Have you ever had this feeling? When you visit a friend's house and walk around the kitchen, you see that the countertop is spotlessly clean, the pots, pans, and utensils are neatly placed where they should be, and when cooking, you are calm and composed, completing the process of washing, cutting, and cooking all at once. Then, when you look at your own kitchen, the countertop is piled high with bottles and jars, and the cabinets are cluttered. When you cook, you have to run back and forth, and after finishing a meal, you are so tired that you don't even want to eat. What's the difference? It's not about the size of the house or the budget for the decoration. It's about whether you have thought through two things during the decoration planning: how to set up the movement path to avoid getting tired, and how to plan the storage to avoid being messy. Today, let's talk about how to implement these two things in kitchen decoration so that your kitchen can remain tidy and clean all year round.
When many people decorate their kitchens, they immediately focus on the color of the cabinet doors and the pattern of the countertop to see if they look good. But after the installation is completed, they realize that when taking a dish from the refrigerator, it takes several steps to reach the sink; after washing, if you want to cut, you turn around and find that the countertop is occupied by the rice cooker; when cooking, if you want to add some salt, the oil bottle is far away from the countertop, and you have to walk two steps to get it.
A truly functional kitchen should have an operation sequence that is seamless: taking a dish → washing the dish → cutting the dish → cooking the dish → serving the dish. There should be no need to turn back or detour between each step. The most ideal layout is to make the three core points - the refrigerator, the sink, and the stove - form a "golden triangle". No matter what you do, you can handle it with just one turn or one reach. Each step should be necessary and not redundant.
Many people think that the mess in the kitchen is because there are too many things. In fact, it's not the case. It's because the things are placed in the wrong locations. During the decoration process, one should think clearly: where will your most frequently used items be located, and where do you want them to be? Then, in the most convenient position, arrange the most suitable storage method. This is called the "convenience principle", and it is also the most important aspect that should be given careful consideration in kitchen decoration. First, only put the items that you need every day on the countertop.
The countertop is the face of the kitchen and is also the place that is most likely to be filled up. During the decoration, set a rule: only oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and the items that you need every day can be exposed, and the rest should be stored in the cabinets. On the wall to the right of the stove, don't leave it empty. Install a hanging rod or a narrow dish rack. The seasonings, spatulas, and spoons used for cooking should all be hung on it.
When cooking, you can reach for them easily without turning around or bending over. After cooking, you can hang them up easily. The countertop won't get water stains or spills, and the items won't be lost. On the side of the sink, you can hang a draining basket. After washing with a sponge and steel wool, throw them in it. It's dry and hygienic. As for large items like steamers and microwave ovens, if the countertop is not long enough, reserve a built-in position when customizing the cabinet and "hide" them in the cabinet.
Second, the golden area of the base cabinet is reserved for the most frequently used items. Kneeling is the most exhausting action in the kitchen, so the upper section of the base cabinet is the absolute golden area. When customizing the cabinet, this part must be made into a drawer, not a partition. When you pull it all the way down, the contents inside are clearly visible. You don't have to squat down to look through and can reach them easily. The base cabinet directly below the stove is the most suitable place for frying pans and soup pots. Make it into two layers of drawers or a pull-out basket. Put the pots on the bottom, and use a thin drawer on top to store plastic wrap, kitchen paper, and tin foil, etc. When cooking, you can squat and pull, and the pots and paper are right in front of you. The base cabinet below the cutting area is best for storing bowls and plates. Use a partitioned dish basket to place the bowls and plates vertically. After washing the dishes, pull out the drawer easily, and neatly stack them inside without bending over. The cabinet below the sink is damp. Don't put appliances and rice and flour there, but you can put a water purifier and cleaning supplies there. If there is enough space, install a sliding and telescopic shelf, put detergent, disinfectant, gloves, and a few small spray bottles there, close the cabinet door, and it will be clean. Open the cabinet door, and you can easily take it. Don't waste the corner cabinet. Install a flying disc basket. The corner utensils can be rotated to your front. This budget is worth spending.
Whether the kitchen is well-designed or not is not determined by how beautiful it is, but by whether you are willing to go in and cook every day, and whether you can keep it tidy after cooking. I hope that everyone who is currently renovating or planning to renovate their home can create a kitchen that makes you fall in love with cooking.
