Alfred Hitchcock once proclaimed that “Happiness is a small house with a big kitchen”.

Now, as a provider of homes of all sizes, we’re pretty sure happiness can be found in homes large, small, and in between – but we won’t deny that he’s right about one thing – everybody loves the kitchen.

So, it makes sense that you’d want to spend some time getting the interior decoration of yours just right. So we’ve put together a few words on how to do just that. 

Planning

Kitchens are unique in terms of interior design in that the bulk of the decorations within them come in the form of appliances.

Sure, you can colour code these appliances, employ different wall colour schemes, and implement a variety of themes in the kitchen (as you would any other room), but the best way to create the ultimate kitchen is through layout and planning.

We know, we know – in a world of fawning over gorgeous kitchenware and sleek appliances, planning is about as exciting as watching something stew in a slow cooker (minus the delicious reward).

But there’s just no escaping that planning is such a crucial part in successfully crafting the perfect kitchen. In fact, it’s uniquely important to kitchens. Sure – planning is important when it comes to designing the layout of any room – but the difference here is that the kitchen is used almost exclusively as a place of function – even when using it as a place of (active) relaxation or entertainment.  

This means that when planning, you’ll have to think beyond mere aesthetics and feng-shui. You’ll also have to take into account how each design choice will allow you to operate in the kitchen.

Start by asking yourself how you’d like the kitchen to function in your home. Do you enjoy socialising in the kitchen? If so, you’d probably be wanting to go with an open planned kitchen/living room setup, or at least have a separate area for working and entertaining.

Regardless of whether you plan on using your kitchen as a social venue or not, you’ll also need to create a space that’s easy to work in. And that’s where a particular insider secret comes in.

The Kitchen Triangle

Introducing the kitchen triangle – interior designers have been using it for aeons. 

As with all triangles, it’s made up of three main points: the sink, the oven/cooktop, and the refrigerator. As you’ve probably realised by now, each of these kitchen staples makes up a sort of “triangle” in the kitchen (hence the name “kitchen triangle”, brilliant right?).  

The rule of thumb goes like this: the “triangle”, or the space between each of these things should be no smaller than 1.2m, and no larger than 2.7m.

From a visual standpoint, if the sink, oven, and fridge are closer than 1.2 metres of each other the kitchen will appear cramped. Practically, it will also make working in the kitchen difficult due to the lack of space, especially if more than one person is involved.

If the distance exceeds the max (2.7m), then running between each appliance will get tiring before long, and the point of the kitchen is to consume calories, not lose them.

Hitting that sweet spot in between will keep the kitchen intimate enough to allow for effective movement between each different appliance, whilst maintaining enough space for couples cooking and socialising.

As a bonus, the kitchen triangle was developed by an industrial psychologist who designed it to be as aesthetically pleasing as it was functional. Now, industrial psychology isn’t our area of expertise (creating affordable and customisable homes is), but since it’s been used extensively in the interior design space, we’ll take her word for it.  

Let Us Help

Lastly, if you’re building a new home with Trenz, we can also help you with the planning and production of your kitchen. Over the years of designing and building homes, we’ve built up a strong relationship with a network of kitchen suppliers, and we put this to good use for our clients. We’ll work with your local kitchen suppliers to provide a range of design and pricing options to get you a kitchen that is, much like our homes, perfectly tailored to your budget and lifestyle. 

Kitchens really are the best. But in order to have one, you’ll need a house. That’s where we come in. Click here to learn more.