The kitchen, often referred to as the heart of the home, wears a number of hats in the overall home blueprint. Kitchens serve a number of functions including family breakfast, evening meals, homework sessions and family game night. These rooms are prone to high traffic volume and have to stand the wear and tear from family members, guests and even pets.

A room that plays such a vital role in one’s home requires special detail to design, function and layout. When it comes to space planning, it is important to create a work triangle. This will cut down on excess movement by centering your workspace. The triangle is composed of the refrigerator, sink and oven. These appliances support the three major tasks completed in all kitchens:

1.     Food Storage – The major player in food storage is the refrigerator. Pantry, cabinets, and rack systems may also be pertinent depending on the space at hand.

2.     Cleaning/Prep – The kitchen sink and surrounding counter space is crucial for any functional kitchen and should not be overlooked.

3.     Cooking – Ovens and cooktops are the third major component in the work triangle. While other appliances now have a role in many kitchens, the range is still tops.

One exception to the work triangle is the one-wall kitchen. This is when the floor plan of a home has a long wall and all the appliances lay along the wall, thus eliminating the option of a triangle layout. This is definitely not ideal but in some apartments and smaller homes such as cottages and bungalows this is all the space that is available.

One-wall kitchens are definitely considered a space saving design. The work area is compact and all appliances and work areas are easily within reach. They are designed to have one cook in the kitchen. The floor space is long but when numerous people enter traffic jams are likely to occur.

One tradeoff with a one-wall kitchen is reduction in storage space, especially underneath the counters. There are many features that can alleviate some of the frustrations. One is for the upper cabinets go all the way to the ceiling and on the hard to reach shelves use a sturdy stepladder and place items that are rarely used or are seasonal. Pots, pans, and daily used kitchenware can be stored on open shelves for easy access and also used as a decorative display. Other helpful decorating ideas are using lighter colors and natural light to make the room appear larger than it is. The use of color and light combined with open shelves or racks can really open up the look and feel of a one-wall kitchen.

The refrigerator should be placed so that when the door is open it doesn’t impede traffic flow. The door should open away from the sink and stove so when cooking or washing one can quickly grab a drink without having to interrupt the cook’s task.

Sinks are used for both food preparation and clean up and should be arranged at the center of the appliance line. To make the one-wall kitchen as functional as possible, 12 to 24 inches should lie between refrigerator and sink with 24 to 30 inches lying between the sink and the cooktop. Additionally, there should always be at least 12 inches on both sides of the cooktop. Remember that these measurements are minimums- if there is more space available, take advantage and expand your countertops. You can never have too much workspace in a kitchen!

Although one-wall kitchens are not ideal for gourmet chefs or larger families they are incredibly efficient, simple, and inexpensive to design and build.