SICC Canada - How To Choose A Kitchen

What do you need to consider when choosing a kitchen?

This list is composed of a series of questions that will guide you through the myriad of choices. Think about your answers together with the family members who will share the kitchen with you, that way it will be easier when you are at the retailer to keep you bearings amidst the compositional, stylistic and technical choices.

Phase 1 - Lifestyle

Do you eat lunch and dinner in the kitchen?

Do you have children?

Do you consider the kitchen a main room in your house?

How many people cook in the house?

Will the kitchen be a place for receiving friends and guests, or will it be used exclusively for the family?

How many people will want to cook simultaneously?

Are there elderly or disabled people?

This first part will help you to imagine the first outlines of your new kitchen. Will it be a modern kitchen, with islands or peninsulas, with separate work areas to allow more than one person to be in the kitchen at the same time? Will you want a snack bar where your guests can sit while you finish fixing dinner? Or have you deduced that the best thing for you is an intimate kitchen, with a large table, and a composition that optimizes space and maneuvering, sink and stove near each other and a handy work surface not too far from the refrigerator? If there are elderly or disabled persons, you will want to consider using easy to open wall units, ergonomic counter tops, custom cabinet heights, and for example avoid making access to the windows difficult.

Phase 2 - Function

This section will help you determine which accessories and appliances to include in your kitchen. Think about what you use the kitchen for:

for cooking in a traditional way?

for cooking in a fast and modern style?

do you use a lot of frozen foods?

will someone use the kitchen for doing homework or other table-top activities?

will the kitchen be used for recreational activities?

will you iron clothes in the kitchen?

do you want the washing machine in the kitchen?

These questions will help you evaluate whether you will need one or two stoves, or whether to choose a separate freezer and so have a larger refrigerator. You will begin thinking about what kind of table or bar you need for eating, whether you need to plan space for a washing machine, or whether you can aim for an island customized with basins and cooking range, thus reducing the space for a table. It will be the job of the expert retailer to translate the answers to these questions into functional compositions. Your job is to think about your real needs, so that your kitchen will not be lacking in any of your fundamental requirements.

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