The Studio by Nandita Manwani

Home Design Vaastu Shastra – Episode 2 – Best practices in Kitchen design

Kitchen Design, kitchen interior design, Modular Kitchens, Vaastu for Kitchen Design
One of the most tricky spaces at home in terms of design is the kitchen as it needs to be ergonomic, utilitarian, maximizing storage space as well as good looking all at the same time. The fact that the kitchen has "hot spaces", "wet spaces", "work spaces", "wash spaces"...(I guess you get the idea) complicates the design even further.I am giving below some practical best practices in kitchen design that I have learnt ...

Well….am back after a looooong break. Have been neck deep in work these past few months.One of the most tricky spaces at home in terms of design is the kitchen as it needs to be ergonomic, utilitarian, maximizing storage space as well as good looking all at the same time. The fact that the kitchen has “hot spaces”, “wet spaces”, “work spaces”, “wash spaces”…(I guess you get the idea) complicates the design even further.

I am giving below some practical best practices in kitchen design that I have learnt in the course of the last few years I have been in the field, I hope you find these useful

1. Use the right wood & material for the kitchen. For more details refer my earlier post at http://www.homedesignbangalore.com/2010/09/so-what-is-right-material-to-choose-for/

2. Ask your builder to give you a raw kitchen – with no tiling or the slab fitted  – In most cases the slab & tiles need to be changed or re-laid which ends up adding to the overall cost. Ask the builder to just hand over the tiles & the slab to you.

3. If possible ask your builder to provide tap points in the wall ” Below” the slab height. This way you will be able to pull the pipe from behind the bottom cabinets and do the sink placement according to your need & design rather than be restricted by where the builder has provided the points.

4. Place the gas cylinders in the utility and have a piped connection to the hob. This is not only safer but also gives you vital storage space inside the kitchen since the cylinders move out.

5. Always provide a loft in the kitchen….this not only provides storage space but also hides the chimney exhaust pipe.

6. When deciding on the placement of the refrigerator keep in mind whether your refrigerator is right or left handed as this affects the “ease of access” while reaching inside the fridge.

7. The above applies to placement of the Microwave as well.

8. Drawers are ideal for storing stuff for daily use as stuff in drawers is easily accessible while cabinets (palla) are ideal for storing items that are sparingly used.

9. Use corners wisely. Corners provide fairly large spaces and can be well utilized for items of long term storage like grains, spare crockery, plastics etc.

10. If you prepare non veg at home then suction capacity of the chimney should be minimum 1000 cum/hr

11. Put the water purifier alongside the “second” sink in the utility. This reduces the “wetness” of the kitchen as it moves the “extreme wet work” to the utility.

12. Preferably leave work space on either side of the hob. Avoid putting the hob next to a corner or alongside the edge of the slab.

13. Keep spaces for refrigerator/ microwave/ dishwasher etc based on exact measurements. With space too small – things will not fit & spaces too large don’t look good.

14. Never use Stainless Steel wire type cutlery unit. The cutlery keeps “peeping” out of these, obstructing the movement of the drawer

15. Plan for a hidden electric point to power the chimney as well as the hob (you may or may not know this but ignition systems of most hobs available in India are electrically powered – not battery powered)

Thats all that I can think of at the moment…will welcome any bouquets or brickbats.

 
Happy home making
Signing off
Nandita

10 thoughts on “Home Design Vaastu Shastra – Episode 2 – Best practices in Kitchen design”

  1. Hi Nandita, for hob's ignition system, where should we place the socket. how much height below the counter and which position- exactly below the hob or besides that? thanks.

  2. Hi Nandita, I have to provide chimneys for 3 kitchens(2 for tenants,1for self use) which brand and suction capacity should I decide?All My kitchens are in the front of the house so chimney exaust would be about 10ft from the hob. Also advise on which hob is good for a joint family of 6 adults with lots of non veg. Cooking taking place.

  3. If you are preparing non veg then the suction capacity should be min 1000 Cum/hr as mentioned in the post above.
    I will recommend a 3 burner hob (4 burners are inconvenient to work on) – In terms of quality most brands are good. In terms of after sales I have found Faber to be a shade better.

  4. How do i plan to connect aquaguard to water dispenser in fridge ?
    Aquaguard is in utility and fridge is in kitchen ..seperated by 10 feet.

  5. No magic possible here Alex, you will need to drag a pipe all the way from the Aquaguard to the fridge. The Aquaguard folks may be able to provide good looking thin pipe for the same

    Rgds
    NM

  6. Nandita, we have a sink in kitchen and one in utlity. We were thinking of instaling under the counter water purifier and that too in the kitchen sink. Reason being else we have to go to utlity everytime we want to drink/cook. I just read "Put the water purifier alongside the "second" sink in the utility". Wondering if its better to have it in kitchen or outside

  7. The recommendation to put the water purifier in the utility was really to (1) put the water purifier in a "wet" area and (2) in conditions when the purifier is used 3 or 4 times a day to fill up containers/ bottles for water storage & cooking.

    The above does not apply for an Under Counter model because that allows an "always on" supply. You should hence install the same inside the Kitchen.

    Thanks for asking as it helps clarify for the other readers as well

    Rgds
    NM

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Interior Designers in Bangalore, Light Fittings Bangalore

Shopping at Chickpet & City Market Bangalore for Lighting for Home Interiors

Found my way to Chikpet/ City Market today after many many years. All this while I have been doing my

Woodwork in Bangalore

HDHMR – The New Material for Woodwork in Bangalore.

I recently had a vendor hand over a sample of HDHMR, the new magic material for woodwork that is expected

Top Women Interior Designers in Bangalore

Featured among the top interior designers in Bangalore

Featured among the top Women Interior Designers in Bangalore by Nearfox Magazine :). The original article can be found at

Interior Design Masterclass, Interior Designers in Bangalore

Taking blogging to the next level – My Interior Design Masterclass

Since now I had a big enough place at the new experience center I thought why not!!! SO…we are taking

Home Interior Checklist, Home Interior Designers

Master Checklist for Home Interiors: All the things that are part of a complete Home Interior project

I have often found that a number of things get left out when folks plan interiors for their home. This

Home Interior Design FAQs, Interior Designers in Bangalore

2000 FAQ’s on Home Interiors and Interior Design Best Practices

Imagine a repository of 2000 Frequently Asked Questions and how to’s on interior design and home interiors….how cool would that

Home Interior Photographs, Home Interior Photographs Bangalore, Interior Design Photographs, Interior Designers in JP Nagar, Modular Kitchen Photographs

More Photographs – Elita JP Nagar & Brigade Gateway Malleswaram

Some project photos of our Interior Design work way back in 2010
Bangalore Home Interiors, Best Interior Designers in Bangalore, Getting the maximum value from your interior designer, home interior best practices, Interior design best practices in Bangalore, Interior Designers in Bangalore

The Culture of Space

I have written about designing homes based on lifestyle of the inhabiting family, today I want to turn that concept

Home Interior Work Project Pictures

Some pictures of Interior work done at Salarpuria Greenage

Some pictures that my client sent me last week of an interior project I did at Salarpuria Greenage nearly 3

Interior designer value, Interior Designers in Bangalore

Deccan Herald Bangalore’s story on the value of hiring an Interior Designer

Today’s edition of Deccan Herald hosts an article on the value that an interior designer adds to the home making

Apartment Home Interior Pictures, Interior Designers in JP Nagar

More Photographs – Latest project at Elita – JP Nagar

Project pictures of our work in the initial years in Bangalore - this was in the year 2011
Interior design

Customers Don’t Trust Interior Designers. While the Industry is Booming it Struggles With A Credibility Crisis That No One Talks About

Doing up a home is a deeply emotional journey for a family, one that represents years of savings, aspirations, and
Best Interior Designers in Bangalore, Interior Design Center

Honored to be recognized as the Top Interior Design Firm of the Year 2022

Two updates that happened over the last few days which we are very exited about The Architecture & Interior Design

Interior Design Theme, Themes in Interior Design

Dark Theme For Interiors – the lure of BLACK

The recent fetish for Dark as well as the younger generation’s desire to try out new and different concepts for
home interior best practices, Interior Designers in Bangalore, lighting for home

Interior Design Masterclass on Home Lighting & Automation

We are all set to host our second Residential Interior Design Masterclass – this one will be on Home Lighting

Island Kitchen,Kitchen Design,kitchen Interiors Bangalore,Modular Kitchen,Magazine

Kitchen Design: B&I Magazine & Siemens India Interview excerpts

Building & Interiors Magazine in conjunction with Siemens India published my interview on the subject of Kitchen Appliances for the

Best Interior Designers in Bangalore, Interior Designers in Bangalore, Modular Kitchens, Sobha Interior Photographs

Photos of work done at Sobha Sunscape & my own Kitchen at home :)

Our first few projects, this was way back in 2010
Interior Design Trends, Wainscoting

Wainscoting: The Latest Trend in Interior Design in India: Should You Follow?

A functional lining of the bottom portion of walls that started as a technique for wall protection and retaining heat
Home Interiors Costing Calculator

Home Interiors – Thumbrules for costing based on market rates in Bangalore

While I have a similar post on “Costing your Woodwork” done earlier on this blog I got your feedback that

Designing hi end homes, Interior Designers in Bangalore

A Car is not “Just” a Car – The element of “Design” in Interior Design

The thought and the topic of this post came up during a recent drive to Ooty with my sister’s family.

Island Kitchen, Modular Kitchens

Island Kitchen at my latest home interior project in Bangalore

Modular kitchen at a project that I handed over earlier this week. Clicked this on my mobile phone and it

Related Articles

Scroll to Top
Thank you icon

Thanks for your Interest

We will get back to you on this shortly