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Design Your Dream Kitchen Around A Range Cooker
Posted: March 23, 2023
Categories: All Content
Table of Contents
The kitchen is often called the heart of the home, and for a good reason. It's the place where meals are cooked and enjoyed, where family and friends gather to share stories, and where memories are made. Whether you're a seasoned cook or a novice in the kitchen, the warmth and comfort of this space are undeniable. From the smell of fresh coffee in the morning to the sizzle of a stir-fry on the stove, the kitchen is a hub of activity that brings people together. In this blog post, we'll explore the best ways to incorporate your new range cooker into six different kitchen designs, with the positives and negatives of both and how we can make the most of this important space, ensuring the kitchen remains the central hub of our homes and our lives.
We have Range Cookers to help design your dream kitchen whether its modern or traditional
6 ways to design your dream kitchen around a range cooker
1. L-shaped kitchens
L-shaped kitchens offer a versatile solution when designing your kitchen around a range cooker appliance, working well in both small and large spaces. The main advantage of owning an L-shaped kitchen is that the worktops and appliances are restricted to being on either side of both walls; this then creates an open plan feel in the middle and the rest of the kitchen space to add a social aspect to it. For example, adding a kitchen table near your range cooker or worktops for family and friends to sit around and socialise while you are cooking and preparing food assists with creating a fun and comfortable environment for everyone in the room, making mealtime even more enjoyable! However, only having the two walls to place your appliances could make this area look more cramped when adding extra appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines. To easily avoid this, opt for integrated appliances that will fit in seamlessly to keep your kitchen, ensuring a clean and sleek look throughout.
An L-shaped kitchen leaves you with a lot of open space in the room, accommodating more worktop space. L-shaped kitchens only use two walls, usually one being shorter than the other. Installing a 90cm range cooker on the shorter side of two walls means you get more space on the longer side to prepare food and decorate with smaller appliances. Other large appliances such as a fridge, could also be placed on the shorter side of the worktops to keep that large amount of space on the elongated (long) side. Furthermore, you can create a triangle between the sink, stove and refrigerator, reducing the distance between workstations and maximising the counter space.
In an L-shaped kitchen it is easy to make your range cooker the staple of your kitchen and make it eye-catching as it is a smaller and more enclosed space. Range cookers come in a wide variety of different and unique colours and designs to create a bright kitchen environment. For example, pairing a cream-coloured range cooker with some light blue cupboards in an L-shaped kitchen would make the room feel much lighter and more relaxed, making the kitchen feel more open and less cramped. Alternatively, pairing a black range cooker with some dark grey cupboards gives the kitchen a sleek and clean look and boasts a more modern feel to your kitchen.
An L-shaped kitchen design provides considerable floor space to move freely around the kitchen area and offers easy access to all storage areas and appliances. The sizeable amount of space means you can easily open all appliances and storage compartments without any doors or drawers getting in the way of people in the kitchen. In addition, the L design of the kitchen makes it very easy for two or more people to be cooking or meal-prepping together and move around the kitchen simultaneously without having any bumps or tumbles! As a result, this kitchen style is considered one of the most efficient and ergonomic layouts to provide maximum workflow.
L-shaped kitchens are one of the most flexible kitchen designs as they can be incorporated into almost any room size, meaning you don’t have to spend too much on your kitchen if you don’t want to! The average cost for an L-shape kitchen ranges from £5000-£10000 with installation included. Depending on the size of your kitchen, you will have the flexibility to add extra features such as an island or a breakfast bar for a lot of additional worktop and storage space. If your kitchen is smaller, maybe opt for a kitchen Peninsula which will add that extra worktop space without making your kitchen feel cramped and busy.
2. U-shaped kitchens
The main advantage of owning a u-shaped kitchen is that because it is such a small and enclosed space, it is easy to manoeuvre around your range cooker and get what you need as quickly as possible. This is perfect for people who prepare food, cook and bake a lot and don't want to move around a lot whilst doing so. However, the enclosed space makes it challenging to fit more than two people in the kitchen without feeling cramped and uncomfortable.
The main drawback to a u-shape kitchen layout is that it only allows for a few above-head storage cabinets. The cabinets would take the space away from the kitchen and make the kitchen seem duller and darker, especially if windows are blocked due to the cabinet placement. In this type of kitchen area, a smaller range cooker would be more suitable as it would not take up too much space in-between worktops, giving you more worktop and food prep space whilst also providing the area with the appearance of being more spacious. To avoid having to move around a lot in this small space or stop making it seem as cramped, all appliances can be placed on the same side of the room to enhance minimal movement.
In a u-shaped kitchen, a light pastel colour scheme would work perfectly to complement the already bright and comfortable kitchen environment. This is a significant consideration because the kitchen is much smaller and more likely to appear duller than other types of open-planned kitchens. The lack of natural light within the kitchen can also be counteracted by purchasing a light-coloured range cooker, complementing the kitchen even further while adding a colour that will pop!
In a u-shaped kitchen, you would find it much harder to manoeuvre around the area comfortably with multiple people, meaning it will be much more challenging to co-cook. Opening the storage cupboards and drawers will still be easy to do; however, if you need two or more open at one time, this will make the area more cramped and difficult to move around. This kitchen design has excellent functionality for someone solo cooking as it often incorporates the 'kitchen triangle', allowing your range cooker, refrigerator and sink within close proximity of one another, allowing everything you need is within arms reach to get food prep and cooking done more quickly and effectively.
Because of how small your kitchen can be with this layout, the cost of designing your kitchen in the 'U-shape' can be minimal! However, it is a bit more expensive than its counterpart, the L-shape, due to requiring one more line of kitchen units. The average cost ranges from £7000-£14000, with the installation costs included in this figure.
3. G-shaped kitchens
G-shaped kitchens aim to resemble the letter ‘G’, boasting the user four different-sized counter spaces. An advantage of the G-shaped kitchen is that it can be designed in an open-plan and enclosed room, and both work just as effectively. The smaller side of wall units should be placed adjacent to a 100cm range cooker, which still leaves enough room for chairs to be set up to create both a food preparation space and a spot to sit down and enjoy the food. Furthermore, it lets you sit and socialise with the people cooking in the kitchen, creating a warm and comfortable environment.
G-shaped kitchens would change depending on the type of room your kitchen is in. For example, you can add storage and worktop space around the kitchen in an open-planned room. However, in an enclosed and smaller room, a G-shaped kitchen may have to be considerably smaller with the aspect of storage and worktop space as it would appear more cramped and affect the traffic flow in the cooking and food prep space. In both instances, the functionality would still be great as that extra side of worktop space would still allow your friends and family to sit around and mingle whilst you are cooking.
With a G-shaped kitchen, a lighter colour pallet would work perfectly to keep the space looking open, sleek and bright, keeping the kitchen from looking complicated. It may be worth maximising corner storage spaces to keep that spacey kitchen look, which would open up the room and allow the range cooker to take centre stage. In regards to the appliances in your kitchen, keeping them against the three walls in the room creates space and makes it easier to access all major appliances easily. Adding accessories such as different coloured handles to complement the kitchen aesthetics would really bring the whole kitchen together, for example adding black handles and knobs to match a black range cooker. The maximised worktop space allows you to add other decorations for the room such as plants, creating a friendly, warm, homely environment.
The functionality of this kitchen design is great as the four sides surround you as you are cooking and preparing food, making it easier and quicker to access all needed areas.
G-shaped kitchens offer more storage possibilities than other kitchen designs, which will considerably increase the cost when wanting to renovate your kitchen. The average price of a g-shaped kitchen installed is between £10000 and £20000, with larger and more complex projects going above £30000. If you have a bigger kitchen space, add extra features to your kitchen, such as extra cupboards and drawers, a breakfast bar, an island or maybe even additional luxury appliances, for example, a wine cooler. In other words, the bigger the space, the bigger the possibilities and the higher the costs!
4. Straight-wall kitchens
The straight-walled kitchen style is an excellent solution for smaller-sized rooms as it leaves as much space as possible and keeps everything essential in an easy-to-reach place. This space makes it possible to add other aspects to the room, such as a dining table or even a small island in the middle to allow people to gather around and eat together or interact with each other and socialise while you’re cooking food.
A straight-wall kitchen layout keeps the whole area looking sleek, simple and elegant. Because of the vast amount of space you will have with this design, you’ll be able to add more decorations and accessories to your kitchen, such as a lovely kitchen table or even some large plants to brighten the area up. But be careful when adding décor to this kitchen design as you don’t want it to look smaller and compact. This style kitchen allows the range cooker to take centre stage and make a statement within your space. As it is a smaller-sized kitchen, you may opt for a 90cm range cooker, ensuring it doesn’t take up too much space. A light, pastel colour scheme would complement the room amazingly for a straight-line kitchen layout, such as light cream, olive green or grey. Soft colour combinations make the kitchen feel airy and homey, so you may want to purchase a lighter-coloured range cooker to compliment your overall kitchen aesthetics.
The straight-walled kitchens are the cheapest kitchen style we have discussed. The average cost starts at £3000, ranging up to £10000 depending on the complexity of your design. One thing to consider when owning a straight-line kitchen is that in the future, if you want to sell your house, it is most likely to have a lower resale value than other kitchen designs. This is because people are more frequently looking for bigger and more spacious kitchens with more worktop areas, but this is totally dependent on the size of your space.
5. Island kitchens (open plan)
More often than not, an Island kitchen in your home means you have a large amount of room, meaning you have the flexibility to add more storage, appliances and worktop space to suit you. The larger kitchen space allows you to opt for a bigger range cooker model like the 110cm range cookers, which catches the eye without making the area look too busy. Or if cooking is your main priority and passion, opting for a 150cm range cooker would be perfect for your overall cooking experience; however, this may make the area seem overcrowded.
To have an Island style kitchen you will need a considerable amount of space to fit that island in. A great thing about having that amount of space in your kitchen to include an island is that it splits the room perfectly without removing the illusion of space. To fit an island in your open plan room, you need at least 36-42 inches or around 1200mm of space around the island to keep the traffic flow running smoothly. A range cooker is straightforward to fit and incorporate into this kind of kitchen as there are multiple options for where to place it. For example, you could put it on either side of your side counters or even have a section in your kitchen island for your cooker as well as a ceiling or island cooker hood to go along with it.
A kitchen island is great if you want to add extra decorations and little trinkets. The large amount of space on offer makes it a great place to put your fruit bowls or plants, adding a little touch of extra colour and life to your kitchen. Kitchen islands can also be designed and adapted to how you want them to be, so you could even add extra cupboards onto it, alcoves or even additional features such as a spice rack/drawer or a wine cooler. Alternatively, you could have it empty to maximise space for food preparation. The average cost of an island kitchen with installation included is between £10000 and £25000, with more complex designs exceeding £30000. There are different types of kitchen island designs to go with the aesthetic of your desired kitchen, for example, an L-shaped island, a round island and the simple square or rectangle shape.
There are many different ways to utilise the kitchen island, such as adding stools or chairs to create an eating area where you can socialise with the person cooking food on the range cooker. Placing your range cooker in the centre of your wall and between your worktops maximises the social aspects of your kitchen. Adding extra drawers and cabinets to your island creates that extra storage space for all your kitchen essentials. Please remember to leave enough room in-between your island so that people can easily pass, ensuring the smooth running and functionality of your new kitchen space.
When wanting an island counter in your kitchen, factors like size, shape and extra features all participate in the cost. The more complex design you decide upon will take longer to create and install; therefore is going to cost more, which is why people opt for the more traditional square or rectangle shape. Simple designs will also allow you to easily fit your range cooker into your island and keep the attention equally on both aspects.
6. Galley kitchens
Owning a galley kitchen is ideal for a busy person as the kitchen is always on the go. This results from both worktops being adjacent to one another; it is much easier to grab what you need quickly and efficiently. A 60cm or 90cm range cooker is perfect in this kitchen layout as it keeps the optimal worktop space to prepare food.
Galley kitchens are two parallel sides consisting of your worktops and appliances. Depending on the size of your kitchen, the ideal amount of space between the two sides would be four-six feet to keep the efficiency and workflow smoother.
A light and neutral colour pallet would keep this kitchen design from looking dull and cramped. Adding bright colours such as pale blue or yellow adds that pop of colour to your kitchen without making it look too busy. You could even buy a range cooker in a unique colour, such as a minty blue or a cream, to incorporate the pop of colour into your kitchen that way.
The galley-style kitchen enables you to easily reach all areas of the kitchen without the walking distance of an open-plan kitchen, for example. However, because of the size of this kitchen layout, it will work less efficiently when two or more people are trying to manoeuvre and get around the space and could quickly become a bit cramped.
Galley kitchen layouts are one of, if not the most cost-effective designs, as they utilise less space but still boast as much storage as a ‘U-shaped’ kitchen. The average cost for a galley kitchen is between £3000 and £7000, with the cost of installation included in this overall price. This kitchen set-up is excellent for seniors, meaning older people are not likely to be required to change or renovate this kitchen as it is such a simple and efficient design.
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