Kitchen Work Zone Planning Checklist

Cook an ordinary evening meal and note, in order, every surface you touched from taking ingredients out of storage to setting the last pan down.

A written sequence exposes the detours that have become invisible through habit, and it is one of the most useful things an owner can hand a designer.

Mark on a rough plan every point where you crossed the room twice for the same task, and note what you were fetching each time.

Repeated crossings usually point to one item stored in the wrong zone rather than to a fundamentally wrong layout.

Note where you set hot pans and oven trays down, and whether that surface was chosen because it tolerates heat or simply because it was nearest.

Most owners discover they have no designated landing point at all, which is worth stating plainly in a brief.

What any worktop surface tolerates varies by material and finish, so ask the supplier and the installer rather than assuming.

Record which cupboard or drawer you opened most often during that meal, and how far it sits from the hob and from the sink.

Storage opened repeatedly usually belongs close to the zone that draws on it, and counting the openings turns a hunch into something a designer can act on.

Note where packaging, peelings and used utensils ended up during preparation, including anything that was simply piled to one side.

Preparation waste needs a home within reach of the board, otherwise it colonises the clear surface you were relying on.

Write down the moment in the meal when the kitchen felt most congested, who else was in the room, and what each of them was doing.

Peak congestion is a specific, describable event, and designing for it is far more useful than designing for an empty room.

Note what currently lives within arm's reach of the sink, and which items you find yourself walking away to fetch while your hands are wet.

Anything fetched with wet hands is a strong candidate for relocation, and this is easier to notice while washing up than while planning.

Record which side of the sink is used for draining and which for stacking dirty items, and whether that habit would survive the sink changing position.

Handedness and habit make one side of a sink far more valuable than the other, and reversing it without discussion is a common regret.

Consider whether an open dishwasher door would block access to the sink, the bin or a drawer in each arrangement being discussed.

Loading and washing happen at the same time, so a door that blocks the sink turns a routine job into a shuffle.

Write down whether washing up by hand is routine, occasional or almost never, and which member of the household actually does it.

This determines how much draining and stacking space the wet zone genuinely needs rather than how much it is assumed to need.

Note where wet items are currently left to dry, and whether that is a surface you would rather keep clear in the new arrangement.

Drying space is rarely stated in a brief and is then improvised on whichever worktop was meant to stay clear.

Before assuming the wet zone can move, ask what a change of sink position would mean for the existing drainage in this particular room.

The answer often narrows the realistic options quickly, which saves designing around an idea that was never available.

What can be done with drainage is for a qualified plumbing professional to establish on site, not something to assume from the layout.

Note whether there is usable surface on both sides of the hob today, and which side you actually use when lifting a pan off the heat.

A hob pushed to the end of a run leaves one side unusable, which becomes obvious in daily use and invisible on a plan.

Record how many pans are typically in use at the same time during your busiest meal, and how many of them are large or heavy.

This describes the real demand on the cooking zone far better than a general wish for a bigger hob.

Consider whether the oven currently requires bending or lifting at floor level, and note who in the household finds that difficult.

Oven height is one of the few changes that measurably alters daily comfort, and it needs raising before cabinetry is planned.

Appropriate working heights and lifting arrangements should be discussed with the designer, and with a suitably qualified professional where health or mobility is a factor.

Write down where a hot tray coming out of the oven is set down, and whether that surface is immediately adjacent or across the room.

Carrying hot trays across a walking route is a routine hazard that a layout change can quietly remove.

Note whether the hob sits under a wall unit, beside a window or at the end of a run, and raise each of those positions as a question rather than a given.

Position affects extraction, adjacent finishes and how the cook works, and the constraints differ between fuel types.

Requirements around hob position, adjacent units and openings vary locally and by appliance, so confirm them with a qualified installer.

Record whether the cook faces a wall or the room while at the hob, and whether the household would prefer that to change.

This is a real preference with layout consequences, and it competes directly with keeping extraction on an outside wall.

Identify the stretch of worktop you actually prepare food on, and note what is usually sitting on it when you begin cooking.

The gap between the surface you have and the surface you can use is often the real problem rather than total worktop length.

Note which small appliances are used during preparation, and whether each one is lifted out from storage or left standing permanently.

An appliance that is heavy or awkward to lift tends to stay out permanently whatever the intention, so note which ones are realistically going to be put away.

Describe how much clear surface you need at the busiest moment by listing what has to sit on it at once, rather than by giving a length.

A designer can convert a list of items into a workable run, and the list is something an owner can produce accurately.

Record whether preparation happens facing a wall, a window or the room, and whether anyone else uses that same surface at the same time.

Shared preparation surface is a frequent source of friction that a second, smaller working area can often resolve.

Write down whether boards, knives and mixing bowls are stored at the preparation point or somewhere else entirely.

Storing preparation equipment away from the preparation surface means repeated walking every time you cook, and it is simple to correct at planning stage.

Note whether the preparation surface is also where shopping is unpacked, post is opened or homework is done.

Competing uses explain why a surface that looks adequate on a plan is never actually free when it is needed.

List the waste streams your household separates and note where each container currently sits, including any that live outside the room.

The number of streams is set by your local arrangements and is one of the few storage requirements that cannot be reduced by tidiness.

Record which stream fills fastest between collections and what happens to the overflow when it does.

Overflow that ends up on the floor or the worktop is a sizing problem worth stating before storage is allocated.

Note the route taken to carry waste out of the house and whether it crosses the working area or an open appliance door.

A waste route through the cooking zone is a daily irritation that a small change in bin position often solves.

Consider whether an integrated bin under the sink would conflict with the pipework there or with the dishwasher door beside it.

Under sink bins are popular and frequently compromised by what else has to occupy that cupboard.

What will physically fit under a sink depends on the pipework and waste arrangement, so ask a qualified plumbing professional and the kitchen supplier.

Write down where cardboard and bulky packaging currently ends up before it leaves the house, and whether that place is acceptable.

Bulky recycling defeats most integrated bin arrangements and usually needs a separate answer.

Note whether two people regularly cook at the same time, and write down what each of them is usually doing when they do.

Two cooks need two working surfaces and separate access to the sink and bin, which changes the arrangement considerably.

Record the exact points where two people currently get in each other's way, naming the task rather than the general area.

Specific collisions can be designed out; a general complaint about the kitchen being cramped usually cannot.

Consider whether children are in the room during cooking, where they usually are, and whether they need somewhere to be that is out of the working zone.

Giving children a defined place is a layout decision, and it works far better than expecting them to stay away.

Arrangements for keeping children clear of hot surfaces and appliances should be discussed with the designer and the appliance installer.

Write down whether guests stand in the kitchen while food is being prepared, and where they naturally gather when they do.

People gather where there is something to lean on, so knowing the spot lets the layout put it somewhere harmless.

Note whether pets are fed or sleep in the kitchen, and whether bowls, trays or a bed need a place outside the walking routes.

Feeding usually happens while someone is cooking, so a bowl left in the working area tends to become part of the congestion rather than a separate problem.

Note the range of heights among the people who use the kitchen, and who currently cannot reach the top shelf without help.

A single working height rarely suits everyone, and knowing the range lets the designer propose sensible compromises.

Record whether anyone in the household is left handed and whether the current arrangement of sink, hob and preparation surface suits them.

Handedness affects which side of a sink or hob needs the clear surface, and it is almost never asked about.

Consider whether anyone has difficulty bending, kneeling, gripping or lifting, and describe it plainly so the designer can respond to it.

Describing the difficulty rather than requesting a fitting keeps the options open for someone who knows the alternatives.

Requirements arising from mobility, sight or health should be discussed with a suitably qualified professional as well as with the kitchen designer.

Write down which items are currently stored above comfortable reach and are therefore almost never used.

High storage that nobody uses is wasted capacity, and identifying it stops the same mistake being repeated.

Note whether a step stool is in regular use, where it is kept, and whether it has to be retrieved from another room.

A step stool in daily use is evidence that the storage plan does not match the people, and it needs somewhere to live.