The kitchen is truly the heart of the home where everyone comes together for mealtimes, entertaining guests, working from home and so much more. It’s no longer just a place for preparing meals, but a multi-functional room that meets the needs of busy family life.
There are many key features to look at and consider when designing your family kitchen, from multi-functional spaces to thoughtful storage solutions. We look at the elements below to create a kitchen that is perfect for everyone.
The Bespoke Family Kitchen at a Glance
A bespoke family kitchen gets five things right: a multi-functional layout planned around who actually uses the room, seating for every occasion from breakfast-bar perches to a proper dining table or banquette, work surfaces at heights that suit everyone, generous and well-zoned storage, and appliances sized for family life. Because a handmade kitchen is built to measure, each of these can be tailored exactly to your household.
Multi-Functional
Before the planning stage of your new kitchen, you need to ask yourself a few questions. This will help you determine the true use of the room and be able to start planning exactly what you need.
- Who will be using the space?
- What will it be used for?
- Will you use the space to work from home, or the children do their homework?
- Do you need to keep watch on younger children when cooking?
- Will you eat together as a family?
- Are you looking to design an open-plan space that will double as a living space?
When creating a space that will be used for various purposes by different family members, it’s important to get the layout right. Create an open-plan space with a natural flow, restricting passage through certain areas for safety.
A handmade kitchen designed and built by The Handmade Kitchen Company will give the best overall function of the room. They will fill your heart of the home with love and style and create an all-important multi-functional room perfect for the whole family.
The ‘kitchen triangle’ is often seen as one of the main functions of a multi-functional kitchen with the three fundamental tasks (sink, fridge, and hob) connecting in a triangular shape. This was first developed in the 1940s and is continually used in modern kitchens.
Cuffley Bespoke Family Kitchen
Seating Arrangements
Family life is busy from day to day, and it can be difficult to have the whole family together for mealtimes. Incorporating a few seating options (if your space allows it) can give you something for every occasion. Seating on a breakfast bar or kitchen island is the perfect spot to grab a quick bite or watch the children while preparing a meal.
If you want the whole family to sit together, having a more formal dining table is ideal. It doubles up as a place to host dinner parties and entertain your family and friends in comfort.
Other options to consider: a bench seat for the children and comfortable chairs for adults, catering to different needs.
However, if your space is limited, a smaller informal dining space such as banquette seating is a fantastic space-saving solution.
Elstree Bespoke Family Kitchen
Surface Heights
When it comes down to the work surfaces, create them in alternative heights in different zones to create a kitchen designed around the whole family that everyone can use, from children to adults. Consider the height of the person who is the chef and set a suitable height for the worktops. Lower worktops can make it easier for budding young chefs to get involved, or raise the height of floor cabinetry and work surfaces for that taller person. Having this design approach can make the kitchen more accessible and comfortable.
A key point to consider: an island worktop might be too low to tuck a baby’s highchair underneath, so a higher breakfast bar could be a better option.
Hutton, Brentwood Bespoke Family Kitchen
Storage
The kitchen is seen to be the hub of the home and there is no such thing as too much storage. When the whole family is home, you will soon learn that you need more space for extra food and to store the clutter of everyday life. Having a well-organised kitchen is essential for a busy family. Keep child-friendly storage at lower levels to allow the children to access their snacks and utensils, promoting independence and helping to keep the kitchen tidy.
In recent years, more people have started working from home, so there has been a rise in the need for extra storage to store items such as office stationery, paperwork, and laptops.
It is very important to get the balance right when designing the kitchen and the storage layout. If there are too many floor or wall cupboards it can make the kitchen look smaller. Floor-to-ceiling cabinetry has been a popular choice amongst our projects making the most of the available space. Breakfast and day pantries have become increasingly popular, adding function and appeal to the space. Open-plan shelving has also been popular amongst our clients, adding stylish baskets and boxes to hide clutter.
Islington Bespoke Family Kitchen
Appliances
It’s always a good idea to size up on appliances when it comes down to catering for a big family, as it’s important to choose the right appliances for a family kitchen. That means everything from ovens, hobs, and fridge-freezers to dishwashers and washing machines. We are a premier dealer of Sub-Zero & Wolf, whose appliances are robust and award-winning.
Multi-functional appliances can offer your home space and time such as combination ovens. Opting for a large refrigerator can provide ample storage to keep food items organised and accessible.
As parents, we know children don’t tend to eat a lot in their younger years but as they get older they will become hungry teenagers, so plan your family’s needs in the future, not just for now.
Chalfont St Giles Bespoke Family Kitchen
Family Kitchen Design FAQs
What makes a good family kitchen?
A good family kitchen combines a multi-functional layout planned around who uses the room, seating for every occasion, work surfaces at comfortable heights, generous well-zoned storage, and appliances sized for family life. Getting these five elements right creates a room that works for everyone, from budding young chefs to hungry teenagers.
What questions should I ask before designing a family kitchen?
Start with who will use the space and what for: will you work from home or the children do homework there, do you need sight of younger children while cooking, will you eat together as a family, and should the room double as an open-plan living space? The answers shape the whole layout.
What seating works best in a family kitchen?
A mix works best: breakfast-bar or island seating for quick bites and keeping the children company while cooking, a dining table for proper family meals and entertaining, and a bench or banquette where space is limited. Banquette seating is a particularly good space-saving option.
How much storage does a family kitchen need?
More than you think; there is no such thing as too much. Keep child-friendly storage at lower levels for independence, use floor-to-ceiling cabinetry to maximise space, and consider a breakfast or day pantry to keep the everyday clutter behind closed doors.
Where does Handmade Kitchen Company design family kitchens?
We design and hand-build bespoke family kitchens from our workshop in Hertfordshire, for clients across Essex, Hertfordshire and North London. Recent family kitchen projects include London, Cuffley, Elstree, Hutton, Islington and Chalfont St Giles.
Curate your ideas with ours and design a bespoke family kitchen with handcrafted furniture and a whole lot of love. We look forward to hearing from you. By incorporating comfortable seating in a multi-functional space, and smart storage solutions with the right appliances, a kitchen is made to cater to all your family’s needs. The result of this is a beautiful functional space that fosters connection and creativity for years to come.
