Kitchens: Everyone has one, but what is done with it and what is expected of it varies greatly from person to person.
For some, the kitchen is a refuge; a place to claim refuge from marauding offspring while sipping champagne and creating culinary delights.
For others, it’s the modern equivalent of the prehistoric campfire: a gathering place to eat meat, insult each other, and find out why Beaver is failing science.
It is no longer just for cooking, cleaning and having a nightcap, the kitchen has become a super room, suitable for entertaining, dining and normal life.
If your idea of a flawless kitchen is the latter, then this first piece of sage advice applies to you:
Gib’s Kitchen Design Rule #1:
“You don’t just cook in it”:
It is no longer just for cooking, cleaning and having a nightcap, the kitchen has become a super room, suitable for entertaining, dining and normal life.
With this in mind, ask yourself: What will you and your family be doing in your kitchen?
Will you entertain yourself? If so, some of your uneducated guests will no doubt arrive early nibbling on some victuals. Enter the island! Instead of them drooling like you’re covered in beans yourself, you can take them to the cleverly placed island that has a convenient overhang with elegant stools and an assortment of delicious hors d’oeuvres. This way you can work the range from the safe side of town while they drink their Chianti, chat with you, and stay out of the way.
If you live in your kitchen, you can combine it with the dining room/living room to achieve that modern urban loft style that the chic and trendy are so fond of. Add a comfy loveseat and a TV in one corner so that when your recipe fails miserably all you have to do is kick back on the couch, flip through the channel, and let the Food Network come to your rescue.
Just be sure to remember that the overall layout must allow traffic to pass through each corridor without the danger of brushing against sharp corners. If you and your partner can’t turn, the hallway is too narrow.
Gib’s Kitchen Design Rule #2:
“You can’t have enough storage space.”
Do you remember the last time you moved? Ok, maybe it’s a mist of pain, curses, and alcohol, but I’m sure of one thing: you had 150 times more stuff than you thought you had. You may be losing sleep over where to put Grandma’s canning kettle only to discover that the fondue set and oyster forks are crying out for shelter.
Varied storage will be your saving grace: drawers of different sizes, hidden pull-outs, cabinets with adjustable shelves, and the list goes on. If you depend on wide open spaces to solve all your storage problems, remember this: there was a reason the plate ran away with the spoon.
The latest trend is to display your belongings, restaurant style, adding character to your kitchen. This is great if, like me, you’re displaying your priceless Fabergé egg collection, but less so if half-eaten Doritos and pizza boxes are your idea of ”lifestyle accessory.” And since life without junk food is nothing more than a poor man’s game, hidden storage is a must.
This storage doesn’t have to be limited to stationary cabinets – you can greatly benefit from the European trend for freestanding cabinets. These cabinets are complete pieces of furniture: they are strong, provide a unique aesthetic effect, and can be moved when small children and pets are left behind. They also give you much more freedom to modify your kitchen at a later date with the added bonus of taking it with you when you move. Oh those Europeans are so smart.
Gib’s Kitchen Design Rule #3:
“Triangles Suck”
The classic design rule for kitchens of yesteryear was the “working triangle.” From Henry VIII to Betty Crocker, the ideal situation seemed to be ease of movement from the refrigerator to the prep area to the stove. Like most commercial advertising, this was based on little more than lining the cabinetmakers’ pockets. This antiquated system has now been shelved for ideas that are better suited to our brave new world.
The latest revolution in design is inspired by professional kitchens. The area is divided into stations, each based on a specific function. You define each station and its purpose: chopping, cooking, baking, and meat preparation are common candidates. If you have a “cake frosting” station, you clearly have too much time on your hands.
Multiple sinks, different countertop materials, proper appliance placement (say five times faster), and task lighting all come together to delineate separate areas of the kitchen for certain tasks. And these things, my dears, we will cover in the very near future.
Stay tuned for more Gib-gab. The sequel to this series has him enlightening the masses on their choice of appliances, countertops, flooring, and lighting.
