How To Arrange Your Appliances

Choosing new appliances for your kitchen takes careful consideration. Once you’ve selected your kitchen kit, from the ovens and coffee machine to the hob, dishwasher, wine cabinet and refrigerator, the next step is to work out where you’re going to install them. It may well be that your current layout dictates where you’ll be replacing like for like. But what if you’re starting a whole new design from scratch? This gives you so much more flexibility and allows you to arrange your appliances in the most practical and ergonomic way.

The Heart of Your Kitchen: The Working Triangle
First things first, let's talk about the 'working triangle'. This concept is kitchen design 101 and for good reason. It focuses on the three main work areas: the sink, the refrigerator, and the oven. The goal is to place these key elements in a triangular layout to minimise unnecessary movement. A well-planned working triangle makes for an efficient kitchen where everything feels just right, ergonomically speaking. Ideally, the refrigerator should be positioned just outside of the working triangle but still within easy reach. This setup prevents the kitchen from becoming a busy intersection during meal prep times.

Bank of built-in appliances

For larger kitchens and open-plan spaces, horizontal installation is the optimum configuration. Also known as a ‘panoramic’ display, the preferred set-up has a coffee machine in the centre with your choice of ovens on either side. Whether it’s a single oven and combination microwave or steam oven, choose appliances to suit your style of cooking. You could also have a gourmet drawer underneath each for added space when warming plates or proving dough.

A box display of four appliances also looks sleek and streamlined with four 60cm ovens (single, combi, microwave and steam) aligned to create a square design. Or consider a coffee machine aligned with a microwave or steam oven on top with two single ovens and gourmet drawers below.

For more compact kitchens, vertical stacking or a T shape arrangement, with three appliances on top and one in the centre below is a good solution.

Traditional cook station

You may prefer – or your current kitchen may dictate – that you have a more classic built-under oven or two with a hob on top. This works well in Shaker-style designs or for filling in the space within a chimney breast and it can be given a luxe look by adding a mirror-finished splashback and marble worksurfaces.

The Kitchen Island – a central hub for cooking and socialising

Space permitting, a kitchen island is a practical place for the sink and dishwasher, as it allows you to load up quickly and easily after meals or when entertaining. For non-standard installations, our G7380 SCVi dishwasher results in perfect gaps and joins thanks to FrontFit. Islands are also ideal for the hob, allowing the person cooking to interact with family and friends. If you are installing the hob into an island, make sure you have efficient extraction with either a ceiling extractor, suspended hood or a hob with integrated extraction to remove cooking odours and steam at source. Islands are also perfect for adding a wine cabinet for guests to help themselves while you get on with the cooking.

Take the laundry out of the kitchen
If space allows, install your washing machine and tumble dryer in a utility room or if space is limited, under the stairs. This helps reduce clutter and mess as well as keeping noise to a minimum, ideal if you have an open-plan or multifunctional kitchen that combines cooking and dining with relaxing, entertaining or even home working. That being said, Miele laundry appliances are known for their quiet operation, with some operating at around 41dB - the equivalent to the background noise you’d expect in a library!

If space is limited, use a stacking kit with compatible appliances to stack the dryer on top of the washer – it should always be this way round, as dryers are lighter than washers when filled with water. When installing within cabinetry, we recommend using an MTS plinth mounting kit to secure against slippage.

Project - Planet Furniture, Photographer – William Joe

The key to the most successful appliance arrangement is to take time to think about how you use – or are going to use – your kitchen. How many people are usually cooking at once, do you enjoy entertaining, is safety an issue with young children running around? All of these elements will have an influence on where you place your appliances so make sure you keep this in mind before choosing your perfect kitchen kit. Here at Miele, we can help you decide which is the best arrangement for you and your kitchen. Make an appointment to visit one of our Experience Centres and we can show you how different configurations can work for you.