The Changing Nature Of Kitchen Designs

June 13, 2022

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

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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.