When building a custom home, your kitchen should be perfect. This is the one time in your residential experience when the kitchen can be the right size, shape, and layout for your personal cooking style. These decisions are important, and yours to make. At Madison Homebuilders, we are dedicated to helping new home buyers achieve a dream home with every construction.
You can design the perfect kitchen layout for your custom home in just a few practical steps.
1. Start with Your Floor Plan
Every kitchen begins with the floor plan. Even building a home from the ground up, your kitchen has a few square feet designated that do not yet belong to the hallway or family room. Determine the size, shape, and confines of your kitchen to define the scope of your kitchen layout design.
If you are building a custom home, start with your chosen floor plan to determine the size and shape of your kitchen, along with pointers on the best places for appliances and counters. Madison Homebuilders offers a selection of floor plans with customization options for each.
Assume that most or all appliances will have their backs to the walls for utility purposes, but that one item like a stove or dishwasher can be mounted in your kitchen island if you have one. Most countertops back the walls, but some extend out to become your “island” in open floor plans.
With your floor dimensions and these facts in mind, you’re ready to get started.
2. Fridge, Sink, Stove: The Golden Triangle
- No closer than 4 feet apart
- No further than 9 feet apart
- No pathway obstructions
- Easy prep and movement form each space
The “golden triangle” of kitchen design relates to the three essential points: the stove, sink, and fridge. When preparing a meal, you will move constantly between these points.
No two points should be closer than 4 feet apart, or further than 9 feet apart so that you’re not cramped or running marathons. The path between these points should not be blocked and your cabinetry and countertops should work with you for easy prep near each space.
3. Your Countertops, Island, and Cabinetry
Speaking of your countertops and cabinetry, you get to choose where to put them. Kitchens typically line the walls with cabinetry, but an open wall might become your sideboard, breakfast nook, or pantry space. Some options include having a shotgun kitchen, an entertainer island, or a wrap-around horseshoe design. Additionally, you can decide whether to have breaks in the countertop or a continuous flow.
Figure out where countertops can be most useful to you and what direction should the cabinets open to be most beneficial. These details make a big difference.
4. Place Your Appliances
Now it’s time for the rest of your kitchen appliances, mostly nestled below the countertop surface. Your dishwasher, trash compactor, wine fridge, secret pizza oven, or any other built-in kitchen appliances should be added at this stage of the design.
5. Improve Your Kitchen Storage Design
Now think storage. The number one kitchen renovation right now is storage solutions, from vertical spice rack drawers to entire pantry systems. Get ahead of the curve and upgrade your kitchen storage design now. Consider hanging pot racks for both decoration and convenience, and hooks inside each cabinet door. Custom cabinetry, pantry design, and built-in slider drawers can make your life your new custom kitchen so much easier. It’s also never too early to start shopping for insert organizers, racks, and lazy susans for the cabinets.
6. Choose a Gorgeous Set of Surfaces
You’ve placed your golden triangle. You’ve established your countertop pattern and your built-in appliances. You know where the silverware will go and how you will store your pans. Now it’s time for the finishers. With a custom kitchen, it’s up to you to choose your color scheme, backsplash, and even your beautiful slab of countertop granite or quartz Build a kitchen you will be inspired to cook in every day using a delightful set of surfaces and finishes.
How to Design Your Kitchen
Not sure where to get started? Designing a kitchen in your mind or as a set of lists can be tough, so it can help to visualize and work with designers who can help bring the design to life as you plan.
Use Virtual Visualization
Use a free interior design app to create a virtual version of the kitchen you want to build. Use the same room dimensions and placeholder sink/counter objects to see how your kitchen layout will work when it’s done. There are tons of apps you can use to see what your space would look like furnished as well.
Design your Dream Kitchen with Madison Homebuilders
Madison Homebuilders is here to help you design your dream kitchen as part of your complete custom home building experience. Start with your selected floor plan and a template for your kitchen layout. You can then work directly with our designer builders to take control of every detail of your kitchen design. Contact us today to learn more.