The ABC of kitchen furniture with blum solutions

You probably already have an idea of the style of kitchen you’ll choose, or the kitchen furniture doors will brighten up your home, you’re probably already thinking about what colours will dominate your new kitchen. Yes, design is very important when creating or renovating a kitchen.

But another key element is the invisible part of the kitchen – the kitchen zones, storage systems and other technical details of the kitchen. We will try to present the choices of kitchen zones; how storage systems make life easier, or how the choice of doors and drawers helps in the home, in as simple and as detailed a way as possible. At first glance, it may seem like a small thing, but these details are probably the most important part of creating a practical, functional and compact kitchen. It’s a pleasure to turn around in a kitchen like this, because when you start to cook, it’s like everything is at your fingertips, designed specifically for you and your needs.

Kitchen areas for optimal workflow

Let’s start with the zoning of the kitchen. We follow the handy principle of 5 main zones, developed by BLUM specialists and called Dynamic Space. One of these zones is the product storage area, where we store non-perishables, snacks and canned goods. Often these are cereals, flour, jams or vegetables in glass jars, in other words, heavy products. The drawers and shelves in this area must therefore be durable, sturdy, but at the same time convenient and easy to open, with drawers that pull out easily and close gently. After all, it’s when you’re standing at the stove that you need an ingredient, and how convenient it is when it’s close at hand. We therefore recommend that this area is combined with the cooking area. Let’s discuss it a little more. The stove is an essential element in the cooking area, and space for pots, pans and cooking utensils should be provided near or around it. In our experience, it is most convenient to have a preparation area next to the cooking areas. This area takes up the most space. This is understandable, because when you’re cooking, you want space to put your cutting board and salad bowl, to roll out the dough, and to put the steaming cake you just took out of the oven. A kitchen island is often useful for this. But in general, this area is where you want convenient pull-out drawers, and where the nearby waste bin adds comfort and ease to cooking. So let’s move on to the next area – cleaning. Here, water is the predominant feature: dishwasher, sink. In large kitchens, the classic is the bin or the whole sorting system under the sink, so this area needs to have both a convenient space for waste and a convenient niche for cleaning products. Last, and perhaps the most versatile, with many variations, is the storage area. This is where we store crockery, cutlery, glasses and less frequently used cooking utensils. This area fits perfectly next to the Cleaning area, as it’s easy to stack dishes directly from the dishwasher, without having to turn around and walk back and forth in the kitchen. Please look carefully at the illustrations for clarity.

Five zones for optimal workflow

Cooking and tidying up are the most recurrent activities in the kitchen. It is important to keep distances as short as possible and to keep everything where it should be. Therefore, dividing the kitchen into five zones to save time and energy is a good idea.

We have discussed and presented the options and possible layouts of the kitchen areas. Of course, you can mix and match them to find the one that suits you best. As all kitchens can be divided into five zones, choose the workflow that suits your cooking and kitchen habits. We supplement the description with another illustration that shows the possible options in some detail. Surely one of them will work for you too.

Levels of kitchen ergonomics

Often, one of the main requests from families who come to us is for a clean kitchen. You can definitely create a kitchen like this, even in a very small space. But there’s one rule – uncluttered worktops give a sense of cleanliness and order. We know how many kitchen utensils are needed to cook for a family, and if you have a little one, it’s like doubling the number. To make sure they are not only neat and tidy, but also ergonomic, we urge you to pay attention to the following principles. In your mind, divide your kitchen into 3 levels of ergonomics: rarely used, frequently used and constantly used. Layout your kitchen shelving and cupboards accordingly. For example, you can put Christmas cookie tins on the top shelves, or a heart-shaped cake tin for example, as these bakes need their own preparation. Another example, swap the glasses we pull out at weekends with the glasses we drink from regularly and want to keep in the most convenient part of the shelf. Based on this and the number of items you have, it’s very easy to plan how many shelves you will need and at what height you will need most of them. But while you’re waiting for your new kitchen, try using this principle to organise your old kitchen, and see how much easier it will make everyday cooking.

Choice of doors and drawers

Practicality and comfort will prevail when planning your new kitchen. You’ll see how convenient it is to cook without having to squat and bend down to pull out the pan you want, just pull the drawer away. The drawers give you a clear view of the contents, so you don’t have to bend over, pull out all the dishes and put them back, keeping things tidy and saving time. It’s so scarce, especially in the early mornings when preparing breakfast for the family! When planning drawers, we also take into account the fact that kitchen appliances, food and utensils often weigh more than the contents of a wardrobe, for example. That’s why we trust BLUM with our storage systems. They are reliable, robust and innovative. Drawers pull out conveniently and close gently. With BLUM closing systems, you can forget about doors slamming or your fingers accidentally getting pinched. Among our smart door systems, we have electronic opening, which opens at the touch of a button and closes at the push of a button. One of the most important principles in layout planning is that lower cabinets should have drawers and upper cabinets should have doors. It is an ergonomic and comfortable choice. The kitchen is also easy to work in thanks to conveniently divided drawers with dividers. Compare the order of drawers between two identical drawers with identical contents, but one of them uses a steep partition.

Storage systems

Smart storage systems create space in a small kitchen and order in a large kitchen. It’s not for nothing that we call storage systems, because it’s a solution that deserves to be designed separately. Making sure that even in a small kitchen you can fit all the appliances, utensils and foodstuffs comfortably and neatly, but also find them easily, has required experts to turn their heads and keep developing solutions. Together with BLUM craftsmen, we can now offer you smart storage solutions, enhanced by high-end BLUM fittings. So even tall liquid containers, small spice containers or ever-changing reusable food containers will find a place in the kitchen we’ve designed. To save space, we recommend corner drawers, which are a practical solution thanks to their depth. So once you’ve planned the design of your new kitchen, let’s get down to the practical side – the drawers, cupboards and storage systems that will hold everything in them. Think about which parts of your current kitchen bother you the most, what you’d like to change, what kitchen items you have and use the most – this information will help our specialists to meet all your expectations for a stylish and functional kitchen.