At one time or another, we’ve all stood in our kitchens and said, “this would work so much better if it was set up differently.” More often than not, we’re talking about our kitchen appliances.
How many times have you bumped into someone using the stove while you’re trying to reach the fridge? Or found your cooking constantly interrupted because your stove is right next to the snack cupboard your family likes to raid everyday?
A bad appliance layout can ruin what should be one of the best and most enjoyable rooms in your house. It can also be overwhelming trying to get everything to fit in without having to sacrifice counter space or visual appeal.
We have some tricks to help when it comes to arranging kitchen appliances so that your new kitchen renovation in Ottawa is the best kitchen for all situations.
From Big Appliances…
These are the cream of the crop, the kings and queens of the castle. Your fridge, stove and dishwasher are the appliances you will use constantly, and which all other things will be arranged around. There are some surefire ways to help decide where they’ll go.
Establish Your Zones
It is important to have your kitchen designed and organized for maximum efficiency. That’s why we subscribe to the zone method of organizing your kitchen.
There are 5 standard kitchen zones:
- Food Storage
- Food Preparation
- Pots and Pans
- Cleaning and Waste
- China and Cutlery
When you establish where each zone will be, your bigger appliances will fall into place according to where they fit best. For example, your stove will belong in your food preparation zone.
Tip: Consider using integrated appliances in your zones. Having your appliances built in will give your space a more seamless look, and give you more counter space if your appliances are incorporated within the design. It will also let you play with more contemporary appliance ideas. For example, instead of a traditional stove, you could install a cooktop and a wall oven with surrounding cabinets.
Once you are satisfied that your zones will work, you can organize your smaller appliances based on where they would be most useful.
If you are renovating your kitchen, a working triangle is something you may want to consider as well. The working triangle refers to the three major features of your kitchen and the way they are set up: the stove, the refrigerator, and the sink. While using the zone system has become more prevalent in kitchen renovations, it is important to pick a design solution that works for you.
Tip: Appliance size is important to maximizing your workflow. Too small, and they won’t serve their purpose. Too big, and they’ll reduce the amount of space you have for other kitchen features. The best way to decide on size is to think about how much you use the appliance. For example:
- If you are someone who entertains a lot, a bigger oven makes sense.
- If you’re someone who only has a cup of coffee on Sunday mornings, consider a small coffee maker.
Having zones will give you clearly defined work spaces, making it easier to move from task to task. Laurysen Kitchen Galleries.
…to Small Appliances
You’ve decided where the big ones are going to go. Now you can focus on arranging kitchen appliances that are smaller, but no less important.
Keep Establishing Your Zones
This is a little different for small appliances. You want them to be in the most efficient place, but you also have to organize them based on how much you use them. You don’t want a rarely-used mixer taking up a spot by the stove when a microwave or rice cooker would be more useful.
Tip: Purge your appliances like you purge your clothes. Look at the list of appliances you are keeping or replacing. Have you used it in the past year? If not, it might be time to get rid of it.
Using Cabinets
If you have a lot of small appliances cluttering up your countertop, look to your cabinets and drawers. You may have some room that your blender could occupy. Look for some cabinet space near your prep area with some room. It becomes simply a matter of pulling it out when you need it. Keeping it in a cabinet means it’s in reach, but won’t take up space when you aren’t using it.
You may be thinking, ‘won’t it be a hassle to have to pull out an appliance when I want to use it?’ With the proper organization inside your cabinets, it won’t feel like a chore to store your appliances there. We have a few ways to keep your kitchen cabinets organized, which will help you use every nook and cranny your kitchen has to offer.
Our organization tools can make it easier to find everything, including appliances. Laurysen Kitchen Galleries.
Invest in Extra Shelving
We can agree that when we renovate our kitchens, we want all the shelving we can get. The more shelves we have, the more ingredients we can stock, or the more colourful mugs we can keep.
Rolling shelves are a great option if you don’t have the available vertical space. They can be any height you need, and the best part is, you put them wherever you want.
Tip: Having a rolling shelf with solid top can give you more counter space, which you can use during meal preparation. Use it as a place to put your chopping board, and wheel it over to the stove to make transporting your ingredients as easy as pie.
Appliance Garage
Most of us think of an on-the-counter cupboard as a place to store dry goods, or to hide our junk food from family members. It’s also a great place to put appliances.
An appliance garage reduces clutter on your counter but keeps your appliances close at hand, making it easy to use them whenever you want. Just open the door, and voila!
Pantry Placement
If you’ve got a pantry cupboard, it doesn’t just have to hold your baking supplies. It could also be home to an appliance or two.
While you may think arranging kitchen appliances in the pantry is inconvenient, it depends on what you use them for.
Imagine making some hot popcorn for your movie night, and having the microwave only inches away from the popcorn in the pantry. You’re not only saving space in your kitchen; you’re saving yourself valuable movie-watching time.
Large, deep set cabinets make a great place for small appliances. Laurysen Kitchen Galleries.
Hanging Microwave
One tip to clear some counter space is to consider a hanging microwave. With the right microwave and the right installation, it can give you back some counter space, and look good too.
If you are someone who likes to cook and entertain, having a hanging microwave near your stove will help you do more without having to run all around the room.
A hanging microwave makes for a great place to heat up leftovers or prepare a little something extra for a party. Laurysen Kitchen Galleries.
A Good Design Is Key
Arranging kitchen appliances all comes down to the way your kitchen is designed. Our expert team is devoted to finding design solutions for each individual.
We know that just like every person, every kitchen is unique. If you’re in the market for a renovation, or looking to make some design changes, contact us at 613 836-5353. We provide designs that work well and look great.
