Contents
The kitchen set should be not only beautiful, but also comfortable and functional. And for it to really be like that, you need to know some rules by which it is better to arrange furniture. There are a lot of other moments that “climb out” only during use. So that you don’t get bumps (in the literal and figurative sense of the word), check out the tips that have been prepared based on the experience of operating many kitchens. And the kitchen furniture you have planned will delight you, and being in the kitchen will be comfortable and safe.
Of what do
Typically, a kitchen set consists of floor and hanging (wall) cabinets, there may also be a cabinet-pencil case. They are made from different materials – from inexpensive to elite. All of them are not ideal for the kitchen. They have not yet come up with such a material that tolerates high humidity, temperature, exposure to acids, alkalis, abrasive and detergents, while still serving for a long time, easy to clean and looks attractive. Some of the components have to be sacrificed, and sometimes several.
Chipboard kitchen set
Chipboard – chipboard. This material is the cheapest. It is made from shavings and sawdust, which are fastened with a special binder, and pressed into plates or parts of kitchen furniture – facades. The resulting plate and edges are then glued with finishing materials. It could be:
- PVC film;
- plastic;
- veneer.
The cheapest type of finish is PVC film, the other two types are slightly more expensive. With any method, such kitchen sets are the most budget option. But they do not have a very long service life. Most often, chipboard begins to warp near the sink and stove or oven. This type of material does not respond well to elevated temperature and humidity. Therefore, a kitchen set made of chipboard with various kinds of finishes is most often bought for a summer residence, a hostel or other temporary housing.
As you saw in the photo, the appearance and style of a chipboard kitchen set can be anything. And this is only a small part of what can be done. For example, combinations with glass look very non-standard.
Fronts with aluminum framing are suitable for modern or minimalist kitchens. They will no longer be quite cheap, but reliability will increase: the most problematic places will be made of aluminum, and it tolerates moisture and temperature normally.
If we talk about the latest fashion trends, today they make kitchens two-tone: the bottom is darker, the top is lighter by several tones. This technique allows you to visually make not quite elegant cabinets lighter.
What else you need to know when buying kitchen furniture made of chipboard? That the binder used in production contains formaldehyde, the fumes of which are harmful, in large quantities – toxic, and also stimulate the development of cancer. For this reason, the amount of formaldehyde emitted is controlled and, depending on its amount, marked. Before buying or ordering furniture, take an interest in the documents on the chipboard from which it will be made. The certificate must contain the emission class: the Latin letter E and numbers. So chipboard with an emission class E1 is no more harmful than natural wood. Use in residential premises of class E2 is acceptable. The rest – only in non-residential.
One more thing: in almost all kitchens, except for the elite class, the cabinets themselves are made of chipboard. So a kitchen set with an MDF facade in 95% of cases has “insides” made of chipboard. This is also worth knowing.
MDF kitchen set
As already mentioned, only facades are made from MDF. This is wood waste pressed under high pressure, ground into flour. With this technology, binders are not added: at high pressure, they are released from the wood (lignin) and stick together the particles. Therefore, this material is considered safe.
As a result of processing, a dense structure is obtained, which tolerates high humidity well. The surface is painted, pasted over with PVC film or veneer. According to the combination of price and quality characteristics, it is MDF kitchen furniture that is optimal. It is durable, easy to maintain (if the surface is not covered with veneer), has an average cost.
Painted MDF kitchen sets are a great choice. A modern variety of paints allows you to get very beautiful surfaces, and an ultra-durable lacquer coating applied on top extends the service life. For example, a facade painted in blue with a metallic effect can be seen in the photo below.
If you prefer calmer, classic colors, you can do it this way: light, milky, beige, white – all possible shades of the palette.
Fans of high-tech style or minimalism like this material is also suitable. A smooth surface, with a light or bright sheen, matte – it all depends on your desire and the equipment available from this furniture company.
Wooden kitchen sets
Wood is the most expensive material: furniture is almost never made from pine and spruce, as they are very soft, and other species are expensive. Cheaper wooden kitchen sets are made from furniture panels – glued boards, from which the parts of the required shape are then cut out. Furniture made from solid wood is a very, very expensive pleasure. But the price is not its only drawback: a wooden surface requires special and careful care, otherwise it loses all its gloss. If you are not ready to rub it weekly with special products, look for other options.
Since the furniture, to put it mildly, is not cheap, it is designed mainly for large kitchens. Probably, you can order for a small one, but such material requires volume and space. Only then can you see its beauty. In a small room, it will “press” because the furniture set will turn out to be solid and bulky.
Another point: wooden kitchen sets are made mainly in a classic style. Sometimes – modern style or any of the ethno-directions. Others are practically excluded: wood does not fit into the concept.
A cheaper option is the so-called paneled facades. This is when only the frame is made of wood, and one of the cheaper materials is inserted into it: the same MDF, glass, mirror, cheaper wood (for example, pine or spruce).
As you understand, the choice of colors is also poor: natural wood, darkened or lightened. It makes no sense to paint with opaque (creating an opaque film) paints: it is the texture of the tree that is important. If you need colored furniture, MDF is better.
Now a little about the features of operation. Wood constantly swells, then dries out, therefore cracks appear in the furniture. Another point: it requires careful care with the use of special tools. Ordinary detergents are not suitable. They destroy the structure, worsening the appearance. Wood periodically needs to update the color. For this, too, there are special methods and means. So it’s hard to take care of.
Read about choosing a kitchen apron here.
Types of kitchen sets
Now about how to arrange furniture in kitchen sets. It may be located:
- linearly (linear kitchen) – along one wall;
- bilinear (two-row or two-line kitchen) – along two opposite walls;
- corner – in the form of the letter “G” (corner or L-shaped kitchen) – on two adjoining walls;
- in the form of the letter “P” (U or U-shaped kitchen) – on three adjacent walls;
- with an island (island kitchen) – a separate stove, table or sink;
- in the form of the letter G or a peninsula.
The type of location is determined by the size and configuration of the room, as well as the location of communications – sockets, plumbing and drains. It is possible to put furniture on two opposite sides only if there is at least 80-90 cm of free space between them, in extreme cases 70 cm may be enough. Otherwise, it will be too crowded and uncomfortable.
In small kitchens, the most common two types of kitchen sets: linear and angular – L-shaped. Peninsular ones sometimes fit well. This “peninsula” can be made in the form of a bar or a small table. This is often a good opportunity to make a dining area in a small space. The remaining three types of kitchen sets are for medium or large kitchens, but this does not mean that furniture cannot be placed on them linearly or at an angle.
How to arrange
In their research, scientists got to the behavior of women in the kitchen. They noticed that almost half of the time – 45% – the hostess is near the sink. You don’t need to be a scientist to say that in addition to the sink, she often pays attention to the refrigerator and stove. These three items are key when planning a kitchen set. It makes sense to install the sink in the center, and the refrigerator and stove on the sides. This trio forms a triangle, and work surfaces are placed between these objects. This arrangement allows you to spend less time traveling, and more conveniently.
As you can see in the photo above, in the previous paragraph, for any configuration of the kitchen set, furniture is arranged based on this triangle (shaded in yellow). But these are not the only options, arrange everything the way you think is more convenient. It is only desirable to observe the principle of the triangle.
There are some rules that it is desirable to follow
- The stove and sink are not placed in the immediate vicinity. Water and fire nearby is a bad idea. Between them there must be a working surface and it is desirable that it be 60 cm or so.
- On both sides of the stove, it is desirable to plan at least 40 cm of working area.
- From the stove to the upper cabinet (if any), the distance must be at least 50 cm.
Rules for placing a stove in a kitchen set - The stove is not placed near the window. If they put it, then the curtains in the kitchen need to be thought out so that under no circumstances can they get on the stove. The choice in this case is not the largest: roller, Roman, horizontal blinds and classic kitchen curtains.
- The dishwasher is best placed near the sink. The dishes will be easier to put and clean, and the drops will be in one place.
- If one of the cabinets is adjacent to the wall, it is better to make a small panel on the side of the door. Then the door can open completely, which is important if there are drawers inside.
- An oven installed at eye level is not only convenient. This arrangement is safer for children.
Some tips on how it is more convenient to arrange furniture in a kitchen set - Do not install a sink in front of a window whose sashes open inward. In any case, make sure that the sash does not touch the mixer.
- Putting the stove against the wall is not the best choice. Firstly, the wall will always be smoked and splashed with grease, and secondly, an additional work surface is lost.
- Do not put a cabinet with drawers in the corner. Open or not fully retracted, they will not allow you to open the cabinet doors located on the adjacent wall.
Tips for placing furniture in the kitchen - A stove, dishwasher or oven should not be placed in a corner – their body will block access to the end space.
- It is undesirable to make drawers next to the stove: children can use them as a ladder. It is dangerous when the hob is in operation.
- In the closet next to the stove or hob, you can make a drawer for kitchen appliances. It’s really convenient.
Another little tip – make as many drawers as possible. They can be large – for pots, medium – for cereals, small – for cutlery or kitchen utensils and other small things. Everything is much faster in them, pulled out and folded. This is really more convenient than looking for what you need on the shelves.
They do not have to be made of wood or chipboard. More practical from metal wire coated with chromium or a layer of polymer. From MDF, chipboard or wood, only the front part is made.
Another tip concerns cabinets located at the ends. If they are rectangular, then passing by, you will stumble on a corner more than once or twice, bruises will remain. And children whose head is at this level can get more serious injuries. For this reason, it is better to make the side part multi-faceted, or rounded. This will slightly increase the cost of the cabinet, but it is much safer.
The choice of wallpaper for the kitchen is described here and what paint will be optimal, read here.
We optimally equip corners
If the kitchen is angular – L-shaped or U-shaped – you need to properly organize the corner: there is a lot of space, but it is difficult to use it. You can put a corner cabinet. Moreover, the doors should open on the sides and have a width of at least 40 cm. This will make it possible to get to the farthest corners.
Please note that with this design, the entire area is available. They differ only in the location of the second shelf, although it is possible to put sliding drawers there as well.
This version of the corner cabinet is not so convenient: it is very difficult to get to the far corner: you have to almost completely “dive” inside. The way out is to make corner shelves (approximately according to the shadow that is in the photo) and store rarely used items.
This version of the corner cabinet is one of the most unfortunate. When the doors are hung and the countertops are fully installed, it will be very difficult to get into the corner.
It is not always possible to follow all the recommendations, but you need to try. They are based on experience and really make being in the kitchen more convenient.
Cabinet dimensions
If we talk about mass-produced kitchen sets, then the dimensions of the cabinets are calculated based on the average growth. For example, the height of floor cabinets is in the range of 80-90 cm, their depth is most often about 60 cm.
But different operations are more convenient to carry out at different heights. Therefore, cabinets with different heights of countertops have recently appeared – just for different operations. Such kitchen sets are called multi-level. It is also an opportunity to choose more comfortable furniture for people with non-standard height, and also the possibility of a more rational use of space (example in the photo above).
But a different level is not only a plus. The downside is that it turns out to be an open part of the side surface, which does not have the same operational properties as the countertop. She quickly loses her charm. The second minus is the gap into which the remains will be clogged. But this, by the way, is not so critical: you can seal it with a transparent sealant. It is only important to choose it correctly: it should not be acidic.
The depth of floor cabinets in the standard version is 60 cm or so. But it can be more or less and depends only on the dimensions of the countertops produced. They are up to 1,2 meters wide. More than this value can be done only on an individual order, and less – cut off – you are always welcome. You just need to understand that a microwave or oven will not work on a countertop 50 cm or less. But sometimes, in narrow kitchens, such a cut-off countertop kitchen set is the only possible option, at least on several tables.
The depth of wall cabinets is determined based on the width of the countertop – take about 65% of its width. So the furniture looks harmonious. But these cabinets also do not make less than 30 cm: even a standard plate will not fit in them. Wall cabinets in the kitchen can be made wider at the request of the customer: all of a sudden you need to install something more voluminous.
The distance from the countertop to the lower edge of the hanging cabinets is at least 45 cm. The maximum is 60 cm. Most often they make 45-50 cm. The shelves in the hanging cabinets are arranged so that at least two of them can be reached. If you plan to make them right up to the ceiling, you will need a stepladder, or a stepladder stool (there are some).
You may be interested in reading “How to make a bar counter in the kitchen with your own hands”
What are the best kitchen cabinet doors?
Swing doors (No. 1 in the photo) and folding doors (No. 2) in the open state can be traumatic. That’s why they need to be closed all the time. In the case of folding doors, the opening angle can be made not 90 ° but 110 °. So much safer.
Doors that go up parallel to the facade (No. 3) are safe, but if the cabinet is divided horizontally and the doors are separate, then the open lower one blocks access to the one located above. The hinged facade (No. 4) is convenient, but the sash that has risen up overlaps or knocks down objects placed on the cabinets. Often there are decorative dishes or other items for decoration. The most convenient are facades that open up (No. 5). To save space, they can consist of two parts.