Home interior decor tips on parallel kitchen layout

Kitchen – whether small or big has to be the most functional area of your heavenly abode or dream home as it is the space where activity starts in the morning and ends at night. In present times, where every square inch of house space is most valuable, a lot of thinking and ideation has to go into designing the best kitchen for your family in the available space.

When we talk about the various types of kitchen layouts, the parallel kitchen layout stands out as one of the ideal layouts for small spaces. It is simple where the counters and cabinets run into parallel lines on opposite walls but while a small corridor is left between the two parallel counters with the door or windows at the end of the corridor, a great working triangle can be maintained in this type of kitchen hence, t should be chosen to create efficiency and a space saving design.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Shruti Jain, Head of Department, Faculty of Architecture and Design at Manav Rachna international institute of Research and Studies, listed a few points to be considered while designing these kitchens:

1. A gap of minimum 3 feet to 4 feet must be kept between two parallel counters. The hob and the refrigerator should be on the opposite walls with the sink preferably towards the end of the side of the hob. The under counter modular fittings should be planned carefully to maximize the utility of this space.

2. Furthermore, the aesthetics should also be very well planned. Light colours and shades enhance the space by making it look bigger. Where there is ample light, use of dark colours is suggested. The consideration of a dual shade with the under counter in dark shades and overhead in a lighter shade looks quite trendy. Contrasting floors, countertop and splash back with the carcase colours are recommended while designing kitchens.

3. Appropriate lighting in the kitchen plays an important elementin increased functionality of the space. However, concealed ceiling lights and profile lights under the overhead units add up to perfect lighting in the most important space of the house, the kitchen.

4. Keeping in mind and in high consideration the family requirements, space constraints, budget and other factors help in bringing out the best layout for kitchens.

Asserting that parallel kitchen is the best form of modular kitchen layout in terms of design aesthetics as well as functionality, Khanindra Barman, Co-Founder of Wurfel, pointed out that the most popular kitchen layout these days – Island kitchen – is derived from the parallel kitchen layout. He suggested a few tips on designing a parallel kitchen layout which include:

1. Working space – Parallel kitchen provides you with maximised counter space, which allows you to have more working space and at the same time allows you a lot of storage space below the countertop or on wall units above the counter tops. You can also add your tall storages and refrigerator to one side of the storages.

2. Ease of cooking – Parallel kitchen layout optimises the kitchen triangle and allows the placement of hob, sink and refrigerator to form a perfect triangle. Ideally we have the hob on the centre of one side of the kitchen and the sink and refrigerator on the back side. This format of kitchen is extremely efficient and healthy for cooking.

3. Social kitchen – The parallel island kitchen is the most social kitchen where you can cook on the island and your family and friends hang around the big counter space and socialise. They can also help you with the chopping/pre-preps/ mixing drinks as you have ample counter space for more than 2-3 people to work on the same kitchen