Be practical to make your kitchen sizzle
Spring has sprung, the grass is risen; I know there is a reno sizzling (with apologies to Anonymous).
As a kid, I recall the “spring cleaning” frenzy that swept over the neighbourhood, which led to the “honey do” list and finally to the renovations. The most popular always seemed to be kitchens.
Choosing the kitchen is a logical choice because the family spends an enormous amount of time there and the designs are now integrated into the living space. The great room/kitchen combination is common today but, in the past, the kitchen was closed off. I remember my grandmother tossing everyone out of the kitchen as she prepared dinner — it was not a place for the family to socialize.
Times have changed and kitchen design has become focused on the “look,” sometimes to the detriment of the process of preparing food.
The reality of the “look” is that it should be the last consideration in a custom kitchen, not the first. Consumers spend so much time focused on door style, wood stain versus paint, high gloss or multi colour, granite or quartz, when the focus should be function. The location of appliances, water sources and the organization of storage are going to make it a pleasure to cook in while you entertain family and friends.
The shopping process has changed dramatically, too, with bulk buying. Our grandmothers would never have bought bulk anything. Today, we require more storage. Ideally, every cupboard should have rollout shelves so we can actually see everything in there.
One of the reasons I was impressed with the Arci Tech by Hettich sliders was their weight capacity. The ability to carry as much as 90 kilograms is significant, while maintaining the softclose feature. The same weight issues come into play with cast iron pots and pans, as well as small appliances that get stored in cabinets. The lesser-quality slides, often sold in big-box stores, are not always made with steel ball bearings and degenerate over time with the dirt and dust that is part of working in a kitchen. You also want to have the soft-close feature, which saves the cabinets from wear and tear. Now it is time to consider organization inside the drawers. In highend kitchens, like Neff, the organizational aspects are built right into the drawers, but that is not the case with every manufacturer. I would look for organizer systems that can be integrated into the box without the cost of the custom selections. There are many available but I prefer manufactures that use the multi-tech and Inno tech systems — again by Hettich — largely because they are flexible and allow you to change the layout of the interiors over the life of the kitchen.
I don’t know if you are anything like I am, but the gadgets that are acquired over time get to be overwhelming. Who knew I needed something specifically to pull the green stem out of a strawberry?
The other system I often recommend is Casario, which tucks the smaller countertop jars, condiments, vitamins, jams, teas or things that get used often under the cabinets using a flip-down system.
On the subject of organization, we are in the era of waste separation systems.
Not everyone seems to like compost bins under the sink, the garbage in a separate bin and the recycling stored behind the door to the basement or backyard, making the process of “caring for the Earth” much more time-consuming than it used to be.
Our grandmothers didn’t have to do that kind of thing, although they did get their vegetables from the garden and engaged in composting because it was good for the garden.
Having a system that deals with all waste in the same area makes sense, both practically and ergonomically.
Now, on to lighting, particularly under the cabinets. The reality is we’re getting older — it’s simply a statistical fact — and poor lighting is hard on older eyes.
Being able to read the name of the spice or the variety of vinegar becomes increasingly more difficult as we age. But the addition of LED strip lights inside the cabinets makes it easier.
I have also recommended electromechanical opening systems for older hands. As my mother would say, “getting older is not for the weak of heart.” Being able to use your knee or hip or just a flat palm to open a drawer or cupboard can be helpful when pulling knobs is a source of pain.
I find it’s also useful when you need to open cabinets like the recycling cabinet while your hands are dirty or full or both.
Of course, the cabinets and storage have to work around the appliances, so make those choices early on, but don’t commit until you have the kitchen space planned.
Once you have sorted out the appliances and the interiors of the cabinets, then you can decide if the kitchen cabinets will be painted or stained, high-gloss or matte, and pick handles that suit your style. You will appreciate all of those esthetic elements when the kitchen cabinets are closed and the kitchen is clean, but you won’t care about the finishes while you are trying to make dinner for 10 and are frustrated trying to make the kitchen work with your culinary skills.
Unlike my grandmother, you will use the dishwasher to clean the dishes. The one she was given outlasted her, largely because she didn’t ever turn it on because “that machine will break all of my good dishes.”
Some progress is truly progress! Enjoy your well-planned renovations — with your dishwasher. Glen Peloso is a designer who hosts
HGTV’S Restaurant Makeover and Take This House and Sell It, is the design editor of Home Décor & Renovations magazine and a regular contributor to Canadian Home Trends magazine. Glen appears every two weeks in New in Homes & Condos. You can contact him through his website glenpelosointeriors.com, follow him on Twitter at @peloso1 or on Facebook.