even more space, you can move the kitchen to the corridor, or buy compact kitchen equipment and transforming furniture.
Chairs or armchairs should be ≥ 600 mm wide and ≥ 400 mm deep. From the end of the table to the walls or furniture, it is necessary to provide a space for a chair ≈ 800 mm.
Linear layout and renovation of a large room area
Direct linear planning is the simplest project for rooms with a regular shape. Indoor furniture is placed parallel to one wall. There is no more exit, as it is necessary to place also equipment and chairs with a table.
The main requirement is that furniture should not interfere with food preparation. But even such a primitive straight layout can be implemented in two solutions: in one or in two rows. Single-row placement of furniture with kitchen utensils and appliances implies its installation parallel to the wall, and a free area along the second long wall is set aside for the dining room. The two-row layout is discussed below.
Two-row layout option
Large appliances and kitchen furniture line both long walls. The rest of the unoccupied space is allocated for the dining area. There will be a passage of sufficient width between the 2 lines of furniture. To free up space, one line with the furniture is shortened, and a dining area is equipped in the free space. Find out how to choose the right cooker hood here.
Two-row design is also subdivided into a corridor option, and a walk-through layout. That is, the kitchen also performs the functions of a corridor through which one gets to the rest of the rooms of a house or apartment. The impassable kitchen is built with a blank wall, or a wall with a window, loggia or balcony (the so-called Czech layout). What materials can be used to make a window sill-countertop? This link will tell you.
Corner kitchen
Room designs in the shape of the letter L, F or L imply the placement of furniture along two connecting walls. This type of layout is used in kitchens of any size – large, medium or small, as it gives the most effective space saving. If the room is ≤ 10 m2, then it is advisable to install an island, a peninsula, or another row of cabinets. Also suitable for corner projects are studio apartments or an interconnected dining room and living room.
- In the L-project, to organize a peninsula, a work table or a bar counter is installed in a spacious kitchen.
- L-shaped project with an island replacing the work area. Another solution is a table with chairs, from which the dining area is formed.
- With an F-shaped layout, the furniture stands along the wall, with one corner being the junction of two walls, and the other being the peninsula.
What is island cuisine, we will consider below.
Island project
The island in the kitchen is a kitchen table with many extras and functions such as sideboards and drawers. The island is assembled at some distance from the furniture set, which makes it a stand-alone design with its own set of options. For example, another tabletop, storage, TV spot.
The island project is not suitable for all premises: the kitchen should be large and not very long.
Who is the island layout suitable for:
- Layout-island in the kitchen with an area of ›15 m2. But the most comfortable option is 20-25 m2.
- Conjugation of the living room and kitchen.
- Large studio apartment.
- A cottage, a spacious summer cottage or a low-rise building outside the city.
U-shaped project
In the U-shaped room, headsets, appliances and storages are installed along three walls. Where can you implement:
- In the kitchen combined with the living room, in a spacious studio.
- In a square or rectangular room 2.5-3.5 meters wide.
- In a large square or rectangular kitchen, where you can place a wide and long dining table, and massive chairs.
- The window sill is at a height of 850-900 mm.
- If you cannot do without the need to spend most of your time in the kitchen.
- If you like to eat and cook in different rooms, and there is an option to take out the dining area into the hall, if a small bar counter or a folding table suits you.
What is recommended to pay special attention to when decorating the interior
Little things that most owners forget to think about right away can create a unique interior design. These are paintings, figurines, house plants, hanging decorations. You can put textile pillows with an original pattern or print on the kitchen couch, cover the dining table with an unusual tablecloth (percale, linen, mati or Teflon) and decorate it with napkins.
When decorating the interior, you need to pay attention to:
- Creation of a working area for the preparation of breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
- Allocation of the dining area.
- A place to relax, you can have a TV, a coffee table or even a small billiard.
Design styles
When decorating your kitchen, pay attention to such styles in the interior as:
- country;
- classic style;
- loft;
- modern;
- Art Deco;
- high-tech;
- minimalism.
Country style
Close to nature and naturalness of materials. The illusion of antiquity and originality, artificial aging of furniture items, pastel colors and out of fashion texture are the main techniques for decorating a rustic style.
Classic motifs in modern kitchens are a timeless theme
The most modern kitchen appliances can be seen underneath the classically decorated facades. Natural materials are the main characteristic of classicism. The main finishing materials are wood and stone.
Zoning a loft-style kitchen can be done in two ways
Ergonomic placement or decorative trim. When decorating walls, leave the brickwork intact or decorate the walls with panels. An excellent solution is a bark beetle or a layer of plaster that imitates an erased surface, an artificial smooth stone or a polished concrete wall.
As a rule, there are no doors in the loft, the whole space is open, so it is simply zoned.
Modernist style
Promotes the rejection of everything superfluous: a minimum of stucco molding, monograms, complex drawings and patterns, muted tones are a prerequisite. Hide away the party sets and glasses, food combines and gadgets that you use once or twice a year – and you have a free and spacious kitchen. This material will tell you about the installation of kitchen lamps under cabinets.
Art Deco kitchens use the right geometry
These are trapezoidal contours, regular patterns. Art Deco is the ultimate in convenience combined with a luxurious interior.
High-tech style
Differs in practicality. The room is flooded with light, there is a lot of free space. This direction uses straight lines, high-tech materials, polished surfaces.
Minimalism
Requires good natural and artificial lighting. The style is characterized by simplicity of decoration, the utmost functionality of everything that should be present, a minimum of color variety.
Choosing a kitchen unit – how to equip
Correctly chosen colors and shades will make the kitchen original and ergonomic. For eating, the color of the room is very important – for example, it raises the appetite of red and its palette, reduces the desire to eat blue and green. How to install adjustable legs for the kitchen, read this article.
Choosing the right color scheme means raising the appetite of the whole family. As a result of the research, a list of colors recommended for decoration was compiled. For example, for dieters, black or white, blue or light blue, and gray are suitable.
When choosing color options, take into account the size of the room.
conclusions
- We carefully think over the location of the output points of all communications, taking into account the household appliances that you plan to install. For example, if there will be a dishwasher and a washing machine in the kitchen, you need to supply water to them and provide a drain.
- We create a regular working triangle by placing the stove, sink and refrigerator so that the distance between them allows us to carry out intermediate technological processes without unnecessary body movements. In short, you need a place to put food taken out of the refrigerator without running around with them throughout the kitchen, as well as a place to process them.
- If your kitchen is spacious and large, pay close attention to the project. The imagination and recommendations of professionals will not hurt. Experiments are essential when choosing a design – this is the only way you can make the kitchen your favorite room.
- Having planned the kitchen furniture and appliances, do not forget to take care of the height of the kitchen apron and the required number of sockets, so that later you do not have to use extension cords or turn on the appliances in turn.