FITTED KITCHENS

Are you in it for the long haul?
Fitted kitchens are permanent fixtures and constitute the majority of kitchens in most people’s homes today. Fitted units and surfaces are easy to maintain and keep clean. They provide exceptional structural stability and an optimum use of space. If you decide on a fitted kitchen for your home, it’s simple to get the sleek, effortless look of planned cabinets and built-in appliances.

Freestanding kitchens are solitaire units that can be placed like furniture in your kitchen space.

Planning, remodeling and designing a kitchen includes taking a few decisions that will help you to get a better deal where you can be comfortable while cooking in the future. Here are the things that you must decide beforehand:

• You may choose from fitted kitchens that occupy less space and have more storage space.
• Lifestyle of the family - A single person that cooks rarely will prefer a minimalist's kitchen while a kitchen for a large family that is used quite often throughout the day needs a lot of storage space, groceries, cutlery and crockery and all the kitchen tools, equipments and appliances along with the sitting area for the family dinner gatherings.
• Seating area - A small kitchen may accommodate a small breakfast table while a big kitchen may have the dinner table set to cater to the whole family. You may also use a part of your dining/living room as the kitchen to make more space for the seating arrangement.
• Placing of refrigerator - Fridge should never be placed near the cooking hob as the appliances may not work properly. The ideal placement of refrigerator is between the entrance of the kitchen and the cooking area where all the members of the house can easily access it.
• Kitchen Shapes - Efficient kitchen is one that allows easy movement and enough space for sink; counter for food preparation, cutting and chopping; and cooking area. The most popular shapes are galley kitchens, two-way galley kitchens, L-shaped kitchens and U-shaped kitchens.
• Galley kitchens are the ones where all working areas are next to each other, have less storage space and require lot of movement.
• Two-way galley kitchens provides for storage space below the worktop, cupboards are placed on the opposite wall for easy access to minimize walking movements, is more compact and must have enough between the two galleys to avoid bumping.
  L-shaped kitchens provide more workspace and storage area, walking distance is minimized and corners of the kitchen can serve as the dining area.
• U-shaped kitchens have the most workspace and storage area, has less floor area and are not for claustrophobics. In case, your kitchen seems too small, you may use one of the legs as a breakfast bar or provide for an island counter instead.
  Decide on the kitchen layout, starting with the placement of sink, preparation area and hob, the placement of fridge and the service points for water, electricity and gas.
  Ventilation points and daylight should be kept in mind too.