By Katherine Salant
Beware of the seductive kitchen! That is to say, don't get so carried away with the look that you forget to consider what the kitchen will be like to work in. If there isn't enough counter space for food preparation, for example, you'll hate it every day you live in the house.
I speak from experience -- my first house had such a kitchen. The cabinets were a sassy red and the walls were finished in an unusual type of pine paneling. Only after I moved in did I realize the short leg of the single L-shaped counter was only wide enough for a toaster, and the single-base cabinet below was too shallow to hold much. The only useable work area was the narrow counter sandwiched between the sink and the stove and above the dishwasher.
So, take off those rose-colored glasses and give the kitchen a hard look. First, check out that counter space. Is there enough for a good-sized food preparation area? If more than one person will be cooking at the same time, is there enough room for two people to work together comfortably? If you hand wash some items and leave them out to air dry, is there room on the counter for a dish rack or will you have to put the rack away every time you start fixing a meal, as I did in my sassy kitchen?
The best way to answer these questions is to act out in pantomime how you will use the space. For example, if you and your spouse pretend to prepare a meal and find that you keep bumping into each other, the kitchen is clearly too small. Though you may feel foolish as you go through your pretense, the hands-on information you'll collect will be invaluable.
As you field-test the kitchen, make sure your imagined meal preparation includes use of all the appliances. A kitchen that is awkwardly arranged can be just as irritating as one that's too small. The stove, sink, refrigerator and adjacent work areas should be in reasonable proximity to each other so that you don't spend a lot of time going from one side of the room to the other -- from the stove to the sink and back again -- to get a meal together.
A wall oven can be off to one side because you won't spend much time at it, but a microwave should be convenient to the work area because the cook may be heating, defrosting or otherwise using it for preparing the meal.
The dishwasher should be convenient to the cabinet where dishes and glasses are kept, which should, in turn, be close to the daily eating area.
The refrigerator should be convenient to both the food preparation area and the cabinet where dishes and glasses are kept. In many large kitchens you have to walk around the island to the opposite side of the room to fill a glass from the refrigerator.
Kitchen storage needs vary with lifestyle, but this will be another sore point if there isn't enough. If the base cabinet storage for pots and pans appears to be inadequate, ask whether the cabinet manufacturer offers a rollout tray option, which will increase the storage capacity dramatically. Failing this, can you hang some of your pots and pans on the wall as I did in my first kitchen? If there isn't enough wall cabinet storage for dishes and plates, can you store those special occasion rarely used plates in the dining room?
The amount of storage required for food depends on both your shopping and eating habits. Do you go food shopping once a week or every few days? Are your food preferences simple or do you prepare meals with many ingredients that must be stored? If the kitchen has a pantry closet, the shelves must be at least 12-inches deep to accommodate cereal boxes, but a 24-inch depth will be more useful.
Lighting is another important element that is often overlooked because most buyers visit the model during broad daylight when windows can flood the room with light. At night, however, you want to be able to see what you're doing. Even if there is adequate general lighting, the counter work areas can be dark and hard to work in. Under-cabinet lighting will eliminate this problem. If the builder doesn't install this lighting (and very few do), ask whether he will install the wiring so you add the lights yourself after you move in. A "slim line" type of fixture that fits in the recess under the cabinet box is more expensive, but it gives a kitchen a more finished look that makes the added cost worth it.
There are many different types of counter arrangements, but most kitchen designers consider the galley-type to be the most efficient. With a single aisle and counters to either side, you only have to turn around to go from sink to cooking range.
As lifestyles have evolved and become more informal, however, more and more people want a kitchen with an eat-in area. In small houses, the galley-type kitchen has given way to the L-shaped counter. The appliance arrangement may be satisfactory, but check to make sure the counter area is adequate for food preparation, especially if two people will be preparing food at the same time.
In larger houses, kitchens frequently have island counters. For an island to add function as well as a certain look, it should be no more than 42 inches from the main counters. If the island is too far away, it becomes awkward to go back and forth, especially if the island has a cook-top. Buyers who want an island cook-top should make sure that it is at least 60 inches long. With this length, you can get a 15-inch counter on each side of a standard 30-inch range and have space for pot handles to overhang as well as a place to put bowls and utensils used in cooking.
Staggering an island cook-top rather than placing it directly opposite the sink makes it easier for two people to work in the kitchen at the same time.
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