 | Ray Fisher, co-owner and General Manager of the Cabinet and Remodeling department at Fisher Lumber. Ray has been serving the consumer, commercial and builders' needs for 31 years in the area of cabinets, cupboards and kitchens. He is a Certified Builder and Installer as designated by the National Kitchen Remodeling Council, and holds a 20-20 Design Certificate from the National Association of Kitchen Designers. You may contact Ray at Fisher Lumber (316) 531-2295, or by email at ray@fisherlumber.com. |
Home Improvement
2007-05-01 08:28:00
Jazzing up the kitchen
We are bored with our kitchen. There isn’t enough room, but we have limitations on adding on. Short of a major overhaul of our home, can you give us some ideas on things we can do? (For Part 2 of this series, please see the June 2007 issue.)
Answer: Sure.Your feelings and concerns are among the ones heard most often. Over the next few issues, we will talk about several topics relative to kitchen design and remodeling. Hopefully they will be of help to you.
First, as you are already aware, choosing the right kitchen isn’t always a question of taste. Personal preferences sometimes clash with the characteristics of the room. Not only the space available, but the shape of the room can vary a lot, so you have to consider all the possible arrangements. Here are a few of the different arrangements one can use depending upon size and shape of the existing room.
Linear arrangement - A linear arrangement works well if the kitchen is very narrow. It is generally better to reserve one wall for the ‘working’ part of the kitchen (washing and cooking areas). If the furnished area seems not large enough, you can always increase it vertically using practical wall or suspended units. That way the rest of the room will remain open enough for easy movement.
‘Railroad’ arrangement (also known as ‘Galley’) - A railroad arrangement is the same principle as Linear arrangement, but with the furniture built up along two parallel walls. This arrangement is recommended when the kitchen is wide but not particularly long. One of the walls will be dedicated to the ‘working’ part of the kitchen, while the other can become a convenient area for preparing meals. The center of the room will stay free to permit easy movement between the two sections.
‘Peninsula’ arrangement (also known as ‘Island’) - A peninsula arrangement might be the ideal choice for anyone who wants to have an area for eating a quick snack or who simply wants an additional place to prepare food. Whether you want it equipped with accessories or not, a peninsula arrangement will always be perceived as modern, captivating and doesn’t disrupt a corner arrangement. The important thing is to leave enough space for people to pass by easily and to sit down (a passage 36 to 42 inches). Availability of space is even more important for a peninsula. It is located in the center of the room and it goes well with a linear or corner arrangement.
Corner arrangement - A corner arrangement works best when you decide to place a table in the center of the room. It is ideal to put the kitchen furniture in the corner. This arrangement is also the best if you have a kitchen which opens without dividing walls onto the dining or living room. The corner where the kitchen furniture resides should always be that which is opposite the dining room.
‘Horseshoe’ arrangement - A horseshoe arrangement can be most ideal, when your space is large enough to creatively furnish it without worrying about problems of space. You could opt for a three-side arrangement. The table stays in the center, food preparation and conversation are distributed to the two parallel sides while washing and cooking share the internal side.
More next month...
