The kitchen is a room you spend a lot of time in. If it functions well, life is on track. If it's difficult to work in, you'll start and end your day stressed
With today's emphasis on casual living, cooking and eating habits have changed and the kitchen design reflects this. For a start, there is less need for a separate dining room — today's kitchen is often an open-plan space that's being made to perform a multitude of tasks, such as entertain friends, supervise the children's homework and run the house as ‘the family business’. To make the best use of your space, identify all the activities that will take place there, both cooking and non-cooking, and then allocate the zones.
Food preparation
Preparing and eating food is the center of the action in a kitchen. Try to gear the design of this area to the type of food being prepared: fresh and fast warrants long countertops with easy access to the fridge and freezer. Worth considering, too, is how many cooks there will be in the kitchen. Plan the countertop storage so it can take knives, chopping boards and utensils. Food storage should be only a step away.
Cooking
This zone depends entirely on your preferred cooking style. Today, there's more emphasis on grilling food, as well as wok and stovetop cooking, and the consequent multi-burners and indoor barbecues have expanded the potential of the cooking zone. Singles and the time-poor can get by with only a cooktop and microwave, but if you cater for more than five people or you like to entertain, give space to at least one oven or a heavy-duty range.
Eating area
Open-plan blurs the boundaries between food preparation and eating areas, so you may want to give back a degree of privacy to the dining area. Consider locating the table away from the mainstream of kitchen activity or partially screening it from the view of people moving through the open space. Locate a cupboard for storing glasses, china and so on near the dining table. And before you buy a dining table remember to measure it to make sure it will fit in the room.
Cleaning up
Washing up becomes easier if you choose a sink or dishwasher based on the amount of cleaning up you generally do. Even with a dishwasher, you'll still need a deep sink for washing pots and large platters. To move and work comfortably, allocate up to 1 ½ feet of space on the active side of the sink and above the dishwasher. If you install a smaller rinsing sink as well, this will extend the space. The sink area itself demands lower cabinet storage for cleaning supplies, perhaps a bin for food scraps and a container for recycling cans and glass.
Entertaining zone
Today, the question of where to entertain is answered quite simply: in the kitchen. Bound up as it is with an increasingly informal style of eating, the kitchen can be dressed up or down, depending on the party. If you enjoy giving cocktail parties, assign the breakfast bar another job. If you have large gatherings, make the focus of your entertaining the dining table and extend the mood to other areas of the living space. For television viewing, restrict the size and position of the set so it doesn't intrude when guests are around. And if you're the consummate entertainer, allocate storage for wine, a drinks cabinet and a spot for CDs, DVDs and videos.
Storage
Appropriate storage should be planned around the activity zones of sink, cooktop and fridge. Plan a mix of cabinets, shelves, drawers and cupboards. Storage requirements essentially depend on whether you like eating in or eating out. If you cook with plenty of fresh produce, you may not need a large pantry, but you will need storage areas away from the hot and steamy cooktop. For the busy family or the convenience cook, a well laid out pantry is imperative. Functional storage is all about organization and access; when starting from scratch, sit down and make a list that includes absolutely everything you'll want to store in your kitchen.
Breakfast
breakfasting in the kitchen is more than a lifestyle choice; often it's the place where the family gathers before leaving home for the day. Plan the location of the table early on when designing your kitchen. Consider the best source of natural light and make sure the spot is out of the traffic route. If you have children, include a breakfast bar in the L-shaped or open-plan layout of your kitchen. An island bench under which stools can be tucked is just as good. But if morning rush hour means breakfast on the run, just allocate a food take out space at the end of a countertop.
Cooling
Cold food storage is a lynchpin of the modern kitchen. Before you buy a fridge or freezer, look at whether your cooking is focused on fresh foods or convenience foods; how often you freeze meals; and whether you shop daily, weekly or less often. No matter how big or small your fridge/freezer is, make sure it's only a step from the food preparation area and can be easily accessed. And if you want a bigger combined fridge/freezer, remember to allocate enough floor space. Under-the-countertop fridges or ones integrated into the cabinets are less flexible but more discreet.
Communications
This zone usually evolves by accident, not design. The kitchen is the center of the home, and it's where you chat and leave messages for other household members, so consider the advantages of a dedicated communication station here. Set out of the main traffic route, it's where you can make phone calls in peace and recharge mobiles, receive faxes, use the computer to e-shop, and find keys, shopping lists and school notes in a hurry. A corner spot or a small table is ideal, but remember to factor in the position of power points and cables and storage for disks and stationery.
APlus Interior Design and Remodeling is an award winning, Orange County based family owned company that has serviced Orange County for decades. Many of their customers are referrals from previous satisfied customers. APlus Interior Design and Remodeling is a proud member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) with a team of professional interior designers, engineers, and craftsmen.
After the cabinet construction was complete, every appliance was updated. A Wolf 36” Sealed Burner Rangetop makes a statement with its red control knobs beneath a new white and stainless steel striped hood. Behind the rangetop, brushed stainless steel Maniscalco tiles form a shimmeringl full height backsplash. Wolf L Series Built-In Double Ovens were installed to the right of the Sub-Zero 48” Refrigerator, which has been outfitted with custom white panels to match with the kitchen’s upper cabinetry. Choosing a double convection model for the oven provided the homeowners with a kitchen better able to accommodate their frequent cooking and baking. Next to the ovens and just beneath the new 1 ½” straight stone edge Bianco Romano granite countertops was placed a Wolf 24” Drawer Microwave Oven.
This is a complete home remodel Yorba Linda’s residents will be envious of. If you’re looking for general contracting Yorba Linda/Orange County experts that can help you create the same type of stylish change in your home, contact us today!
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Brand new stainless steel appliances were installed, matching the subtle traces of silver found on the cabinetry and walls. A Windster Wall-Mounted Hood over a Jenn-Air 30” Pro-Style Gas Range takes center stage, while to the right, sleek Jenn-Air 30” Combination Microwave & Wall Ovens line up beside a 25 cu. ft. LG 3 Door French Door Refrigerator in a premium stainless steel finish. The left side of the kitchen boasts a 32” x 19 ½” Blanco Performa Cascade Super Single Undermount Sink composed of 80% solid granite and a minimalistic Jenn-Air Dishwasher. Eleganza Eco-Tuscany flooring in Vanilla serves as a handsome blank canvas upon which all of this can shine.
The sitting area and hallway of the entry space features Johnson Hardwood from the English Pub Series in Maple Brandy Wine, which also runs into the dining room, and further back into the home, the living room. Palisade baseboard casings and crown moldings add neatness to these spaces. Passing through the hall is found a handsome built-in hutch with custom cabinets in the same white maple construction and craftsman style as the laundry room. At the fireplace wall, once again the mosaic tile theme is present, surrounded by the same ivory flooring tiles found throughout the rest of the home.
Are you a homeowner interested in getting your own Orange County home remodel? Contact us today to get a quote from our expert contractors.
Check out the video of this beautiful Home Remodel in Tustin Orange County.
Please view some of our beautiful kitchen pictures on our "Pictures" page. 
