A good kitchen starts with how you cook. How many people work in it at once? Do you shop daily or store a week's supplies? Will you eat here or in a separate area?
Follow the journey of your food
Draw the route from the entrance to the fridge and pantry, then to washing, preparation and cooking. The fridge–sink–cooker triangle can help the discussion, but also check worktop space, the dishwasher and circulation for people who are not cooking.
In a kitchen with an island, test appliance doors and occupied seats. Do not add an island just for its appearance if it interrupts necessary routes. Simulate serving a meal and clearing up.
Choose appliances before positioning connections
Give the design team the appliance models or their technical requirements. Coordinate electrical and plumbing points and the extractor duct with the furniture and ventilation design. The electrician specifies circuits and protection; a furniture plan is not an electrical design.
Provide the dimensions and expected loads of wall-mounted units. The designer must determine backing and fixings before walls are closed. Include worktop lighting and access for maintenance.
Useful checks
- Can the fridge and drawers open fully?
- Does the open dishwasher block circulation?
- Is there room for separated waste, supplies and small appliances?
- Will the sockets you need remain accessible after fitting the furniture?
- Does the table work with every seat occupied?
Often forgotten: trays, bulky containers and appliances used only occasionally. Take an inventory of your current kitchen before ordering cabinets.
Corners, drawers and doors: test them together
Draw the fridge, oven and dishwasher open. Ask the supplier about opening clearances and ventilation requirements for each model. Check whether fridge drawers can be removed and whether handles on adjoining runs collide.
In a corner, actual access to belongings matters more than the volume shown on a sketch. Ask to see the mechanisms demonstrated and consider where heavy pans will go. Compare solutions against what you store, rather than the number of accessories in a catalogue.
Small needs that take up the worktop
List appliances used every day: coffee machine, kettle, food processor or toaster. Add space for bread, drying dishes and charging devices if that happens here. A worktop drawn empty may become inadequate as soon as you move in.
Possible regret: “We have plenty of sockets, but they are all behind appliances.” Coordinate positions and access with the electrician and final furniture plan; do not improvise with extension leads near water or heat sources.
A kitchen under a sloping roof
For an attic-level kitchen, check the headroom where you stand in front of the worktop and beside tall appliances. A cabinet may fit under the slope while the person using it cannot stand comfortably. Check opening doors and their relationship with windows.
Discuss the extractor and its route before closing walls or the roof. Do not assume a duct drawn later can pass through any part of the structure.
Test a complete dinner
Imagine preparing, cooking, serving and clearing a meal. Where will hot dishes go, using surfaces intended for that purpose? Who can pass when the dishwasher is open? Where does waste go? Note bottlenecks before ordering.