Key Ingredients for the perfect kitchen

Yorkshire Post - 13th Aug 08 - Life & Style Section : Homes

Interiors

The kitchen is probably one of the most important rooms in your home. These days it is an effective “hub of the home”, a meeting place for friends and family to chat, eat and drink, undertake study, watch TV and, of course, cook.

To achieve the best from a new kitchen approach the design carefully, disregard anything that was previously installed and use this opportunity to create a space specific to your needs. Will it be a small, efficient cooking space, somewhere for family dining or the centre of your day to day living?
Depending on the answer you may wish to alter the size of your kitchen area, where possible, but always consult a professional before undertaking any building works that may affect the structure of your home.

Do you intend to cook in it or is it just a showpiece for some re-heating and hot drinks? If the former, ensure practically arranged storage with easy access to ingredients and utensils. If the latter, cut back on cupboard features and focus on appliances important to you.

Ensure the design integrates with the rest of the house, as the use of this area will affect the whole flow of your home. It is essential that you get the most from the space available where a kitchen forms part of our brief we find it beneficial to work with a specialist kitchen designer to ensure a solution that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but efficient and easy to use.

Martin Holliday, Design Director of Lincoln based bespoke kitchen company Chiselwood (www.chiselwood.co.uk), states “the classic work triangle is a useful starting point, but should be a guide rather than a strict rule now many kitchens are open living areas with too much distance between areas for a classic triangle of fridge, sink and oven.”

“In many Chiselwood kitchens we incorporate two working triangles using more than one sink and hob and look at providing zones for preparation, cooking, dining and leisure”

Recognising that cooking and eating together is an increasingly important part of the day for many families, Martin often specifies comfortable seating near the heart of the space, commenting, “If people enter a kitchen when someone’s cooking and there’s nowhere comfortable to sit they tend to walk out again. You can never have enough spaces to sit down.”

Develop simple, clean lines to create a calm, uncluttered environment, with a combination of integrated appliances and statement pieces (such as range cookers or American style fridges). Embrace the latest technology to reduce running costs. Fridges and dishwashers with independently operating drawers space, are energy efficient and no longer the preserve of the high end of the market. Similarly, instant water heaters which provide boiling water from a tap could well see the end of the inefficient kettle. Domestic steam ovens not only cook quickly and efficiently, but are also healthier than traditional ovens as they lock in the nutrients to your food.

Good lighting is essential to the success of a kitchen and should be one of your first considerations. Martin Holliday’s designs frequently feature LED lighting which is both stylish and energy efficient.

Allow plenty of storage, not only for pans and ingredients, but household papers and other clutter. Whilst aesthetically important, it ensures your area is easy to clean and practical to use.

Use different textures to break up the overall look, juxtapose wood with stainless steel and consider including solid acrylic doors, glass splash backs and strategically placed mirrors. Carefully chosen, these mixed finishes will ensure that your finished result looks High End, rather than High Street.

Jamie Hempsall is a BIDA Associate Interior Designer see more of his work at www.jamiehempsall.com or call 01777 248463.