How to ‘Unfit’

When you’re planning a kitchen, Johnny Grey’s advice is to start thinking about the specific needs of your household, rather than filling the room with counter tops. For a kitchen to work well, he says, “it requires a lot of thought.”

He offers these general guidelines:

* Use free-standing furniture wherever appropriate, and leave breathing space around each piece. Learn to enjoy the individuality of furniture.

* Think of furnishing the kitchen like any other room by including antiques or witty pieces.

* Include at least two different styles of design in the door panels. Variety is the key. Use three or more different woods, lots of different door and drawer handles, and a range of shapes, colors and materials.

* Use ergonomics ruthlessly. Make sure your counter-top height is correct, and provide a low-level area both as a place for children to cook and as a parking area for small appliances.

* Avoid using mounted cupboards on every wall. Long rows of cupboards restrict visual access to counter tops and look boring.

* Try replacing wall-mounted cupboards with floor-standing, full-height cupboards with a narrow depth, so you have a clear view of the contents.

* Create perching points in the kitchen so visitors have somewhere to sit and chat while someone is cooking.