If there is a place for everything, professional organizers say, everything will be in its place.
This is true in theory, but putting it into practice is up to you and the rest of the family. With proper spaces allocated to all your kitchen items, at least you will have an opportunity to experience organization in that room.
With convenience in mind, here’s one space-planned kitchen:
– The sink area: Soaps, sponges and cleaning towels should be in a cupboard above or below the sink. Near the sink should be draining racks, colanders, chopping boards and rubbish cans with bags nearby. Knives, peelers and such also should be near.
– The work top: Flour, sugar, spices and the like, mixing bowls, baking tins, mixers and blenders should be within easy reach.
– The cooking center: Seasonings, cooking utensils, saucepans and frying pans need to be accessible from the stove/oven area.
– The serving area: Glassware, dishes, cutlery, place mats, napkins and tablecloths, conveniently located near the eating table, will save many steps. It might not be a bad idea to have the salt (or salt substitute) and pepper shakers near too.
There are a number of possibilities for placing the appliances. Like people, kitchens come in many sizes and shapes. If your kitchen is a long and narrow, with everything lined up on one side, you will want to place the refrigerator at one end, preferably the end closest to the eating area. The cook top should follow, but if possible, have a small work counter on either side of the cook top: refrigerator, counter, cook top, counter. The sink should follow that sequence, with the dishwasher adjacent.
With an L-shaped kitchen, try this: refrigerator, counter top, cook top, counter top, then turn the corner to face the sink, then the dishwasher.
With a U-shape or galley-type kitchen, what more do you need than the above-mentioned appliances? More counter space. So use the same configuration, only allow more counter space in between and at the corners.
It is important to know that the most trips made are between the sink and the cooker (stove/oven), so keep these two areas very near, regardless of the shape and size of your kitchen. For example, if you have the luxury of space and would like an island in the kitchen, you might want the cooker to be in the island. If so, try incorporating a sink in the island too so you don’t drip on the floor while going from the cooker to the sink at another spot in the kitchen.