Regardless of family composition, lifestyle and place of residence, the kitchen is always the most frequently used room in the house. It should be comfortable, practical, cozy, beautiful.
Making it like this is a difficult task, but also a very interesting one. We’ll talk about how to equip a kitchen in a private house or apartment in this article.
Sketch of kitchen arrangement
There cannot be general recommendations for planning and filling a kitchen, since the initial data in each case is different: the size of the room, the needs and culinary preferences of household members, etc.
For example, in a private house, certain adjustments to our desires can be made by the absence of a central water supply and sewerage system or the presence of a hatch in the underground in the middle of the room.
Think over and draw a layout
Arranging a kitchen of any size begins with planning . But layout ideas also do not appear on their own - one way or another, the nuances of arrangement will have to be observed in other kitchens. The more typical the area and layout of the room, the more options you can see. The most popular are small kitchens 6 sq.m., 9 sq.m. and 12 sq.m.
After the main “wants” have been collected, you need to visualize them. You can visualize in two ways:
- Come with ideas to the designer-measurement
- Draw the kitchen yourself
If you immediately decided to work according to the first scenario, you can safely move on to the third point of our plan for arranging the kitchen. If you are not ready to entrust the layout to anyone, it’s time to develop it yourself. You can draw it in two ways:
- The old fashioned way, on a sheet of checkered paper
- Using special programs.
The latter can be offline (work without Internet access) and online, like our kitchen designer. Online ones are the simplest and most convenient to use.
Kitchen layout in a private house
The easiest way to solve the problem with radiators under the window is to use ventilation grilles in the countertop directly above them. It’s even better if the kitchen is heated with underfloor heating. Well, when there is a sink under the window, all the dishes that are possible should be washed in the dishwasher. By the way, this allows you to combine business with pleasure and save water. And the width of the tabletop also does not have to be 60 cm - many people order the lower cabinets “for the largest pan,” and the upper ones “for the largest plate.”
Walk-through kitchen in a private house
Often, kitchens in country houses have two exits: to the backyard or terrace and to the house itself. Many people like a walk-through kitchen in a home because it can be a bright, functional and spacious room. With the right approach and design of the room, the fact that the room is a walk-through room may not be a disadvantage, but an advantage. Unlike kitchenettes in apartments, kitchens in individual houses are large, and good natural lighting and thoughtful design create the impression of spaciousness and some solidity.
Nlatisheva FORUMHOUSE user
I want a bright walk-through kitchen for my house (I liked this feature while I lived in Norway), but something like this was not found within a simple square. So I drew the placement myself and am happy.
In such kitchens, designers advise clearly defining the work area, and to make it look isolated, make a podium or even multi-level suspended ceilings. A good option is to plan and install tall kitchen shelving along the side.
But in general, when deciding on a walk-through kitchen, take into account this feature: in a house on the ground, “various dirt will spread throughout all the rooms in the house,” especially if you have children who will always run through the kitchen to the garden and back.
Country life is different from city life, and when designing a walk-through kitchen in a house, this will definitely need to be taken into account. You will spend a significant part of your time in the backyard, in the garden, and when entering the kitchen from the terrace, you will need to hang a jacket or other indoor-outdoor clothing somewhere. If you provide a narrow closet next to the entrance for this, you will thank yourself later.
It may be justified to have two sinks: one for washing dishes, and the other can be made on the island next to the exit to the garden to wash vegetables and fruits.
Gas boiler in the kitchen
The installation of a gas boiler or geyser is supervised by specialists. These devices must stand separately from the furniture (at a distance of at least 3 centimeters). If there are several gas appliances in the kitchen, they should not be located nearby. You cannot install a gas heater above a gas stove. Another important point: the wall with which the device is in contact must be finished with non-flammable materials.
According to the rules, a geyser or boiler cannot be hidden in a closed section of a cabinet, since it must have access to air in the volumes specified in the data sheet. But you can simply make a pseudo-cabinet from two sides and a decorative door, even a lattice one.
Cic255FORUMHOUSE user
In the corner, where there are tall cabinets, there is a closed boiler with a gas pipe.
Looks great!
If the gas boiler in your home is installed in the basement, consider whether you need to route it into the kitchen. Recently, many people are abandoning gas stoves in favor of electric ones. Saving electricity with a gas stove is not that big if you don’t cook from morning to evening, and an electric stove seems to be more practical and modern. True, gourmets who cook oriental dishes in thick-walled dishes that are unsuitable for modern stoves, or brown homemade marshmallows over an open fire, will never give up a gas stove.
When installing a gas stove, keep in mind that the number of burners should be proportional to the size of the room. If the kitchen in the house is small, 8 meters, then the number of burners should not exceed two; in a space of 12 meters, three burners are allowed, and only with a 15-meter kitchen can you afford 4 burners.
Hood
A kitchen hood in a private home should remove unpleasant odors, excess moisture and air pollution from the room. One of the FORUMHOUSE users, having measured the level of carbon dioxide in his country kitchen, realized that the hood should be installed even where you do not live permanently, but come a couple of times a month. Ventilation in a country house is a very important issue.
Many have encountered the fact that the width of a standard hood (500, 600, 800 and 900 millimeters) does not correspond to the size of the opening in the kitchen furniture. And those hoods that fit in size do not fit into the interior at all. FORUMHOUSE user AlekSer always “moves on a creative path” and creates such objects himself.
This is what this country style hood looks like after seven years of successful operation.
If you want to repeat the project, get acquainted with its description, technical calculations and sketch. An article on our portal will help you make a monolithic kitchen with your own hands. And our video will introduce you to interesting kitchen ideas from a specialized exhibition.
Determine budget and style
After planning the kitchen, it's time to decide on the budget and style of the furniture.
To decorate a small kitchen, it is better to stick to light colors and shades - no matter how old this rule is, it really works. But regarding style there are no rules and there cannot be: the main thing is that the room does not turn out to be overloaded.
Features of corner furniture
A popular option is the corner kitchen layout. When making your own furniture, there are several important points to take into account.
To form a corner, both trapezoidal elements and right angle connections are used.
A trapezoid-shaped model will require more space. For this reason, it is common to place two cabinets at a 90-degree angle in a corner.
In order to make maximum use of space, retractable or roll-out systems are often installed. Modern principles of kitchen arrangement and layout make it possible to effectively use hard-to-reach places in the formed corner to organize additional storage systems.
These nuances should be carefully calculated at the planning stage.
Buy or order furniture
Now it’s time to choose a ready-made set in the store, or create your own unique one with the help of a furniture company.
In the second case, call measuring designers from 3-4 companies to measure and calculate the cost. Make sure this service is free first.
During the measurement, it is worth deciding on the most important “little things” for the kitchen - sockets, wiring, ventilation duct and features of the set for its trouble-free installation.
After this, you can move on to repairs and finishing.
What is an apron and why is it needed?
The apron or hob is the distance from the top edge of the countertop to the bottom edge of the set. It absorbs splashes when cooking.
Naturally, the apron should be easy to clean, but it is very important that it has an attractive appearance. Based on this, let’s look at what you can use to make an apron in the kitchen.
Note!
DIY kitchen: step-by-step instructions, selection of furniture + rules for installing the kitchen
- Kitchen with gas stove: design features, photos of the finished renovation
Assembling a kitchen - step-by-step DIY assembly guide, necessary materials and tools
Make repairs
After receiving the finished and final kitchen plan and design, you can safely begin renovating the kitchen. This stage can be divided into 4 stages:
- Dismantling works. It is worth carefully removing all old coatings. It is unlikely that it will be possible to bring the premises to the state of a new building, but it is the proximity to it that will serve as a guide to the quality of the work performed.
- Plumbing work. If the kitchen is not completely old and moving pipes is not required, you are in luck. Otherwise, they will have to be changed or rearranged differently.
- Electric installation work. Redo the wiring, install new sockets. A well-equipped kitchen consists of various little things, and one unfinished socket can ruin all the pleasure of using it in the future.
- Finishing work. Ceilings, walls, floors - it is in this sequence that the room must be finished.
Making a cooking wall - an apron
After completing the repairs, we begin creating the hob wall. The hob is already part of the kitchen unit. The future volume of work, its cost, and the durability of the product itself depend on the decision made on what to make an apron from in the kitchen.
Ultimate kitchen arrangement
After completing the preparatory work, comes the finishing part, for which everything was started - arranging the kitchen!
The most important thing is the installation of the headset . It can be done on your own or with the help of appropriate specialists. Some companies, when ordering a headset from them, offer conditionally free installation (its cost is included in the total).
After the set: dining area, curtains and other decorative items.
Now to the interesting part - a dozen hot cuisines, for the creation of which the owners are just right to be given a medal for labor valor.
Curtains for a small kitchen
Choosing curtains is not the first question in kitchen design. But no less important than everyone else! You need to start from the simplest moments.
If the passage to the window is clear, you can choose floor-length curtains. Long curtains are also perfect for options when the kitchen window belongs to the dining area of the room.
A small window should not be “curtained”. The best option is light translucent curtains or blinds. Roller blinds can be an excellent solution in the design of a small kitchen. Compactness is their main advantage. Due to the fact that they do not extend beyond the dimensions of the window itself, it is possible to place furniture in close proximity to the window opening.
Top 10 most equipped kitchens
White corner kitchen 5.7 sq.m (12 photos)
The kitchen area is small, does not reach 6 sq.m., but thanks to the hostess’s meticulous approach to every little detail, it’s nice to even just look at the kitchen: the light furniture and wallpaper are diluted with bright decorative items and small things, instead of the usual table and stools, it’s a table on leg, and a small sofa made the interior a single whole. The owner herself happily shares the details of the arrangement of this small kitchen.
Do-it-yourself renovation and design of a corner kitchen 5.5 sq.m (18 photos)
The owner of this small kitchen fundamentally does not accept the color white, but thanks to the space saving due to the dining area, the feeling of cramping in the room does not arise. The kitchen cannot boast of any special decorative elements, but the approach to organizing the space definitely deserves respect. Placing the work and dining area by the window is a bold decision, and a pull-out table will still allow you to receive guests. Perhaps the owner simply lacked a woman’s hand in arranging a small kitchen. Do you agree? Express your opinion in the comments to the photo report.
Kitchen 9.5 sq.m. with retro elements (15 photos)
“Our kitchen is a real, warm, very beautiful and cozy home” - this is how the hostess’s story begins. Looking at the photo, it’s hard to disagree with this. Natural materials, an abundance of textiles, porcelain dishes and art objects - joint family creativity helps not only to get closer, but also to truly furnish the kitchen with soul. However, someone will call the interior grandma's - judge for yourself in the photo report.
Stylish corner kitchen in high-tech style (30 photos)
The kitchen was created by a professional designer and we simply could not not include it in our impromptu rating: if only to compare amateur and professional approaches. Someone will say that the issue is the budget – and they will be right. But... with some ingenuity, you can arrange your small kitchen in this style.
Contrasting kitchen 8 sq.m. in modern style (12 photos)
A cozy dining area, plenty of storage space and a maximum working area are almost standard requirements for arranging a small kitchen. But, in contrast to the requirements, the housewife’s approach to the arrangement is radically different: instead of wallpaper there is decorative plaster on the walls, the ceiling is two-color (diagonally!), there is hand-made decoupage on the apron, and a homemade pattern on the refrigerator. Interesting?
Classic solid wood kitchen 10 sq.m. with ceiling beams
Ceiling beams in the apartment? A very risky move! But those who don’t take risks don’t drink champagne. The ceiling beams are real, and to install them, my wife and husband even had to come up with a special lifting device. Three lighting sources, colors close to natural, and brick-like tiles - the arrangement has not yet stopped, but has only been paused.
Design of a budget white kitchen-living room in the Scandinavian style in Khrushchev
The kitchen-living room is a big responsibility, since the kitchen itself should “merge” with the interior into one whole as best as possible. The budget for the creation of this kitchen was already limited, a careless individual entrepreneur added fuel to the fire, but it turned out great. How to disguise a gas pipe for pennies and disguise the schools of an individual entrepreneur.
Ivory kitchen design 12.5 sq.m. with bay window and bar counter
When arranging a kitchen, it’s only scary the first time. After moving, the accumulated experience will no longer allow you to make mistakes and you will have a much greater chance of arranging the kitchen of your dreams. The owner was lucky with the area of the room and the presence of a bay window, but if we discard these two parameters, she has something to learn. A dedicated dining area, the conscious creation of a “work triangle” and a long “nurturing” of all ideas.
Modern orange kitchen 12 sq.m. with a black apron (13 photos)
Mom, dad, two children - how to arrange the kitchen with the greatest comfort for everyone? Cork on the floor, combined wallpaper, a handmade chandelier and many other little things that make the interior truly cozy and practical. But it wasn’t without its flaws, which was due to improper planning of the kitchen arrangement.
DIY kitchen renovation - cheap and cheerful (26 photos)
Who said that arranging a kitchen always means frills and a bunch of unusual solutions? A bare wall instead of an apron, lamps from an old chandelier and walls “like in an entrance” - each decision has its own clear justification. This is what it is, a Slavic loft at a minimum cost. Some people like it, others are quietly horrified.
And in this controversial kitchen we end our impromptu rating! Tell your friends, leave comments and send your kitchens to participate in the next top 10!
Small kitchen-living room. Pros, cons and features
Most often, the question of combining a kitchen and living room arises with a modest square footage. By combining two rooms, the owners solve the problem of cramped space. This decision is not always absolutely correct, because the kitchen-living room has not only advantages, but also some disadvantages.
The disadvantages include the following:
- Refusal of the room. By combining the kitchen with another room, you reduce the number of rooms in your house (apartment). And if we are talking about a “one-room apartment,” then we can consider that the entire apartment becomes practically a single room.
- The need for a unified design. When combining a kitchen with a living room, remember that the style of both zones should be common. Otherwise, a room with zones that do not match in style will look ridiculous.
But, undoubtedly, the kitchen-living room also has obvious advantages. These include:
- Space. By combining the kitchen with the living room, you will get a large free space. A pleasant bonus will be more light and improved air ventilation. By the way, it is worth taking care of a good exhaust hood so that the smell of food during cooking does not spoil the air of the entire room.
- Original design. There is no need to abandon the dividing wall in principle. As an option, leave a large arch that formally delimits the zones of the room. You can also “play” with the difference in floor level. A podium in the dining area will visually separate part of the room without cutting it into parts.
More photos of kitchen-living room design.
Kitchen set assembly
So, when all the parts of the headset are made, you can start assembling. Well, how to make a beautiful kitchen without tools or fittings? They must be prepared in advance. Assembly is carried out in the following sequence:
- The lower tier is being installed.
- Wall cabinets are assembled from blanks.
- The table top is being installed.
- The sink crashes in.
After successfully completing the assembly of the kitchen set, you will become a master in this matter and the question of how to make a kitchen yourself will no longer be relevant for you.
Kitchen materials listing
The most preferred material for kitchen furniture is wood. It has high strength, is easy to process and has good performance parameters. Birch, larch, spruce, pine, oak, and walnut are used to make furniture. The most valuable of them are oak and walnut.
The second row contains artificial materials:
- Medium Density Fiberboard - MDF
- film medium density fiberboards – film MDF
- chipboards
The budget price is their common advantage. Negative qualities are associated with their artificial origin. They are subject to deformation, not fire-resistant, and some of them emit odors.
Next comes the exotic “raw materials”, which in a normal situation are poorly associated with furniture. Well, for example, is it possible to make a kitchen out of stone? It turns out yes. It can be made from brick or from champagne corks.
Properties of materials
When choosing a material for making a kitchen, many focus on its future appearance. But design may not be a primary issue. It is equally important what kind of kitchen is better to make: wooden, chipboard, there are many options. The facade must meet the conditions in the kitchen; it must have:
- Moisture resistance.
- Durability, including mechanical damage.
- Resistance to absorption of foreign odors.
- Aesthetics.
Ceramic tile
The traditional version of a kitchen apron in our country. Currently, trade offers a wide range of ceramic tiles, so choosing the desired design is not a problem. However, this material has significant disadvantages for an apron.
- Over time, the seams lose their presentable appearance, since grease, dust and soot constantly get there, from which it is almost impossible to clean them. They are also an excellent environment for bacteria, which is generally unacceptable in the kitchen.
- Laying tiles requires careful preparation of the surface; it must be perfectly leveled, which can only be done by a professional, and this is an additional expense.
These two noted disadvantages may be a sufficient reason to think about how to make a backsplash in the kitchen other than tiles. Luckily there is a wide choice.
