The house is a three-bed end-of-terrace and the kitchen hasn’t been renovated since it was built in the 1960s, apart from painting the walls and getting some new appliances to replace ones that broke down!

As you’ll see from the attached plans the room is pretty small but a fairly regular shape, with just a small jog in of the interior wall. Just one window at the end.

The wall facing the doorway is an exterior wall so I plan to have an extractor venting to the outside.

I would like to have an high-level oven rather than one built under the worktop.

Currently I have a washing machine and dishwasher in the kitchen but I plan to move the WM to the garage so don’t need to find space for that.

A bit of background about who’ll be using the kitchen, currently it’s just my wife and me (got married last summer) but we do plan to have children in the next 2 or 3 years, and we probably won’t be moving for a while.

We both like to cook (although my wife does tend to do most of it!) although with the size of the kitchen we’re under no illusions that it can be used for anything other than food preparation – it’s not a place to loiter!

Which brings me to the plans… you’ll notice the door marked, that is how it is currently but it opens right into the middle of the room and takes up too much space (not to mention blocking the planned fridge position). So I plan to replace it either with a bi-fold door hinged at the other side, or (preferably) a sliding door that will open along the wall and fit in the gap beside the fridge.

The sink is currently on the wall to the right of the window, so the water pipes are in that corner. We’d like the sink under the window and then it would make sense to have the dishwasher in the corner to avoid lots of new plumbing.

My concerns about this plan:
1) Fridge and oven next to each other. We’re planning to keep our existing fridge-freezer there so it won’t be built in and we can leave a gap, I assume it is OK to have these next to each other?

2) Fridge right in the corner. Hopefully with my sliding door plan this will be easily accessible (I envisage having the door open most of the time and only shutting it if doing heavy-duty smoky cooking!)

3) The wall cabinets in the corner to the right of the tall oven unit. It seems a bit weird having these less deep than the oven cabinet, might make opening the cupboards awkward?

NB Although we are thinking of Adel Beech, the actual layout of shelving/drawers etc is nothing like final – at this stage we are just playing with basic layouts then we can fine tune. Also the filler pieces aren’t necessarily in the right place – I assume we would need some more filler beside the corner cab at the oven end?

Sorry for such a long post, but any feedback would be appreciated!

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Kitchen knives are imperative when you cook. And if you want to get good food, you have to get good kitchen knives. For more results go to www.cajuns-recipes.com. You might even go on a bender just a bit for acquiring the best knives. The good news is that you will not need an entire store of knives to satisfy your cooking needs. Essentially, you will need three types of knives forming the basis of your kitchen tools necessities.

First, you need a chef�s knife. Its size ranges from 8� to 10�. The bottom edge of the chef�s knife should be coiled. Keep in mind that this is your main kitchen knife. The coiled bottom edge is useful as it moves easily on the chopping board. If you are looking for an adaptable knife, the chef�s knife is what you are looking for. You can chop onions, carrots, tomatoes, and even herbs with it. But you can also cut various types of meat with it and you can even have a cake nicely slices with such a knife.

Second, for the special purpose of slicing bread, you will need a serrated knife. Typically, bread knives are serrated. Most skilled cooks suggest a serrated knife that has sharp serrations as a replacement for undulating serrations. Sharp serrations mean improved control of the knife. You can choose different sizes for serrated knives. Longer serrated knives (8� to 10� long) will do a nice job slicing uncut loaves, while a shorter such knife is ideal for smaller bread types, such as bread rolls that you use for making sandwiches.

Finally, another of the basic kitchen knives is the paring knife. Its size is small, ranging from 2� to 4�. The paring knife is perfect for peeling fruits and vegetables, for slicing miniature items, and for other types of detail work, particularly when the food is in your hand.

Of course, your set of kitchen tools cannot lack a sharpening steel. Keep in mind that no knife is going to do a good job if it is not sharp enough. A sharpening steel will complete your set of kitchen tools marvelously. Do not worry; it will not occupy too much space and it will be very easy to use. Grasp the knife in your dominant hand. With the other hand grab the sharpening steel.

The steel point should be pushed into a firm waist-level plane. Grasp the knife base and place it at the tip of the steel in an angle of 20 degree. Then, gradually get the knife downward the steel. You will need to drag the knife back for the full sharp edge to go against the steel. Next, do this again for the other face. You need to do this four or five times. After you are finished, the knife should be rinsed and dried.
No set of kitchen tools is complete in the absence of good kitchen knives. Remember also to always keep close by a sharpening steel. Your knife will be of no use if it is not sharp.

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www.chicken-wing-cookbook.com

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Keep electrical switches, plugs and lighting fixtures away from water sources and wet hands. Building codes require that every electrical receptacle be grounded and protected with ground-fault circuit interrupters, which shut off the room’s electric current if there is a power surge or moisture is present.

Think about traffic flow. If your kitchen is anything like mine, there will be a lot of foot traffic flowing through your kitchen. With that in mind, it is important place key appliances in areas where that foot traffic will not interfere with your cooking. Locate microwaves conveniently above the floor to avoid reaching to retrieve food. Slide-out trays and bins in base cabinets make storage items more accessible and eliminate bending. Avoid putting a range near an entrance or exit. And lastly, avoid sharp corners on the ends of countertops, especially islands and peninsulas, by having them rounded.

Regulate water temperatures. This is particularly important if you are going to have children using the faucets in the kitchen. Install faucets with anti-scald devices that prevent water temperature from rising to dangerous levels, or buy pressure-balanced valves that equalize hot and cold water. Faucets are also available that can be pre-programmed to your desired temperature setting.

Use proper lighting. Good general lighting, supplemented with proper task lighting that’s clearly focused on a work surface, can greatly decrease your chance of injury while preparing a meal. Also, the lighting should not produce any glare or shadows on the surface.

Keep a fire extinguisher within reach. While it is best to have a fire extinguisher within plain site, it is not always going to fit in with your decor. If that is not an option, keep it under the sink or in a pantry that is easily accessible from every point in the room. Never store an extinguisher near or under a cooktop or range. If a fire is to occur, those areas will likely be the cause and make an extinguisher stored in that area unreachable.

Find a safe cooktop. Avoid being scalded by steam from a boiling pot by staggering burners on your cooktop or have one straight row of burners. Choose a unit with controls along the side or in the front. When children are around, it is also important to install knob guards on the stove to prevent a child from accidentally turning on a burner and severely burning themselves, or even worse.

Use slip-resistant flooring. The dangers of slipping and falling, especially when you may be carrying hot food, is pretty obvious. A slip-resistant material on your floor, such as matte-finished wood or laminate, textured vinyl or a soft-glazed ceramic tile, will do the trick. If you select tile or another smooth surface, try using a throw rug with a non-skid backing as an added precaution, especially around areas that get wet.

The codes vary from state to state and in some cases, city to city, so it is important to consult a professional if you are not 100% sure of the building codes. There are many free resources out there that can guide you through some of the industry standards if you do a quick search on the internet.

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Find out where the experts go to get all of their kitchen cabinets and accessories. Learn how to save thousand on kitchen cabinets by buying them where contractors and builders shop.

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When creating a country kitchen design, you should feature natural materials and colors and have comfortable furnishings that are warm and welcoming. Country kitchen examples are to use open shelves, plate racks and cupboards for storage for items such as stoneware pots, glazed earthenware, baskets and glass jars. Your antique or reproduction plates and dinnerware collections can also be displayed on open shelving. Pots should be made of copper, cast iron or stainless steel without ornamentation.

Cabinets can be made with aged planked surfaces, natural materials with a rough or distressed finish and round or ceramic knobs that will add to the country style. Cabinets or furniture made of a painted, distressed or naturally-finished pine can be a beautiful key element in country kitchen design.

The materials and their colors used for the floor and countertop are important elements to have a country look. For the countertops, use ceramic tiles, hand-painted tiles, slate, stone or marble. If you decide to use laminate countertop materials, select plain colors for coverings. Terracotta tiles, brick, stone and wood are popular flooring materials in country kitchen floors.

Since most home buyers consider kitchen islands an essential part of a desirable kitchen, be sure to include one in your country kitchen design. The island in the kitchen reminds us of the farmhouse kitchen where the work table was used to do most of the food preparation work. If space is very limited, consider choosing a rolling butcher block that can be moved to the most convenient location as needed.

If there is space for kitchen furniture, consider using some antiques or reproductions in your kitchen. And the antiques do not have to be perfect. If chips and scratches exist, all the better since these imperfections only will add to the charm and unrestored look of the furniture. Having some wear and tear to maintain the country kitchen design flavor is fun and it works!

The country look is always rustic, old and warm and colors used in this style of home decor must be selected carefully. Neutral colors such as white or bone can work well as can earth tones, red barn, blues and greens. All are appropriate colors for country-style home decor.

Country home decorating frequently uses stenciling and wallpaper. Stenciling can be used around windows, in the areas where the walls and ceiling meet or even on the floors. Stenciling also can be used effectively on furniture to add charm to a country-style home decor.

To really create a great look, you can even add a fireplace to your kitchen for a charming country-style home decor look. You will find you have many to choose from including free-standing ventless fireplaces that can be simply positioned where you want.

Planning is an important part of country kitchen design before you actually do the work. Organize your ideas in a notebook as you accumulate them. Have fun as you go through books and magazines, visit local showrooms and search online for country kitchen examples and ideas that you like.

Well-designed unique country kitchens add value to homes. Even if you do not intend to sell your home anytime soon, having a country kitchen design that reflects your personal style means you will have a very special place to enjoy for many years to come.

Copyright 2007 InfoSearch Publishing

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Learn more kitchen design online ideas and how to decorate country style. David Lee Buster is VP of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.yourdreamloghome.com – a popular website for those who love homes.

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Food is the most important aspect of life that we cannot get away from. It has been associated very closely with the heart. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, if music be the food of love, aphrodisiac foods, all cultures have sayings, beliefs and rituals regarding food and love.

Fitted kitchens have gone from being considered a luxury to being expected as standard. They are a fashion trend unto themselves and many a verbal battle has ensued behind the scenes with women over their kitchen pride.

The fitted kitchen as we know it has come on a long way in the last 100 years. Especially if you are a resident of Japan. Early Japanese homes consisted of one room with a central pit where a fire would be constructed to cook food over.

As the whole system became safer, the pit was moved to the end of the house. For the richer people, a ‘kitchen’ was actually a separate building. This removed all cooking smells away from the living area and also removed the danger of burning down the family home. How could they not possibly enjoy the acrid smell of burnt toast?

By the Heian period (794 – 1185) the first use of the Japanese word Daidokoro was recorded. This was only for the very rich and consisted of four separate rooms that were used for food preparation. The word actually meant ‘pantry’ at the time but has since come to be known as ‘kitchen’.

Fitted kitchens today often have a fancy stainless steel creation of an oven as the centre of attention and indeed, the cooking area has always been the main focus. The first Japanese stove was made of clay and sand with a hole in the front for fuel and a whole in the top for a pot to be sat upon for the heating of food.

By the 14th century, stoves with two holes were available followed in the 1600′s by multi-holed stoves for the wealthier. An Irori was a popular secondary stove which involved removing a section of the wooden flooring and having a fire pit, also meaning it could be used as a heat source.

For smaller portions of food a ‘Hibachi’ was made. This was a small, deep pot partially filled with sand and ash along with a small fire. It made a safer, quicker alternative to building a complete fire.

Water facilities came much later in Japanese kitchens. Primitive wells were built and improved upon for ferrying water into a house but the bamboo system was only used for storing water for a long time.

Today, fitted kitchens usually come complete with dishwasher. I still think this should be considered a luxury but back in ancient Japan, a split Bamboo drainer was suspended over a hole in the ground for washing and draining. This was not as unhealthy as it might sound because the Japanese were rarely meat eaters and all food scraps were carefully collected for compost – recycling at it’s earliest!

This was the standard kitchen for many years until after the second world war when architects were able to make drastic changes while rebuilding the towns and cities. Influences from America and Europe were beginning to dominate in the field of fitted kitchens and as more and more properties came with the luxury of speedier electronic appliances, the kitchen itself was raised up off the floor to the level we are now comfortable with.

Early modern fitted kitchens were often unaffordable to the general population, often costing the equivalent of three months wages but the whole country has gradually caught up with the rest of the world.

Japanese kitchen designers are now taking the lead in designing high tech modern fitted kitchen, with the use of stainless steel and bamboo and are true contenders for the lead in the culinary kitchen stakes.

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Design expert Catherine Harvey looks at how fitted kitchens developed through Japan.

Article Source: Populate.net

The kitchen room of the house typically provides a space for storing food, an area for food preparation, a method of cooking the food and also an area where waste can be disposed of. Modern kitchens also tend to have an area where people can sit and eat the food that has been prepared.

Whilst kitchens have always comprised of somewhere to make food, somewhere to store food and somewhere to cook food modern kitchens take these roles a little further. Modern kitchens contain appliances that make these functions much easier. Kitchens often include sinks for cleaning and preparing food to be cooked as well as cleaning away after food has been prepared and eaten. The cooking section of a kitchen has developed from fire cooking to electric ovens which make it simple to regulate the cooking of the food.

Dishwashers have also come into use to make the cleaning up process much easier. The refrigerator has revolutionised the world with people now able to store food safely for weeks without having to worry about it going off quickly.

Modern kitchens also contain appliances such as microwave ovens. These devices are used to heat food quickly. It is often used as an effective method of reheating food and has become an item that is found in nearly all kitchens. Many kitchens also have a use beyond food preparation and socialising.

Many kitchens often have a washing machine for keeping clothing clean and also an ironing board for ironing. This means that the kitchen is also the room in which many households keep their clothing clean and prepared for the people that live there. It is often the busiest room in the house as many of the daily activities take place in the kitchen. As a result the kitchen is very often considered the heart of the house. This is because most kitchens contain a table at which the family congregate to take their meals. As a result it is one of the main areas in the house in which people socialise.

The role of commercial kitchens is slightly different to the kitchens at home. Commercial kitchens are designed to create food quickly, cleanly and in the most efficient ways possible. This means that the focus of the commercial kitchen is to create food. These kitchens rarely invite diners to sit in the kitchen as there is often a separate dining area.

These kitchens often have to take a very strict approach to cleanliness in order to appease public health laws. These establishments are as a result regularly checked by health officials so that the food that is served is cooked properly. These kitchens are often designed with a close eye on making sure that food is prepared efficiently. The kitchen is as a result designed to make it easier to prepare large amounts of food for many different people.

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Shaun Parker has been designing kitchens for many years. He shares his experiences to help you find the best italian kitchens and appliances on the market.

Article Source: Populate.net

When designing your kitchen, you must consider:

1. storage space

How many cabinets are needed for the size of the room? How many shelves are required in the cabinets? What will be the locations of these cabinets?

You must also decide how these cabinets will fit around essential appliances in the kitchen.

2. lighting

The kitchen needs to be bright and airy. A dark and musty kitchen is not only unattractive but can also be unhygienic.

Kitchens need specific lighting for the purposes of food preparation. Ambient lighting serves as general lightning that gives the overall kitchen illumination. The best thing to use here is some sort of fluorescent tubing arrangement.

You can obtain direct lighting, for example aimed at the cooker and kitchen sink, by using conventional recessed lights, surface lights or light fixtures that are on a pendant or chain.

3. appliance space

In addition to the major appliances such as cookers and refrigerators, you also need to design in the locations of microwaves, televisions, telephones etc. These additional items can increase the beauty of your kitchen and help you to sell a lifestyle aimed at the upper end of the market.

4. the work triangle

This connects the three major points of a kitchen: the cooker, refrigerator, and the sink. The longer the distance between these points, the greater the effort required by the potential user.

There are 5 basic shapes to any kitchen design:

1. Single wall

The one-wall or single wall kitchen has all the work centres along one wall, which gives the least efficient plan. This type of kitchen is best for small homes and apartments.

2. L-shaped

The L-shaped kitchen gives a huge amount of continuous counter top space. In this style of kitchen, the work centre is on two adjacent walls, a natural triangle is formed and the traffic bypasses the work area. Space permitting, this design allows for the inclusion of a dining area.

3. U-shaped

In a U-shaped kitchen, a continuous countertop and storage system surrounds the cook on three sides providing maximum efficiency. Traffic flows around the work area not through it and simplifies the cooking process.

4. G-shaped

This is generally a modification of the U-shape but adds an extra wall of cabinets and appliances as a peninsula or fourth partial wall.

5. Corridor/Galley

This plan offers a single cook-efficient workspace with closely grouped work centres on parallel walls.

When designing your kitchen, you should consider the above as a minimum to ensure a quality final product that not only provides a great working environment but also adds value to your property.

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Dr Javaid Kiyani is a successful Property Investor and Internet Marketer. His vast knowledge of property investment is evidenced by the books he has written. For a FREE course including regular advice and tips on property investment, please visit:
http://www.hmopropertyriches.com

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