PLANNING AND FUNCTIONALITY OF THE KITCHEN

I promised to return with material that will help you plan a functional kitchen. I recently had the opportunity to plan it from the very beginning. And the visual aspect was taken care of by Magda and her design office Kształt Rzeczy, I felt functional:) First I confessed to Magda what I like and what I do not What colors and colors I would like to have in my apartment. For the convenience of communication and not to read my mind - I prepared boards on Pinterest to indicate what I like in a given inspiration. This is a brilliant facilitation.

I thought I would describe my experience from the moment of planning, when we started with completely empty walls. Already at this stage, you need to make a lot of decisions, such as the functional layout of the kitchen itself, water and electricity connections, additional contacts, etc. It will be quite extensive material and I hope that you will get to the end:) I want to describe the whole process, not only the cuttings. So, put your hands on it, let’s start. :)

FUNCTIONAL LAYOUT

When designing a kitchen, it is worth adapting it to the requirements of the household and the functions it is supposed to fulfill. Working with the architect, you will first receive proposals of the functional layout and only after the approval is the preparation of the visualization - so then you will see how the furniture will look like:)

We spend a lot of time in the kitchen and it is worth making sure that we are comfortable to use it, therefore, it is worth thinking about the placement of all elements and taking care of ergonomics. There is such a concept as a working triangle - that is, it is nothing else than an ergonomic layout in close proximity of 3 elements: A refrigerator, a sink and a hob. It is primarily about preparing meals, having everything at your fingertips, regardless of the size and shape of the kitchen.

It is also worth remembering that there are rules for the working triangle. These are:

the refrigerator should be located at a distance of 1.2 - 2.1m from the sink,

the sink from the hob should also be at the same distance, i.e. 1.2 - 2,1m,

in contrast, the hob should be placed at a distance of 1.2 - 2.7m from the refrigerator.

It will be great if between these devices we take care of countertops, which will help in more efficient operation.

I wanted a simple form and well-planned kitchen in terms of storage and functioning. After all, the kitchen has the shape of the letters L, but not so typical, because in the collapse there is a ventilation pole.

Going from the right side - that is, right on the right side of the ventilation pole, there is a refrigerator, and next to the post with an oven and a microwave. There is a storage space under the oven in the form of cargo. Both above the refrigerator and the adjacent part with the oven and microwave - there are shelves for things that are not used very often. Shelves can be removed and adjusted in height to suit the contents.

We move to the other side of the kitchen - going from the left side were planned 2 posts of cabinets with a width of 60 cm. These cabinets have drawers and this is the lower space for storing cutlery, plates, kitchen utensils, etc. And here we have a great space to prepare and put a kettle or coffee machine. Another cabinet - this one with induction hob. Below are shelves that can be used to store pots, pans, etc. Then - a sink and a cabinet with garbage bins. I chose a one-chamber sink with a drainer and already at the stage of installation I decided which side the drainer would face - it fell on the right. Thanks to this, on both sides of the sink we have another place on the worktop, so that, for example, after removing things from the refrigerator - put them close and not run through half the kitchen:)

VISUALIZATIONS

When I approved the functional plan, Magda sent me visualizations of the kitchen and I did not change anything in them:) This color combination was sitting very much for me and I realized it. I just changed the color of the countertop and “put” the mosaic between the cabinets instead of the suggested solution.

THE NEXT STAGE IS A DIRTY CONSTRUCTION WORK, THAT IS, ADAPTING THE CONNECTIONS TO OUR PROJECT

And then we start:) the construction work began. In this case, it involved transferring all connections. At the stage of buying an apartment, it was no longer possible to introduce developer changes, so we were waiting for the walls to be broken and the transfer of water and electricity. Here, the documentation received from the developer, including shillings and electrics, proved invaluable to ensure that all these transfers were safe. My Contractor forged only the necessary scope so as not to patch too much. But for the first two weeks when I entered the apartment, I didn’t see much progress. Unfortunately, this is such a stage on the construction site, where we pack a lot of cash, and the effects seem to be poor:)

Due to the fact that in cooperation with Magda I chose only the functional and visual part from the offer - I took care of the executive. Deciding on a full option - these drawings are made by the Architect and supervises the construction works - several visits to the construction site are included if I remember correctly. The executive version of the project aims to clarify the implementation of the elements contained in the project. Thanks to such an executive project, the contractor knows how exactly each element of the project prepared by the architect should be implemented and specifies what materials are to be used for finishing.

For my Contractor I prepared all the details, all the plans, where I drew the arrangement of all the necessary elements. Later we verified them on a living organism in the apartment. We spent the most time on transferring all contacts to connect household appliances and the whole plumbing, because we moved it from one wall to the other. This needs to be really well planned, so that later you do not use some Alpine combination when connecting.

Before assembling kitchen furniture - if we choose a different material than glass between cabinets - eg tiles, or as in my case mosaic - we must have it laid earlier. Glass, lacobell - is assembled after furniture assembly.

Here let me briefly digress about my search for this perfect kitchen solution for me:) I was looking for something white and simple for a long time, because I wanted to avoid classic combinations. The length of this space is 3.6 m, so any glass fell off, because the maximum length is 3.2 m.. I did not want classic tiles - because again connecting. But in the mosaic I did not mind:) I liked their non-standard shape and coloration. I found the mosaic in the Merkanda store, where I ordered a lot of things for the apartment - I made a lot of laps there and it got into my hands :) as you can see, the patches of the mosaic itself do not have regular edges, so to get a rectangle - they had to be cut. I wondered how much my boss cursed me. In order to avoid some fuckups during the laying itself - first the mosaic was laid on the floor in the shape of this dimension, which should be on the wall. So it was a good Tetris and a tedious job when it comes to the execution itself. I was glad that I chose the bathroom and the floor to the apartment, which went much faster :)

See for yourself how it turned out:)

PRICING FURNITURE AND FIXING DETAILS

What is worth remembering - it is necessary to find a company that will make our furniture well in advance. The implementation dates from measurements are between 8-10 weeks. I sent my question in March, and the measurement took place in August:)

By sending a request I sent visualizations and my executive drawings to clarify what I mean. I also pointed out that I care about the matte finish of the fronts, colors. We left the selection of handles for the time of measurements. You can order them together with the furniture, or you can choose them separately in another place, and during installation they will be mounted.

MEASUREMENTS, FINAL CHOICE OF MATERIALS: COLORS, TYPES, ETC.

Finally, the day came when we were able to measure the furniture. To measure, we need to have floors. Otherwise, companies usually do not want to take measurements.

I chose materials, their colors and we started:) I know that in the kitchen, drawers are the most convenient in the world to store, but I went on budget compromises and where you could live without it - shelves were created. Systems with drawers are more convenient, while about 3 x more expensive due to the mechanisms with the so-called silent closing and turbo-resistance to continuous closing and opening. The bottom line of the cabinets and the right side where the refrigerator is located is equipped with simple minimalist edge handles in black. When ordering furniture - I determined their length and type - and for the assembly came ready, clipped to the right size and previously painted black.

However, the top line of cabinets does not have handles - the fronts have been made longer than the cabinets themselves and they are opened simply from the bottom. Inside the upper cabinets there are shelves. The only cabinet, which is always basically written for loss - is the cabinet with a absorber - because, when this device is built into the cabinet - there is not much space left. But the storage space in this case I would not worry - because the cabinets are 100 cm high and you can really accommodate everything there, even assuming that we have a lot of things. To further illuminate the worktop - in the upper line of cabinets, a led strip was installed.

HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES

After measurements, and before installation, you need to have purchased household appliances. If you have an under-cabinet absorber - it should be handed over to the carpenter so that he immediately built into the cabinet. After purchasing all household appliances, you need to give the carpenter the parameters - this is important for built-in equipment, especially those with non-standard dimensions.

I will not write about the choice of household appliances, because each of you may have completely different preferences and needs.

ASSEMBLY

Then get ready for Armageddon :) the carpenter and the crew bring the whole maidan. We took almost the whole staircase. Many things come already twisted - like cabinets, drawers. On site are set, leveled on the feet, the fronts are mounted, set and fastening the handles. With the built-in household appliances option - the men also assemble these appliances, i.e. put them in cabinets in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Remember the important thing - usually carpenters DO NOT connect household appliances. I do not mean contact connection, but connection of induction hob, hood, dishwasher, hydraulic sink connections, do not silicone etc. It is worth asking about it before, because I think that some contractors can do it - a matter of arrangements, costs and powers. And here we smoothly move to the stage: AFTER THE ASSEMBLY :) In this case, I arranged your Golden Hand for the next day. He came, checked what he needed, did the shopping, and then the rest was connected. As for the induction hob - this connection should be made by someone with permissions and stamped on the warranty. Sometimes the store where you buy your equipment can recommend someone your own, so it is worth using this option. Or if it is a new building - you will certainly find leaflets of people who offer their services in the elevator.

Here, for comparison, I add information about what Ikea implements in the framework of kitchen installation.

In Ikea, the assembly price depends on several issues - on the total amount of furniture ordered, on the weight - it generates transport costs, and on whether household appliances are ordered in Ikea or outside - then the price of connection is different.

Finally, I would like to add that my kitchen design assumed the use of furniture from Ikea, but finally I chose the version of the design to size, because I wanted the materials from which the furniture was made in the entire apartment to match.

A small throw at the assembly armageddon and the kitchen not finished yet:)

CLEANING AND ORGANIZING INSIDE :)

Once all the teams are gone, we can start cleaning and organizing inside.

The interior of the drawers has been equipped with gray PASSARP mats, so as not to draw the interior and so that things do not move. The other lower shelves are lined with VARIERA silicone mats

Cutlery and cooking accessories received bamboo cartridges for VARIERA drawers in this variant

and such.

For the sorting system I chose the HALBAR series with retractable guides. There were two smaller containers and 1 large ones.

I will give you a few more cool containers, which I really like to store in the kitchen and not only.

Variera white containers - available in 2 sizes.

Vertical partitions for storing lids or cutting boards.

Plate storage holders.

Inserts for the spice storage drawer.

Shelf inserted into cabinets - to optimize storage

Containers for dry food - available in several sizes.

KORKEN series of glass jars, or 365+ series

I love this series! It can also be used in the oven and comes in several variants.

Maybe one of you is at the stage of arranging the kitchen and this information will be useful to him:)