No limits: Expectations for kitchens are sky high
Once exclusively the chaotic center of the foodfocused part of every home, kitchens have evolved to awesome places on the interior design and space-planning spectrum. No longer a single-purpose area of one’s home, “the kitchen” is an expanded region (not just a room) of contemporary house configurations.
If you are over 60, you may recall kitchens as basically and exclusively utilitarian in concept — functionality was king. Beauty, style and the accommodation of one’s guests were way down on the list of priorities. Many of the conveniences we have come to take for granted did not yet exist. (Imagine no microwave!)
Large or small, the kitchen was where the messy work took place before the platters and bowls headed for the dining room and were placed on the dinner table. An adjacent pantry was essential, and depending how far back one wants to reminisce, you can tick off the absence of today’s conveniences and appointments by the dozens.
Fixing it and eating it were separate functions with separate environ
ments; the prep and the cleanup happened outof- sight, and the chiefcook-and-bottle-washer was adamant about separating the grunt from the beauty. (Stay out of my kitchen!)
It was not the same picture for all, and anyone could find exceptions, but for the most part, the kitchen was the workshop, the dining room or alcove was where the results were presented.
Contemporary kitchen design is a world away from such harsh distinc
tions and limitations. The expectations are sky high — particularly if the residents include a hobbycook or a gourmet aficionado!
Just as imitation is the highest form of compliment, residential kitchens have evolved to mimic the patterns essential to commercial kitchens.
Specific “workstations,” islands for secondary prep activities including small sinks, counters with built-in wooden chopping blocks, ice makers, wine storage with
chilling units and microwave capability is currently now routine.
Food preparation has merged with the cocktail hour and social gathering. Guests mill around while the cook does his or her “thing” — no longer isolated in the steamy back room with guests nibbling goodies in the other room!
Kitchen furnishing and accessorizing is no longer limited to the basic, essential functions. Kitchens have grown into legitimate gathering environments that embrace the fun — and the art — of cooking. Contemporary professional interior designers coordinate kitchen function with beauty, comfort, convenience and your personality.
Kitchen designers have had to keep up with the trends — if not actually setting them. Often, depending on the scope of your vision, your interior designer will consult with commercial kitchen experts for transitional ideas that can be incorporated into residential kitchens where the owner is very serious about their “hobby.”
In some homes, where once we may have hurried with preps to beat the clock of guest arrivals, we now incorporate our preparation into the entertainment of our guests. We want our kitchens to be inclusive environments where a friend might even want to help chop the veggies while schmoozing.
The very good news is that, castle or cottage, a “new” kitchen can cross all the lines and break all the old rules — if that’s what you want. It isn’t just about how much space is available. It is about what your vision is and what you want happening in that heart of your home.
It can be modest or it can be an exciting madness of color, function, welcome and flexibility!
Robert Boccabella,
B. F. A. is principal and founder of Business Design Services and a certified interior designer in private practice for over 30 years. Boccabella provides Designing to Fit the Vision© in collaboration with writingservice@ earthlink.net. To contact him call 707-263-7073; email him at rb@ BusinessDesignServices. com or visit www. BusinessDesignServices. com or on Facebook at Business Design Services.