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The kitchen is usually the most heavily used room in most homes partly because you cook there and also because people are drawn to it. While being a comfortable space it also needs to be practical and easy to use. If the working area is planned properly you will reduce the effort involved in cooking, and preserve your back by having everything at a height suitable for preparing food.

2

Before planning a kitchen, as with any room, you need to think about how you will use it. A good way of assessing this is to boil an egg. First take the saucepan from a cupboard, then go to the sink to fill it with water, next to the hob and finally to the fridge to get the egg. A seemingly simple process can involve complex movements, especially if the cupboard, fridge, hob and sink are at awkward distances from each other. Many kitchen designers use the concept of the work triangle to ensure ease of movement. The triangle involves three activity areas - storage, cooking and sink. It should be easy to move between the three, which should be close together. Each area should be beside a surface that you can put things on, even temporarily.

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If you are putting in a new kitchen, now's the time to ask yourself whether the existing room is suitable. Is it big enough for your current needs? Do you want a separate kitchen and diningroom or would you like a combined space which friends and family can socialise in? Many people don't want to be hidden away in a back room when they prepare meals and people naturally gravitate towards the kitchen anyway, whatever its size. Would the room be better placed next to the garden so that you can eat outside in the summer, have the door open on warm days and keep an eye on children playing in the garden?

4

One item that will force you to make endless journeys through the house is the bin which, in many kitchens, is just too small. Ideally you want something that will need to be emptied only once or twice a week. You could accommodate recyling bins and, if the kitchen is by the garden, you can have a compost bin close by.

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Your kitchen should be designed in a way that won't cause you to strain your back by bending at an awkward level (ideally, your back should be straight or slightly curved), won't force you into unnatural positions or make you do repetitive tasks in one position. Established worktop heights range between about 85 and 95cm. Ideally, the worktop should be around 5 to 10cm below the height of your flexed elbow. Some kitchens offer more options than others but if the units aren't available at different heights, you can adjust the levels by adapting the plinths beneath the units. If you're a keen cook and really want your kitchen to work for you, then the worktop should be higher where you carry out delicate tasks and lower where you do heavy work such as kneading dough and chopping vegetables. If you don't want the trouble of having different worktop heights you can always have a chunky chopping board to raise the surface.

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Worth considering are the facts that a dishwasher on the ground will force you to bend awkwardly (it can be raised on a plinth); sinks work best if you don't have to bend to reach the bottom of the bowl; if you look down on a hob you have a better view of your culinary delights and the optimum height for ovens is between eye and waist level. "I would never go back to a low oven," says Rosie Shortt of Houseworks. "Once you get past the age of 35 you might as well have a oven at a decent height."

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The question of open shelving and cupboards comes down to aesthetics and ease of use. The minimalist brigade would ideally hide everything in cupboards - especially if the room is to be a general living area - but having everything hidden away can make it difficult as you will be forever opening cupboards. While lots of items can be hidden in cupboards, consider putting those you use most often on open shelving, and have frequently used utensils hanging on hooks. However, it's worth remembering that cooking causes a good deal of grease in the air, so dishes and glassware left on open shelving will get dirty.

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Look carefully at the way cupboard doors are hinged. For instance, if you have a hob next to a wall unit you don't want the door to open into your face as it will be difficult to get something, such as a spice, from the cupboard while you're cooking. Doors should also be hung so that they don't hit or cover other items of furniture when open. It's worth considering having adjoining doors opening away from each other, so that you can grab the handles in the middle, open both doors together and see what's inside. Ideally, cupboards containing frequently used items should be between eye and knee height and not more than 60cm deep. To save your back, you can have pull-out cupboards. "With a pull-out larder you can peer in from both sides; this will save you buying your 20th tin of tomatoes," says Rosie Shortt.

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If two or more people regularly cook together in your kitchen, an island unit will give you each your own space to move about in - a circular island unit allows more than one cook to work together well. Island units also enable a cook to face the room as they work and talk to people. Islands should ideally be 1.2 metres away from the main units to allow two people to stand back to back, and so doors don't crash into each other. It also enables someone to move objects easily from the island unit to the main counter. "We'll plan an island unit into any kitchen that is big enough," says Rosie Shortt. "As well as being able to accommodate a hob and preparation sink, they provide a focal point to the room for people to congregate around."

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While fitted kitchens come in standard sizes you also have to be wary about who's designing a bespoke kitchen - if you leave it to your partner, he or she may design the kitchen to suit only their height. You both need to discuss how the kitchen will suit each of you, and be realistic about who does the most cooking. If you have children you can give them their own low-level cupboard and even a low counter top. This will involve much less work for you as they can help themselves to things. What may make life easier is having open shelving and items in logical places to stop the person who uses the kitchen most being endlessly asked where things are. I dream on!