How to arrange your kitchen appliances: kitchen layout advice

We often go into the kitchen needing to get something done quickly. And this is when all the things that frustrate you are sure to get in the way. You can’t open the fridge door fully, you bump yourself on the corner of the kitchen table as you shimmy past, and you wipe splashes of residual coffee from the wall where you upload mugs to the dishwasher. The kitchen will often bear the brunt of your daily frustrations.

However, a well-designed kitchen layout and appliance arrangement factors in function as a priority, so if you’re redesigning your kitchen you need to take this into account.

How should you arrange kitchen appliances?
 

Firstly, you need to establish different ‘zones’ in your kitchen for optimum efficiency. Kitchens today include spaces for entertaining, relaxing and work, and are often open-plan. And it’s not usually just one person who’s in charge of the cooking now: there can be multiple people in the kitchen at once. While the kitchen triangle is still a useful basic layout, there is a new five-zone layout which includes connecting areas – for a truly modern kitchen.

Factor in the five standard kitchen zones:

• Food preparation
• Food storage
• Cleaning and waste
• China and cutlery
• Pots and pans

Where should large kitchen appliances go?
 

Once you have chosen where your zones will be, you’ll be able to see where your bigger appliances should be placed. You need to locate similar items together, placing them close to relevant functions in the kitchen for maximum efficiency. When you establish where each zone will be, your bigger appliances will fall into place according to where they fit best. For instance, your hob and oven will be located in the food preparation zone.

After you’ve placed your bigger appliances, you can put your smaller appliances into the plan, understanding where they’ll be most convenient.

You might still want to consider the working triangle as part of your layout: based on the three main work areas: the sink, the refrigerator, and the stove, laid out to loosely form a triangle. The five-zone layout has become more common than the triangle with new kitchens, but you might find the triangle is more suited to your needs.

6 useful kitchen appliance arrangement tips

If you’re still feeling unsure about how to best arrange your kitchen appliances, take a look at our tips below. 
 

Store appliances you rarely use
 

Arranging small kitchen appliances can be problematic. Small appliances are tempting to buy because they make specific tasks easier, but they tend to be awkward shapes with long power cables, so it’s hard to store them neatly in the cupboard. Don’t let appliances take up valuable kitchen surface and cupboard space when you don’t use them every day.

Consider storing small appliances that you use once every three or four months in high cupboards (things like waffle makers, food processors and bread makers). And if it’s an appliance that you use just once or twice a year (like an icecream maker or a rotisserie), consider storing it in another room (in loft space or garage storage, for example). It also might be wise to rotate certain small appliances seasonally, storing the slow cooker in the garage during the summer months, and bringing it back out in the autumn.
 

Keep your dishwasher next to the sink
 

If you’re reconfiguring your kitchen, make sure that your dishwasher is next to the kitchen sink. People often choose to put their dirty dishes in the kitchen sink before they unstack and reupload the dishwasher. This also allows you to easily rinse food from the plates under the tap, before uploading them to the dishwasher, with limited dripping on the floor.

Also, make sure that your food waste bin is nearby for scrapping plates — or for a smoother, cleaner, workflow without the smelliness of a food bin, install a food waste disposal unit in your kitchen sink. It’s also easier for the plumber to use the same cold water supply from kitchen sink to dishwasher.
 

Place appliances together
 

Think of the tasks you do: storing and preparing food, baking, cooking, making tea and coffee, eating, cleaning etc. Then work out what appliances you need nearby to complete each task.

In a busy family kitchen, you should, ideally, place all the hazardous appliances in one area so that you can clearly have that location in your line of vision when small children are around (think pans of boiling water, hot oven doors, a slow cooker). Kettles are notorious for the risk of scalding water on the end of pullable power cords. Stop it from becoming a hazard by replacing the kettle with an instant hot water tap. All InSinkErator instant hot water taps come with a locking safety lever for peace of mind.
 

Consider placing appliances higher up for easier use
 

The level at which you place certain appliances is down to personal preference. You can raise your dishwasher a bit so that you don’t have to bend down so low when stacking and unloading it. You can also raise your oven (but be careful not to raise it so high that you find lifting heavy, hot dishes out difficult). And you can place your microwave up high so that it doesn’t take up valuable space on the kitchen worktop. When your microwave is at eye level, you’ll also be able to check on food in the microwave more easily.
 

Encourage a social kitchen
 

Modern kitchens are often sociable places, where friends and family gather to eat and prepare food as they chat. When you’re planning how to arrange your kitchen appliances, move the appliances into places that allow work zones for more than one person and factor in that extra space. You might also want to locate drinks stations, a wine fridge and a sink with a hot water tap near the breakfast bar or kitchen island, where people will be preparing and enjoying drinks.
 

Keep it symmetrical for aesthetics
 

If you have the space, ‘bookend’ integrated appliances for symmetry. For example, locating an integrated grill/oven and a fridge/freezer either side of your hob. Arranging your kitchen appliances symmetrically will make the kitchen easy on the eye and helps to create a sense of calm and order in a busy place.

If you’re fortunate enough to be redesigning your kitchen, take time to consider how to arrange your kitchen appliances to your complete satisfaction; you can smooth out all those daily frustrations!