Make your Kitchen Functional

Probably the most important thing to consider when remodeling your kitchen is how functional it will be. No matter how attractive your kitchen design may be, no matter how lovely your countertops and cabinets, if you can't use the kitchen well, you'll hate it eventually.

The first thing to think about as you plan is how you feel about your kitchen's current design. What flaws drive you absolutely nuts? If you love the way your kitchen works now and just need an update to its looks, don't make major changes in where major appliances are and where food is prepared. You're too likely to regret it.

On the other hand, if you're going all over your kitchen when you're trying to prepare meals, it's time for a change. Your refrigerator, stove and sink should be within easy working space of one another, with a countertop good for food preparation nearby. I suggest having the place where you store your dishes at the end of the kitchen nearest your table, with your dishwasher nearby. Ideally, the dishwasher should also be near the sink, for easy rinsing of your dishes.

Sufficient counterspace is vital. Two cooks may spoil the broth, but how often do you have more than one person working in the kitchen? For many people, that's pretty often, and you want space for each to work comfortably. You want to be sure that you have sufficient room for any small appliances you use often, while still being able to prepare other foods.

If your kitchen is small, there is only so much you can do to improve your counterspace. Small kitchens may not do well with ovens that stack one on top of the other; instead, the more standard oven/stove is a more practical choice in such instances. You will also want to consider whether to have the microwave be a part of the stove's hood. There is good and bad to this choice. The good is that it is very efficient use of the space. The bad is that if the microwave breaks down, you have to replace the hood as well, adding to the cost. You'll have to decide if this is right for you.

Large kitchens can sometimes suffer from being too large. If you have to take too many steps to work in your kitchen an island may be helpful. It might just be a food preparation area, or you can have your stove and oven or sink installed in the island. This allows the cook to be more social as well.

Cabinet space is another important consideration. Kitchens with insufficient cabinet space or cabinet space that is inaccessable are not pleasant to use. Just about all kitchens will have corners in their cabinets that are difficult to use; the trick is to decide how best to use them. I've dealt with one kitchen that had the corner spaces accessible only through very narrow doors - a miserable use of space.

A functional kitchen makes cooking more of a pleasure even for people who aren't terribly fond of cooking, while a poorly planned one can make even the best cook want to quit. Focus on the function of your kitchen for the best results from your remodel.