Analyse your personal and family situation

In addition to spatial parameters, your personal situation plays a crucial role. A quick analysis will form the basis of many further decisions:

  • Do you often cook for or with the family?
  • Do cook as a couple or with guests?
  • Are you single and/or do you often cook alone?

A spacious kitchen for the whole family

Family kitchen

In a family kitchen, it's important to keep an eye on your children when you're cooking. If space allows, plan the centre of your family kitchen so that you can see their dining space in the kitchen or living area. If enough space and work surface has been created for cooking and baking together with children and your partner, preparing food becomes a real experience. Plus, the family can coordinate everything face to face and divide tasks much better and faster.

Tip: child safety
Tip: child safety

Hobs with TwistPad® are practical and safe at the same time! The magnetic TwistPad® control knob can be easily removed from the hob and stored in a child-proof place. When the knob is detached, the hob is automatically switched off. Ovens with fully retractable Slide&Hide® doors also offer additional safety, as you can't accidentally bump into them.

Sufficient storage space
Important fact: family kitchens need a lot of storage space

Sufficient storage space is especially important for families, to ensure that you always have enough room for all the necessary supplies and cooking utensils. For more information, see storage space planning. For cupboards, pull-outs and built-in appliances, ask specifically about available child-proof locks. Plan for different working areas for your family members: for example, should a TV set or a small reading desk be integrated as a place for a recipe book or a tablet?

Cooking as a couple requires flexibility

Cooking as a couple

Anyone who likes to cook together should consider the different needs when planning the kitchen. The following points are particularly important.

Large work surfaces
Important fact: workspace for 2 people cooking

Plan sufficiently large work surfaces where you can wash, clean, cut and prepare together with others. Ideally they should be usable from both sides.

Frequently used cupboards and drawers must be easily accessible, even if another person is preparing the roast at the main work surface or washing the salad at the sink.

Pay particular attention to the door opening angles of the refrigerator, dishwasher and oven. Your cooking partner should not have to move out of their place every time you open the doors of these appliances.

Flexible work areas
Things to consider for 2 people cooking

If people of different sizes cook in your kitchen, height-adjustable work tables are worth considering. An induction hob combined with a griddle or a Teppan Yaki is ideal for cooking together. An island solution is particularly advantageous here: cooking becomes much more efficient and joyful when cooks have access to the hob from different sides and can watch each other work.

One-person kitchens require creative planning

One-person kitchen

Compared to a family kitchen, a one-person kitchen usually has much less room. Here, the challenge is to creatively and cleverly use the available space.

Minimum 60cm work surface
Important fact: one-person kitchen Kitchenette

The available space often only allows for the planning of a kitchenette. Avoid the mistake of placing the hob and sink directly next to each other. Instead, plan at least 60cm of work surface between the hob and the sink.

The sink itself may not require a draining board. With a wooden or stone chopping board that can be placed exactly on the sink, the sink itself can serve as a work surface.

Compact appliances
Compact appliances save a lot of space in one-person kitchens

Compact appliances with 45cm installation height, such as an oven with integrated microwave, offer all the functions of larger appliances and are ideal space savers. An oven with the fully retractable Slide&Hide® door also creates more space for cooking. A dishwasher with 45cm installation width should be sufficient. These are available both as integrated and fully integrated versions - depending on your personal preference.

Sketch floor plan

For a complete assessment, you then create a sketch showing your kitchen floor plan with all the water connections and electrical lines, sockets, etc.

The plan serves as an important basis for the subsequent appointment with the kitchen studio and for your further kitchen planning. Our checklist shows you how it's done.

Download floor plan sketching tips

Checklist

Bring the completed checklist along with your notes. Here you can summarise all important topics such as kitchen trends, assessment, your wishes, room layout, floor plan, ergonomics, dimensions & appliance planning.

Download checklist

These built-in appliances might be the ones for you:

Next step

What style? Which colours, unit fronts and equipment? Before you embark on the creative part of kitchen planning, start by establishing your ideas and wishes for the new kitchen.

More about wishes and needs

More kitchen planning inspiration

Design inspiration

Design the kitchen you always wanted. Perhaps you dream of a central cooking island, or a material mix of wood, stainless steel and stone? When it comes to designing a new kitchen, the possibilities are seemingly endless.

Be inspired

Appliance inspiration

How do you choose the right appliances for your new kitchen? Our guides show you the most important criteria, so you can make the right, well informed decision.

Find suitable appliances

NEFF kitchen studio

Everything you need to know or bring along for your consultation and planning appointment with the kitchen specialist. Let's get you ready for a well-prepared initial meeting.

Find a kitchen studio

Contact Us

Do you need further help and support? Our customer service team will be able to provide the help you need.

Repair Service

Need to book a repair? Not a problem. We can arrange for an engineer to repair your NEFF appliance, both in and out of warranty.

Instruction Manuals

If you need any help and support that is specific to your NEFF appliance model, your instruction manual is the best place to find this information.

Spare Parts and Accessories

Search for original spare parts and tested and approved accessories and care products for your NEFF appliances.