DESIGN | 5 Ways To Gain More Worktop Space
Today we're talking all about worktop space, one of the most requested features amongst my clients! Although it's all dependant on the overall size of the kitchen, there is nothing worse than not having enough space to prep food, plate up or keep your small appliances. So today I'm giving you 5 super space gaining tips to make sure you can get the maximum worktop space in your new kitchen.
Minimise tall units
The first & most obvious trick is to lower as many units as possible. I know you probably love the idea of built in ovens, pantries & tall pull out larders but for every tall unit you place, you loose out on valuable worktop space. So if surfaces are your number 1 requirement opt for a built under oven & try to keep the tall units to a minimum. This will allow for all the prep space your kitchen can handle.
CASE STUDY: my client in Chorlton really struggled for worktop space in their old kitchen, they have a busy home & they spend the majority of their time in the kitchen. So by putting this trick into play I have managed to give them an impressive run of worktop space without compromising on the sleek & contemporary look that they asked for. The extra tall wall units provide heaps of storage which is a great replacement for the larder units.
undermount the sink
If your budget allows for a solid worktop, I'll always recommend an undermounted sink. They look great & you can choose to have the drainer grooves recessed into the stone allowing the space to be used as a draining area or as additional worktop space when required.
Quooker tap
Another way to create space on the worktop is by choosing space saving appliances. The Quooker boiling water tap is a great feature for any kitchen; delivering 100 degrees of fresh boiling water 24 hours a day.
Adding a Quooker tap means you can completely remove the kettle from your kitchen gaining back some precious prep space.
Move the microwave
The microwave is another pesky appliance when it comes to worktop space, even the smaller models can take up quite a lot of room. So here are my top 2 tips for keeping both your microwave & your worktop space.
1. Choose a combination oven.
A combination (aka combi oven) is a clever space saver. Usually a little smaller than a regular single oven they consist of 3 main functions, the fan oven, the grills & the microwave. Each function can be used separately or you can use it in combination mode; which uses the fan oven for oven cooked results & the microwave to speed up the process of reheating & roasting. Opting for a combi oven means that you can remove the worktop microwave from the kitchen & enjoy some more surface space.
2. Build it into a unit.
If you can spare a little cupboard space, you can opt for a built in standard microwave & have it built into a wall or base unit. This is another great way to keep the worktop clutter at bay.
CASE STUDY: In their original kitchen, our client in Didsbury struggled immensely with worktop space. For a family of 3 they had one small section to keep their small appliances & prep & serve meals everyday. In their new kitchen, we extended the worktop space by moving the fridge & the pantry to the other side of the room, installed a Quooker tap & built the microwave into a wall unit allowing for heaps more space to enjoy the kitchen.
Choose a steam oven
My final (& personal favourite) tip for saving space is to upgrade your oven to a steam oven.
I bet you're wondering "How can a steam oven save me worktop space?"
The power of steam is incredible. Most of the items you'd normally cook on your hob can all be cooked in the steam oven. Rice, pasta, vegetables, beans, legumes, meat, fish, poultry. In addition to being able to reheat food, blanch, prove, melt, juice, keep warm & even sous vide cooking. The list goes on.
This powerful & nutrient rich way of cooking means 2 things for your worktops:
1. You can completely remove the microwave from your kitchen. The general rule is that anything you can make/reheat in the microwave can be done in the steam oven, it just takes twice as long. For example, a 3 minute microwave reheat is suggested to take approximately 6 minutes in a steam oven with 200% better finished results (trust me I've tried!)
2. Opting for a steam oven also means that you can downsize your hob allowing for more space on your worktop. If you felt you previously needed a 5 ring hob you can easily downsize to 4 with the addition of a steam oven. Smaller households will even be able to downsize to a 2 ring hob! The main reasons you'll need your hob will be for frying & searing, that's it. All those regular items from the hob will now go in the steam oven & you can put multiple ingredients in at once, for example, the rice, fish & vegetables can all go on different levels cooking together in harmony without flavours & smells mixing. Perfection.
Which of these tips do you think would work best for you? Let me know in the comments below & let's keep the conversation going.
See you next time,
Francesca
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