Dishwasher, cooker and food processor. Before starting renovation work, you need to think about where to put your kitchen appliances.

For a modern fitted kitchen to work, you need to decide in advance where all your appliances will go.

Integrated or built-in dishwasher, cooker or microwave, the best place for food processors, mixers, or hobs? The kitchen raises plenty of questions.
To keep within budget and avoid any surprises, it pays to think about plumbing or electrical work in advance and ensure you choose kitchen units that suit your lifestyle and needs.

 

Large household appliances: the essentials and their impact on kitchen installation

 

The use of small and large appliances will have a major impact on your kitchen layout. Opting for a dishwasher is a huge time-saver, but it also means you’ll have to factor plumbing work in to ensure an incoming water supply. A gas or electric cooker will need its own connection. In a nutshell, whenever you choose an item of equipment, it will have an impact on your worktop and choice of fittings.

Here’s a quick overview of the essential appliances found in any modern kitchen and their impact on your renovation project:

 

The fridge-freezer 

 

No kitchen or kitchenette is complete without a fridge-freezer. Under-counter fridges (at waist height) are just the thing in a studio apartment, while growing families will need something larger.

 

Choose the perfect fridge for your fitted kitchen:

 

  • Ideal size: Unless you’re a fan of batch cooking, there’s no need to invest in an American-style fridge with a capacity in excess of 400 litres. For example, 300 to 400 litres is perfect for a family with 2 or 3 children. After all, the bigger the fridge, the higher the electricity bill.
  • Cooling system: If you have a generous budget, the ideal choice would be a ventilated cold fridge, or at least one with fan-assisted cooling. The air circulates throughout the appliance to avoid any temperature differences and stop frost forming on food.

 

The cooking area: hob, oven and cooker hood

 

Whether you opt for a range cooker or decide to have several separate appliances in the kitchen, the area for cooking food requires some thought – in terms of coping with heat and splashes of oil, sauce and allowing air to circulate. For example having the hob on an island looks fantastic aesthetically, but you will need to fit an extractor in the same area.

It is worth noting that most cookers need approx 13 amps. Ceramic and Induction hobs normally need to be wired in, and you generally need to get an electrician involved to ensure all the various equipment is safely installed.

 

The dishwasher

 

3 connections are required when installing a dishwasher:

  1. The cold-water connection
  2. The pipe for draining away waste water
  3. The power supply

 

The built-in dishwasher (or one with just a decorative cover) is generally placed among the lower units for easy emptying and cleaning the filter. It is also possible, however, for the sake of your back, to raise the dishwasher onto a kitchen unit robust enough to bear its weight when full of dishes and with the water circulating.

 

Small appliances: which do you need for the kitchen?

 

Are you someone who spends hours at the cooker, busily preparing your favourite dishes and watching them cook? Or are you happy with a microwave? Between both these extremes, many homes prefer to use kitchen appliances like an Airfryer or blender, use frozen products in their food preparation or even have their own traditions like home-made Wedges or pancake evenings.
You need to bear in mind these little habits to make a success of your kitchen project.

 

Essential small appliances (used on a daily basis)

 

Sometimes separate from the kitchen itself, the coffee area features a kettle, coffee machine and toaster, with all 3 kept above a space for storing cups and the kind of dry food eaten at breakfast. It needs to have at least 3 conventional sockets, plus 1 for charging a phone or a small radio for background music.

More and more families are also buying devices that incorporate a slow cooker and steamer in one. And with these appliances generating both heat and steam, it is a case of finding a quite separate space to put them, which is easy to access and sufficiently well ventilated to avoid any issues with burning or moisture.
A sliding drawer near the window or some controlled mechanical ventilation may prove to be a low-key solution for adding this equipment to the kitchen, without making the worktop look too cluttered. This dedicated space might provide an opportunity to put a Wi-Fi hub there – away from any splashes and heat – for operating the smart fridge remotely or connecting your cooker appliance to a mobile application. How practical does it get!Sometimes separate from the kitchen itself, the coffee area features a kettle, coffee machine and toaster, with all 3 kept above a space for storing cups and the kind of dry food eaten at breakfast. It needs to have at least 3 conventional sockets, plus 1 for charging a phone or a small radio for background music.

More and more families are also buying devices that incorporate a slow cooker and steamer in one. And with these appliances generating both heat and steam, it is a case of finding a quite separate space to put them, which is easy to access and sufficiently well ventilated to avoid any issues with burning or moisture.
A sliding drawer near the window or some controlled mechanical ventilation may prove to be a low-key solution for adding this equipment to the kitchen, without making the worktop look too cluttered. This dedicated space might provide an opportunity to put a Wi-Fi hub there – away from any splashes and heat – for operating the smart fridge remotely or connecting your cooker appliance to a mobile application. How practical does it get!

Where to put small appliances

 

Some kitchen appliances are impulse buys that we rarely use. Unless you use them so often that you need to find somewhere specific to keep them, you can often ignore these appliances when designing a kitchen.

It is enough to ensure a worktop or dining table is large enough to put them on the rare times they are used:

  • Ice cream maker
  • Juicer
  • Bread maker (unless on a salt- or gluten-free diet)
  • Juice extractor or smoothie maker
  • Mixer/Blender
  • Lemon squeezer
  • Waffle maker
  • Fondue or raclette set
  • Fryer

 

Brief thoughts on arranging kitchen appliances

 

To summarise, a successful design for your dream kitchen will only materialise if you imagine how you will use things on a day-to-day basis and draw up a full list of appliances to be installed.
Looking for interior design ideas?
Download our Photobook