When you're figuring out how your kitchen will be designed, it goes without saying that you'll need to ensure that there's enough storage space.
We're all fairly familiar with the kinds of things that need to be stored in kitchens. These include crockery, cutlery, utensils, food, pots and pans, and cleaning up gear, even in the most basic of kitchens.
How much storage space do I need it my cabinets?
You can never have too much storage space in your kitchen, and different layouts and limitiations will necessitate different configurations, but as a rough guide for one and two person households there should ideally be at least a length of 2.7m of base cabinets, and approximately 2.4m of overhead cabinets.
A kitchen for a household with three or more people should have 2.7m of base cabinet storage, and approximately 3.3m of wall cupboards.
Cupboard shapes and sizes
If the cupboards don't meet the recommended sizes, they should be extended with a pantry fitted with shallow, shaped shelves that prevent foodstuffs from being lost in dead corners. It's a good idea to make the pantry shelves about 150mm shallower than the cupboard, so that light, frequently used items like herbs and spices can be stored in racks on doors.
Remember that most kitchens accumulate a selection of bulky and heavy pots and pans. Where possible, accommodate for this by including a deep drawer to store them near the stove. A drawer, unlike a cupboard, won't force you to contort yourself into unnatural shapes and risk an injury when you're lifting heavy cookware.
Even if a dishwasher isn't factored in as a part of your original design and you're set against the idea, it's a good idea to make allowance for it to be fitted later on. The lack of provision for a dishwasher is a serious shortcoming in a modern home, and if you do have a change of heart further down the track you'll be extremely grateful that you don't need to sacrifice too much precious cupboard space for the privilege.
