The overall size of your kitchen should depend on the following points:

1. The size of your family and the number of individuals in your family who like to cook. Usually, the bigger the family, the bigger the kitchen. And don’t exclude the children. Psychologists say that youngsters, especially teenagers, should be encouraged to learn  how to cook, and that culinary creativity helps a child’s overalldevelopment.

2. Do family members and many friends and guests tend to congregate in the kitchen? Then make the kitchen large enough to accommodate plenty of seating space.

3. Do you approve of or insist upon having meals other than breakfast in the kitchen? If you prefer nightly suppers in the kitchen, then you’d better plan an eat-in kitchen arrangement, with space for a table and chairs. If only breakfast will be served there, then a bar at which three or four people can comfortably sit is likely to be all the eating space you’ll need.

4. What are your shopping habits? If you prefer to go long periods of time between shopping, you’ll need ample storage space for canned or packaged goods, as well as a roomy refrigerator and probably a separate freezer. Additional base and wall cabinets might be necessary, and an extra-large food pantry is a must. On the other hand, if your total food and beverage inventory at any one time is likely to consist of a six-pack of beer, a quart of buttermilk, and a few frozen TV dinners, you can get by with a lot less kitchen.

5. You might want to install a small built-in desk in the kitchen, for making out shopping lists, menus, recipes, phone call messages, and financial records. Or taking this a step further, consider an equipment desk with a computer, printer, and storage files for keeping in touch with children and your cooking while “working” on the Internet and accomplishing desk work. Many dandy recipes are available via the Internet, which will work out handily from thislocation. A broom closet keeps long and bulky brooms, mops, sweepers, and ironing boards out of sight in case your house doesn’t include a first-floor laundry or utility room.

6. While it’s true that a family’s kitchen should be a direct reflection of how much that family likes to cook (Why have a big kitchen if you spend most of your time in fast food restaurants?), it should also be an indication of what kinds of cooking are preferred. A lot of baking encourages the installation of double ovens. In fact, if you have the room, consider leaving space in the form of cupboards for a second oven just in case a future potential buyer of your house finds the ability to have a double oven an attractive feature. If you do a lot of entertaining, plan for an indoor grill or barbecue. If fancy presentations are important to you, select any of the other truly marvelous food preparation aids available. Even simple items such as brackets and shelves for condiments and spices, and bookshelves for cookbooks should be carefully planned  in advance so enough space is allowed. These built-ins might seem minor, but if you just ignore their placement until everything else is completed, you’ll be hard-pressed to neatly accommodate them. Finishing touches are often what separates the attractive, efficient kitchen from one that’s awkward to work in and always appears cluttered.