BLUM SA : Tips To Planning Your Dream Kitchen

There are a number of factors to consider whilst planning a new kitchen. To achieve a kitchen that you love to be in: ergonomic workflows, adequate storage space and enhanced convenience are key. We asked the experts from BLUM SA to share some top tips for planning your dream kitchen.

At the outset, discuss the following factors with your kitchen designer: Room size, available water and electrical connections, storage space, how many people there are in your household and how many of them are kitchen users. In addition, establish the main function of your kitchen, including everyday routines as well as your shopping, cooking and eating habits.

Clever design ideas can help you make the most of the space.

Zone your kitchen for optimal workflows

All kitchens can be divided into five kitchen zones including zones for consumables, non-consumables, cleaning, preparation and cooking. For right-handed people, these zones should be laid out in this order in a clockwise direction, and the order should be reversed for those who are left-handed. This ensures that distances between work spaces are as short as possible, and that everything is conveniently placed within reach.

Zone your kitchen for optimal workflows

TANDEMBOX pot drawer conveniently positioned directly under the hob.

Replace doors with drawers

Contemporary trends show that drawers are more practical than cupboards with shelves. Drawers make better use of available space and provide the easiest access to interiors. One of the main principles of an ergonomic kitchen is to fit base units with drawers instead of shelves and doors. This keeps your workflow simple because everything is easily at hand instead of awkwardly out of reach.

Deeper, higher and wider drawers assist in gaining more space for storage. Choosing quality, handle-less drawers with superior self-gliding motion makes your life even easier. Choose an ergonomic, high-fronted drawer to store your spices, oil bottles, vinegars and chopping boards. Place this unit between your prep zone and cooking zone for easy access during preparation and cooking time.

Deeper, higher and wider drawers provide even more storage space.

High-fronted drawer to store your spices, oil bottles, vinegars and chopping boards.

Create more storage space

Create enough room for storage by selecting products that optimise the available space. It is important to have enough storage space to ensure that everything is where it should be and is immediately accessible. Blum’s SPACE TOWER is an ideal space-optimising pantry solution for the consumables zone in your kitchen. It enables you to neatly store your essential day-to-day items used in daily food preparation such as bread, cereal, sugar, pasta, rice, oils and condiments. The inner drawers open individually and you can access the contents from the front and both sides.

Blum SPACE TOWER with LEGRABOX free internal drawers.

SPACE TOWER with white antaro TANDEMBOX internal drawers.

SPACE CORNER drawer using TANDEMBOX & ORGA-LINE inner dividers

U-shaped sink unit with TANDEMBOX antaro drawer sides and ORGA-LINE inner dividers.

Durable hardware & top quality motion

Choose durable hardware with top quality motion that will ensure your furniture will work perfectly for a long time. When choosing your fittings for your cabinetry test them out in a showroom to experience the motion firsthand – open, close then decide. Never underestimate the important role that fittings play in making your furniture work. Choosing quality fittings that are durable are worth the investment, especially those that have undergone extensive testing and carry lifetime guarantees. Specify fittings with superior motion technology such as Blum’s BLUMOTION. This will ensure stability, smooth running action and effortless soft-closing.

BLUMOTION – innovative motion technology that ensures doors and drawers close softly and effortlessly.

Give wall cabinets a lift

Wall cabinets play an important role in increasing storage space in a kitchen. Doors fitted with standard cupboard hinges swing directly into your path interfering with your space and workflow. Lift systems, such as the Blum AVENTOS range allow the doors to lift up and out of the workspace, thereby giving you full access to the interiors of your wall cabinets. Doors can remain open in any desired position while you work and you can find what you need far easier and quicker. Opening and closing these systems is done with the lightest of touches.