Kitchen Planning: Integrating With The Rest Of Your Living Space
Flow between rooms is important. Doorways to dining areas must be wide enough to comfortably carry hot dishes back and forth, the connection to a family room may need to be close to handle casual meals or clean-up after take out and you may want a clear path into the kitchen from the main entry that bypasses the more formal living areas.
In all of these cases the motion should be as unobstructed as possible and should end in the kitchen at a specific destination. Dishes from the dining room will be headed towards the sink or dishwasher but you’ll want a place to pile them up as you clear a table quickly. You may also want easy access to trash receptacles and recycling bins when eating take out or throwing a party.
Connecting to the Outdoors
Today interaction between the kitchen and outdoor living areas is very important. Besides creating clear pathways between parking areas and the kitchen storage areas, we spend a lot of time outdoors cooking, entertaining, gardening and relaxing. Access to deck or patio areas is important. Because these areas are only used during good weather, you can avoid airlock doorways involving multiple doors and design a clear path into the room. Gardeners will want access too for homegrown vegetable preparation and/or flower arranging.
