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FOUR MOVES FOR AN EFFICIENT KITCHEN

The kitchen is the room of the house where you spend the most time. It has to be efficient in functional, organisational and above all consumption terms.
Here are four steps to consider in designing and using your kitchen on a daily basis to make it more rational and dynamic.

1. Attention to layout
The room must be designed to be efficient.
The main working areas – washing, cooking and food preparation – must be organised in such a way as to facilitate access and movement.
The classic kitchen layout features a "working triangle", with the triangle corners corresponding to the three focal points.
This solution may, however, prove to be less practical if there are two of you cooking or if there are more than three workstations (i.e. two hobs, two sinks, etc.).
We recommend carefully assessing the best possible solutions, enlisting an expert's help. (You can find some very interesting examples here). This will guarantee you the best possible comfort and freedom of movement.

2. Everything within arm's reach
It is equally important to consider exactly where you will be storing foodstuffs, saucepans, linen and small electrical appliances.
All the things you use most often should be near the worktop.
The tools you use every day, like the coffee machine, kettle, toaster, etc., should sit on the worktop.
The furthest or highest cupboards should contain things you only use rarely, such as "good" crockery sets, trays, special small electrical appliances and saucepans.
For more details on how to manage these spaces, read our article.

3. Choosing light sources
Lighting is also important. A window in the right place gives more useful light than a light bulb in the wrong place.
Study sources of natural and artificial light (you can take a more in-depth look in this article) – it is extremely important in making the room efficient.
And, in a place where you will spend so much time, the light will be on for hours: it is therefore important to use an eco-sustainable light source, like CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs).

4. Valid electrical appliances
Finally, the use of low energy consuming electrical appliances is another important way of maintaining ecological and economic efficiency.
From the fridge to the dishwasher and the oven: always opt for "class A" appliances – you will amortise the cost over time, making significant energy savings in the long run.
Click here to find out how this can simplify your life.

The photographs show the following kitchens: Crystal (photo 1), Amèlie (photo 2) and Flux, all by Scavolini.
The dishwasher shown in photo 5 is Techna Green by Rex Electrolux.
The bulb is ‘Master Led Bulb' by Philips.

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ON THE SAME TOPIC:

• 13/11/2009 COMBINING NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
• 07/05/2009 COMPOSE YOUR KITCHEN
• 10/08/2005 THE TRIANGULAR KITCHEN
• 27/02/2004 HOW TO SAVE ENERGY

RELATED LINKS:

• ELECTROLUX
• PHILIPS
• SCAVOLINI