How to Design Your Kitchen to Optimise the Space for Cooking

The aroma that fills the house with happiness, forms the purest family bond!

And the kitchen is your ultimate goldmine that dispenses the plethora of smells, summoning the whole family together.

While other rooms are designed for great aesthetics, we often overlook the kitchen as just a space for cooking. But what if you can optimise it further for convenience and make it fun!

Here’s a curated list of kitchen design ideas to enrich your cooking experience—

Roll-out shelves for cabinets

Modular designs are considered the saving grace for apartments. Kitchen spaces became less hazardous and congested. Moreover, you can design it according to your preference.

To add more feathers to the cap, we have a perfect hack for your kitchen–

The roll-out shelves (also known as slide-out) are a trending modular kitchen design as it allows extra storage space.

• You can store–large pots, pans, and pressure cookers owing to the adequate depth and width.
• Installation is convenient and budget friendly.
• With roll-out shelves, you won’t have to modify your existing cabinet’s dimensions.

Utilize wall space

You must have noticed that for every dish you prepare, there are twenty utensils piling on the counter. When you just don’t find the right space for smaller utensils, here’s a simple trick, “mount it on the wall”.

Wall shelves for the kitchen are not just practical but also add to the aesthetic of your decor. Plywood, stainless steel, solid timber, edge laminated softwood board, glass plastic– you can choose according to the vibe of the room.

You can rack up–

• Spices collections
• Cutlery
• Ceramics
• Hang your pans and strainers
• Also, add small plants for decor

Tip: Ikea has an assortment of wall shelves to organise your space.

Space around the refrigerator

The refrigerator is the epicentre of the kitchen due to its bulky size and occupied space. It also requires specific placement, away from major heat sources. Here is a reference planned layout for your fridge:

1. Before designing your modular kitchen, plan space for the refrigerator.
2. Now integrate this space within your modular design.
3. Use the overhead area above the fridge for storage. This also organises the idle awkward space around it.

Kitchen Island

These little islands are the new rage in town! This is ideal for open kitchen designs, where these kitchen islands can be used around both kitchen and the adjoining area. It can be used for multiple purposes such as cooking counter or flipped for dining use. There is ample storage space beneath and adds an elegant touch to the room.

The standard size of this island is recommended to be around 40×80 inches.

Quick, cheap, and easy hacks

Coming to the best part of remodelling–low-cost simple kitchen designs, that does not require much time:

Hack 1: The area beneath the sink is seldom used due to the pipelines. Conceal the area within your modular design and use that space for a trash bin. You can also use it to store your cleaning supplies. One of the best kitchen designs is to conceal your appliances, wirings, or pipes for a clean-cut look.

Hack 2: Get rid of bulky packaging of products. Instead, invest in jars and store them to maximise the space. It also adds to the presentable factor.

Hack 3: Accessing things at the back of the cabinet shelf can be tasking. Spinning Lazy Susan is a budget-friendly trick for your pantry. The 360-degree spin enables quick grabbing of things.

Hack 4: Make use of hooks wherever possible! You can also use adhesive hooks to hang towels lying around, or any other stuff that you require frequently.

Kitchen organisation ideas

The ultimate way to optimise space is to declutter and organise.

• Narrow shelves in tall drawers of modular designs are the easiest way to store small containers, thus saving space.
• Organise the pantry using see-through containers, dividers, cutlery separators, and many such products available on Amazon and Ikea.
• One genius hack is to use in-cabinet shelves to double the storage space, optimising the unused height of the cabinet.

Vaastu Shastra tips for kitchen

Whenever you feel indecisive, opt for Vaastu Shastra tips for apartment interiors.

• For starters, the ideal placement of your kitchen should be facing the south-east direction. The north-west direction is suitable as well in case the former is impossible. (Avoid north, north-east, or south-west directions.)
• Due to the Agni or fire element, most appliances such as gas stoves, microwaves, toasters, cylinders, ovens etc. should be placed in the south-east part of the kitchen.
• Similarly, the water element factors such as washbasins, dishwashers, water pipes, and more should be placed in the north or north-east direction of the kitchen.

Basically, no matter what your preferences are, these simple tricks will help in sorting out your kitchen. Also, present that authentic chef-style cooking vibe; so why not give it a try!

FAQs

Q1: Are modular kitchen designs on the expensive side?

A: The market standard suggests the average cost of a budget-friendly modular kitchen starts from INR 50,000- 2 lacs. It can go up to INR 10 Lacs for your more elaborate designs.

Q2: How long does it take to remodel the kitchen?

A: You must align at least 4-6 weeks for complete remodelling, which also includes cleaning and final touches.

Q3: What direction should the kitchen be facing according to Vaastu Shastra?

A: Ideally it should be south-east direction, but north-west works too.

Q4: What is the ideal colour palette for the kitchen?

A:  2022 has its official “colour of the year” which is brown hues. But green will always remain the “It colour”. Experiment with these two palettes or choose both as contrasting colours for overall earthy tones.

Q5: How can I make the kitchen look more spacious?

A: The trick lies in the lighting arrangements. Open your windows and let that natural light in. Used layered lighting for more depth to the room.

Another trick is to use a light colour palette for the kitchen for a roomy appearance.

Q6: How to design a kitchen when it is adjacent to another space, for e.g.: the dining room, or living room?

A: For an open kitchen, always make sure that both spaces complement each other. Use some common decors or contrasting colours for both. Also, let the flooring be constant to avoid a tacky look.