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The Changing Nature Of Kitchen Designs
November 13, 2024
The influx of modern appliances is transforming the kitchen designs in India today. Shweta Ramsay interacts and designers to decipher more.
Moving ahead of design concerns of materials, surfaces and layouts, most kitchen design is also an attempt to include specific appliances’ strategic positioning in the scheme of things. This becomes as custom-designed as it can get since there is no one-size-fits-all formula regarding this. The heightened acceptance and need for kitchen appliances are bringing about subtle changes in the overall design layout and mapping of the kitchen space.
Designers are aware of it all and realise that in the last decade India has become a huge market for hi-end appliances and every kitchen appliance brand wants its presence in India.
Change of eating habits due to health consciousness and will become much more comfortable with the open kitchen than enclosed ones. These should provide the designer to showcase their creativity to a better level and provide some accent designer features purely for beautification.
Bhumika Chainani
CEO
Eleganteriors
There has been a major influx in the kitchen appliances market. Earlier, Indian kitchens hardly had many appliances or hi-tech gadgets. The only essentials were a gas stove, mixer and refrigerator. Today, due to globalisation, awareness, lifestyle changes and technological advancements there are appliances to accomplish each and every task in the kitchen such as chopping, grinding, washing vessels, blending, heating and so on. These appliances can be purchased in various looks and colours to suit the décor of the space. Thus, the biggest challenge for architects and interior designers today is to integrate these appliances into the kitchen design flawlessly.
A household kitchen can now have stylish cooking hobs, dishwashers, blenders, chimneys, exhausts, microwaves, ovens, composite sinks, special kitchen tiles, French door refrigerators and so on. The world of appliances is limitless. Picking them in itself is quite a task. Just acquiring these appliances isn’t enough. Designing a kitchen that is uncluttered, spacious, clean and minimalistic is a true test for designers.
To set up work zones in a kitchen, designers list the tasks performed. Photo Courtesy: Andre Francois Mckenzie from Unsplash
Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more. Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more.
Adapting to change
Since most modern kitchens are more open to the living space, there is a consumerist demand for statement kitchens with all hi-tech gadgets. It depicts the lifestyle and status of the owner- almost as a space where the user unwinds. From simple, traditional to glamorous modular arrangements, kitchens are now as much a part of home décor as any other room.
Shami Goregaonkar, Design Strategist, GA Designs, said, “Of course the lifestyle today plays a very important role in this modification. With the arrival of electronic equipment, kitchen designs have evolved into very sleek and sophisticated spaces with a lot of scope for architects and interior designers to use their creativity.”
Thanks to a few companies like Miele, Elica, Siemens and other german brands today's clients have a plethora of options. The offerings from these brands have made the kitchen a more user-friendly space. In fact, they have revolutionised the kitchen in India. For example, The design of a chimney does not look like a chimney, sleek hobs are available for all purposes and a dishwasher is a must-have in many kitchens. “The new appliances are not only is this exciting for consumers who consider themselves foodies, techies and so on, it also provides people with increased at-home experiences,” stated Summesh Menon, Design Director, Summesh Menon Associates.
The new appliances are not only this exciting for consumers who consider themselves foodies, techies and so on, but it also provides people with increased at-home experiences.
Summesh Menon
Design Director
Summesh Menon Associates.
Change of Kitchen design
Traditionally in India, kitchens were designed in a very simple manner. Most appliances were kept on top of the platform. However, this has changed drastically. Traditional kitchens used to have a lot of open shelves and racks which no longer exist in a modern kitchen design. All items are now stored in cabinets below and above the kitchen counter giving the kitchen a neat appearance. The hardware used for drawers and cabinets is of superior quality and comes in a large variety which includes sliding shutters as well as cabinets opening upwards or outwards, with a soft-closing facility. The flooring no longer has to be the traditional dull grey kota, as homeowners are not afraid of using lighter vitrified tiles or anti-skid tiles to give their kitchens a bigger and brighter feel. Kitchen cabinets can be treated with a variety of finishes from decorative laminates and glass to PU coating which can be wiped clean. A modern kitchen is designed in a way where all kitchen appliances have their fixed space in a cabinet or inside a storage unit, with no visible wires and plug points, making them safe to use and easier to clean.
Commenting on how the design has changed over the years, Bhumika Chainani, CEO, Eleganteriors elaborated, “Earlier there used to be a working triangle between cooktop, sink and refrigerator. With the introduction of numerous appliances like microwaves, food processors, built-in-oven, dishwashers etc, it has now become a big polygon. Due to this plan movement in the kitchen has become a fundamental need to be taken care of. These appliances have their own form and look, which need to be creatively blended in the design concept so that the client realises the worth of design at par or more with the price of appliances.”
The biggest challenge for architects and interior designers today is to integrate these appliances into the kitchen design flawlessly. Photo Courtesy: Aaron Huber on Unsplash
Design based on Work Zones
The design concept is now about distributed appliances. This allows designers to configure the kitchen to suit the way customers work and live. It is important to know before designing the kitchen where should the vegetables be kept, where do the utensils go, and where should the freezer be placed? This has led to the evolution of designing a kitchen according to work zones. By sectioning off a kitchen into work zones, designers are maximising efficiency in a larger space; more cooks, as well as guests, will be better accommodated.
To set up work zones in a kitchen, designers list the tasks performed: storing food, preparation, cooking, baking, serving, eating, cleaning, making coffee, chilling wine etc. A work zone contains everything customers use to perform different activities. For instance, the dishwasher should be placed next to the sink, with a compost bin and a garbage bin nearby to streamline kitchen cleanup.
Influencers
Media focus and hype are also giving great importance to cookery shows like never before. There is a view that the popularity of shows by renowned chefs such as Nigella Lawson, Gordan Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Sanjeev Kapoor, Vicky Ratnani, and others is influencing kitchen design options. Designers aver that their clients want their kitchens to resemble the kitchens they see on television.
According to Chainani, there is a need to explain and educate about the difference between television kitchens and home kitchens. “The kitchens set up for television shows are meant for short-term cookery, so they can be that bold with sharp lights. At a residence, one can add bold accents to just a few focal areas of the kitchen and top it with dramatic lights. We cannot design a dramatic kitchen for everyday use as it won’t be very practical,” she says.
Of course the lifestyle today plays a very important role in this modification. With the arrival of electronic equipment, kitchen designs have evolved into very sleek and sophisticated spaces with a lot of scope for architects and interior designers to use their creativity.
Shami Goregaonkar
Design Strategist
GA Designs
Agreeing to a certain extent that clients are being influenced by cookery shows, Menon said, “Cooking is a great stress-buster and technology is providing boundless opportunities for making home life more exciting. Media is influencing the trend of entertaining while you're cooking or being entertained while cooking has caused layouts to change. The emphasis is on islands as a centre for baking or food preparation or as a serving-buffet area. Live cooking has caught on big time.”
When questioned on the same, Goregaonkar explains, “Most clients are very aware and do their homework well prior to their meeting with the designer or architect. Cookery shows may certainly influence their ideas, but the average consumer is conscious of the fact that it may not be possible to have and maintain a kitchen exactly like the one shown on a cookery show. The designer has to take into account several factors such as – who will be using the kitchen the most - The homeowner, the housemaid or the cook/Maharaj? How many people live in the house and what is their lifestyle like? What is the age group of people occupying the home? How often do they entertain guests? All these are very vital questions one needs to answer before getting down to kitchen design.”
The hardware used for drawers and cabinets is of superior quality and comes in a large variety. Photo Courtesy: Sidekix Media on Unsplash
All about fitting in
Having a design that encompasses all appliances effortlessly is a herculean task. Modern apartments in Mumbai mostly have kitchens which are narrow and long. These have to accommodate large refrigerators, microwave, oven, dishwasher and sometimes a washing machine too.
Goregaonkar explained, “It is important to ensure that adequate electric points and sufficient ventilation are provided for kitchen appliances. Designers have to take into consideration the cleaning and maintenance procedures too. Storing plug-in appliances like the mixer, juicer, blender, and air-fryer have to be a well-informed and practical decision. Incorporating all of these with traffic movement, task-lighting, general lighting and a flawless design which is easy to maintain is an onerous task but absolutely essential.”
Another factor to consider is the space that a particular appliance would occupy when opened. For example, in order to have a dishwasher in the kitchen, it is important to note that there needs to be enough front space to open it completely and simultaneously the side and back platform facilities can be used. Since a lot of these kitchen appliances eat up a lot of space, providing enough working space on the platform is another challenge.
Chainani said, “Sometimes we are called upon to make a provision for certain appliance in the design and layout which might be acquired later. The provision given may not match perfectly with the make and model that arrives later. Adjusting it satisfactorily is a task since all the appliance companies do not follow the same standards or styles.”
Design tips
Store cabinets: There could have storage in each zone according to the task performed there. For example, the wood-topped baking zone is perfect for kneading bread or rolling out pizza dough. All the bread-making and baking tools can be stored in the cabinets below.
Provide landing areas: For safety and efficiency, placing a countertop landing area next to major kitchen appliances can be considered, especially for the range, cooktop, microwave and wall ovens.
A zone for kids: Kids hang out places can be set up in the kitchen where they can do homework and eat snacks. This will allow clients to all be in the kitchen together without the little ones getting underfoot.
Area for guests: A large island or peninsula works well for entertaining guests since it can act as a barrier that keeps visitors from getting in the owners' way while also giving them a place to perch while they cook or get the food ready to serve.
What do clients want?
Homeowners today are very aware of market trends and generally do their research well when getting their homes designed. Most clients today want a modern kitchen which is well-ventilated, well-lit and easy to clean. They are keen for their kitchens to have an aesthetic appeal and not just keep it a functional space that is as smart as those seen in glossies about countries abroad but still serve to accommodate Indian cooking patterns and lifestyles.
With space at a premium, there is pressure to ensure every nook and corner of the space has to be utilised to its potential.
By sectioning off a kitchen into work zones, designers are maximising efficiency in a larger space. Photo Courtesy: Naomi Hebert on Unsplash
Way ahead
The fast-changing lifestyle and the changing definition of a family unit are likely to have an impact on kitchen design in the years to come. Kitchens are more likely to be integrated as part of the household and not just left as part-time working spaces.
Goregaonkar opined, “With an increasing number of men and children being involved in the cooking process, a kitchen may probably double up as a place where the family spends some quality time together. Kitchen design will continue to evolve and will hopefully be treated with as much importance and aesthetic value as the rest of the home.”
Commenting on future design trends, Chainani mentioned, “Change of eating habits due to health consciousness and will become much more comfortable with the open kitchen than enclosed ones. These should provide the designer to showcase their creativity to a better level and provide some accent designer features purely for beautification.”
Needs and technologies keep evolving over the years. With trends that change fast, the challenge to create designs that are durable and long-lasting is in itself a tall order. The designers’ need to adapt kitchen space to appliances fancied and used by the homeowners is a test of ingenuity and intelligence. Future-proof design is possibly the major call of the day.
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