Attractive kitchen designs and shapes

By Pocyline Karani

Kitchens are often ignored yet, without them, no home would be complete. Kitchens are very important spaces that serve as the heart of the home. It is the hub for cooking, eating and entertaining for some.

Because of all the activity that goes on in a kitchen, it is important to have one that is not only attractive but functional too. It must be the space that inspires you to cook fantastic meals and to socialise, all the while staying as clean as possible.

Top-class modular kitchens, architectural elements that add lavishness such as crown mouldings, latest appliances, stylish hardware and fixtures become the highlights of today’s kitchen. You could hire a professional decorator, which is often too costly. If in such a situation, you need to plan and implement the renovation projects yourself.

If you have an idea of what you want to achieve, the task becomes much easier. With the wide variety of materials, fixtures and cabinets available in the market today, it is easy to achieve the kitchen design you have visualised and still keep it practical.

There are three basic kitchen functions to consider in order to create an ideal kitchen: storage, preparation and cleanup.

Fitted cabinets are one of the easiest yet cost effective means of refashioning your kitchen storage. With ready-made kitchen cupboards available in all colours, all you need is cash and the time to shop around.

Functional unit

According to Design Forty (a design company in Nairobi), most kitchen designs for the last few decades have been based on three standard layouts — U-shaped, L-shaped and the galley kitchen. All these make use of the classic work triangle concept that basically positions the three major kitchen components — refrigerator, cooker and sink — in a triangular pattern.

This was determined to be the most efficient layout in the Western world back in the 1950s after a research study on kitchen usage showed that most women "stayed home during the day, worked alone in the kitchen, cooked most foods from scratch and needed storage space for about 400 items".

There is need for efficiency, convenience, traffic spaces, distances between items, countertop and cabinet space. Multiple workstations within the kitchen allow more than one person to work efficiently without getting in another person’s way.

Work centres are a little less formal than a classic work triangle since you can create a station anytime. However, decent counter space must be available next to a major appliance or sink.

Adding an island functional unit at the centre of the kitchen is one of the most common ways to add multiple workcentres into a kitchen. These stations can become major workcentres if a second sink is added or the cook top is pulled away from the wall and set into the island. Even without an island, you can create distinct work centres simply by separating the microwave oven and the cook top/range.

Sink types

Finishing materials are another critical part of the kitchen makeover process. These are cabinets, countertops, flooring, kitchen sinks and appliances. Cabinets come in two styles — frameless and face-framed. Each style has a variety of doors, wood and finishes. Cabinets vary in degree of construction quality so look for small details like rollout and tilt-out drawer features.

On the other hand, countertops are another aspect of the kitchen you could play around with. The material used range from the very expensive yet durable solid surfaces or granite to the less expensive but attractive choices of ceramic tile and laminates.

Flooring offers a wide variety of choices ranging from ceramic tiles, sheet vinyl and wood with a variety of textures, designs and price. Ensure your colour choice complements the fittings.

Kitchen sinks come in various materials such as cast iron, stainless steel, solid surface and plastic. Styles of mounting are either top mount or under mount with a combination of sizes and features. They can be single-bowl, double-bowl, deep or shallow.

The choice for kitchen appliances involves built in or free standing styles. The ready fitted cabinets in town are flexible to accommodate your refrigerator, cooker, dishwasher and microwave.