Your preferred style of cooking, be it elaborate cuisine for entertaining, or quick reheating of convenience food, whether you are a solitary or sociable cook, how frequently you cook at home, and the number of people you regularly cook for, determine the type and location of cooking appliances.
Do you want to face into the room while working at the hob? If so, consider a centrally placed cooking area.
Would the type of hob cooking you enjoy benefit from an easy-to-control fuel, such as gas or induction?
Would a wipe-clean ceramic hob surface make kitchen cleaning less of a chore?
If you enjoy gourmet cooking, would you benefit from a hob fitted with extra features, such as a barbeque grill?
Would an extraction system be useful to help dispel cooking smells? If so, would a permanent or retractable hood be more suitable in the space above the hob?
Do you regularly cater for more than five people? If so, is your oven big enough, or would a double oven or heavy-duty range be more suitable?
Would you like to have the capacity to prepare, reheat, or defrost meals in an instant? If so, have you allowed space to accommodate a microwave oven?
Eating:
Think carefully about the sort of meals that you would like to eat in the kitchen, whether just breakfasts and snacks, or lunches and suppers, the number of people that sit down to eat at any one time, and how often you entertain. These decisions will help you determine the size and type of table you need, plus the dimensions and best location of the dining area.
Do you want to eat in the kitchen or would you rather eat in a separate room?
What meals do you specifically want to eat in the kitchen?
How many people do you want to be able to seat on a day-to-day basis? Do you want to entertain in the informal surroundings of the kitchen? Have you planned the location of the table so that it has a good source of natural light, is draught-free, and sits away from the main kitchen activity areas?
Would a foldaway table or small corner table be more suitable if space is limited? Would a bar eating area around a central island be sufficient? Would a built-in window seat or banquette rather than chairs help you fit more seats around a table?
Is a hardwearing tabletop an important requirement?
Washing up and waste disposal:
Make washing up and food recycling simply by choosing the sink, drainage space, and dishwasher on the basis of the amount of work you have to do.
WASHING-UP:
If you use a lot of plates and glasses on a daily basis, is it worthwhile investing in a dishwasher to save time? If the dishwasher is going to be on while you are in the kitchen, have you checked that it has a quiet operational noise level?
If you use many large pans, do you have a big enough sink to be able to wash them up properly?
While washing-up, do you want to Face the wall or have a window view, or perhaps Pace into the room?
Will you dispose of all kitchen waste, or are you going to recycle some of it?
Do you have space in the kitchen to store recycling bins for items such as newspapers, bottles, and cans, or will they be stored outside, or in the garage?
Would you like to store food waste for a compost heap? If so, have you a bin next to the preparation area for food scraps?
