Our Kitchen is affectionately dubbed the hub of the home. In the dictionary, a kitchen means a room or place equipped for cooking. Today, its role extends as an eating area, a cozy entertainment zone that is great for socializing, a thinking station where you plan your everyday activity and a playroom for children.
It is no longer just a ‘confined’ room for food preparation and casual meals. With our busy lifestyles where we tend to spend less and less time cooking, the kitchen goes beyond that. A kitchen can be your home office where you enjoy a warm cup of coffee while balancing your monthly bills or toss a salad over a great conversation with a friend.
The evolution of kitchen layouts has also taken place for many decades now. Walls have been brought down between kitchens and adjoining rooms, integrating separate spaces into open-plan spaces or cozy family-friendly areas. The single line kitchen is suitable for narrow rooms, such as townhouses, or the versatile L-shape kitchen is ideal for a family and the island kitchen is the perfect solution for those who love to entertain.
It is best to work out your priorities before planning. Consider factors such as how often you will use your kitchen, the type of daily activities that take place in there, such as cooking, entertainment or home office; whether you’re the sole user or family-based. Decide if you need a designated eating area such as a table, a bar or an island unit. Do you enjoy cooking or prepare meals-on-the-go, own a pet that stays indoors or does the kitchen need to be designed for someone with special needs?
Armed with this information, it will be easier to shop for suitable kitchen fixtures. There are a variety of countertops, from granite, stainless steel, and marble, ceramic to concrete that compliments the kitchen design. Kitchens today include an array of amenities for those who love to cook. Double sinks, upright freezers, range hoods, types of an oven to all the modern must-haves of blenders, food processors, coffee makers, and toasters, the kitchen is a serious cook’s domain.
Universal kitchens are charming and sophisticated as compare to previous institutionalized looks. Families with children, elderly or the less able will benefit from this design. Mid-height fixtures, moveable storage units, and shallow sinks have all been taken into consideration for all heights in the family, both old and young.
At the end of the day, the kitchen should express your character and personality
