Kitchen Makeover for a Working Kitchen

If you are like millions of other homeowners you probably think about a major kitchen remodeling project from time to time.  There are many possibilities including cabinets, appliances, lighting, counter tops, flooring, sinks & fixtures, paint & wallpaper, window treatments, etc.  If you are a serious cook, may we offer a suggestion for your new kitchen layout?  You probably will look at scores of beautiful new kitchen designs on the web and in the various home decorating magazines.  These are great sources for layout, design, style, themes, colors, and appliances.  But the great majority of these designer kitchens are not organized for serious cooking.

The shortcoming of their layouts is that there is nowhere to actually “cook”, meaning the mixing, measuring, beating, blending, rolling, kneading, etc., that is a large part of serious cooking.  In order to have proper room and the layout for serious cooking on a continuing basis, you should plan on at least four feet of clear counter space to one side of the stove or cooktop.  If your new kitchen layout has less room than this, you will be missing out on the opportunity for an exceptional level of convenience day-in and day-out as you cook.  Of course, wonderful meals and dishes can still be made in a somewhat less convenient kitchen, but if and when you have the opportunity, it will be a great improvement to have the proper room to cook.

If you look closely at the designer kitchens on the web and in the magazines, you will find that virtually none of those kitchens have the recommended four feet of counter space next to the cooking surface.  Four feet of empty counter space is not optimal if the objective is a pretty picture, so you will almost never see that situation.  Likewise the professional kitchen designers won’t plan adequate cooking room unless it is brought up by the owner.  Likewise if you look closely at some of the great cooking shows on TV such as Barefoot Contessa, you will see a kitchen with 2 cooking surfaces.  The designer fancy stove will be in the background for appearance, and the working cooktop will have a very large section of free counter space next to it.

There may be other special features that you want to consider if you are planning a kitchen for serious cooking.  There are a lot of accessories that you can build-in with your new countertops including cutting boards, marble pastry boards for rolling out dough, etc.  These accessories can add to your convenience since they are right where you need them and ready to go.  If your plans include a lot of enjoyable cooking in the future, give yourself plenty of room and convenience in your new kitchen layout.