READY FOR GUESTS?
Kitchen tweaks ease hosting
There really is no time of the year when people aren’t thinking kitchen renovations, says well-known interior designer Jane Lockhart, and with this being the season for entertaining, their minds are on the space more than ever.
“Twenty years ago, there was time when people stopped work at the beginning of December, but it isn’t like that any more,” she says. “Partly because the country is multicultural, so not everyone celebrates Christmas, and it’s really a 24-hour economy, so if people are ready to do it, they’ll do it.”
Over the past few years, kitchen design has changed a lot and the “work triangle” is dead, she says.
“Traditionally, kitchen layouts were always done with the idea that you had a triangle that extended from the stove to the sink to the fridge, but that means you only have three appliances, and most people these days have more than that. They have a dishwasher and a microwave oven, and those are pieces that do affect the layout a little bit, and a lot of people do have countertop appliances on top of that.”
Instead, says Lockhart, she approaches kitchen design in terms of “zones.”
“Meaning a hot zone, a cold zone, maybe a prep zone, a washing zone or cleanup, because a lot of people need recycling, they need organic waste, and then they need regular waste, like actual garbage, so that’s why when we do new kitchen design, we try to think more about the zones than we do about distance from one area to another.”
She says that if people are wanting to update their kitchens without committing to a renovation, a great place to start is inside the cabinets, with plenty of “gizmos” on the market that allow for better storage of things like spices and oils and pullouts that allow for easier prep. Another quick update that has big impact, she says, is with the stove.
“You have stoves that look like they’re gas, but they’re not; they’re electric, but all the gears are at the front,” she says. “So they don’t have a back panel, you’re not reaching over, they’ve come to the front of the stove, which makes them safer, they also look better, and it makes your backsplash more opened up, so it helps to make the kitchen look a little larger.”
Companies like LG, she says, now have ovens that have steam clean functions, so you don’t have to use harsh chemicals, and in this way, they are better for the environment and easier to use. Lockhart says her clients also favour other LG appliances like their nonmarking stainless refrigerators.
“A lot of people, they like stainless, but they hate the fingerprints,” she says. “So that’s a big add-on for a lot of people.”
When it comes to kitchen design, the world is more homogeneous than ever, Lockhart says; with Canadians generally being well-travelled people, what we see overseas is translated into our homes.
“The big thing for a lot of people is they want light. No matter where you live, whether you’re on the East Coast or West Coast, people want light,” she says. “They want to open up their spaces so they have more windows, more views, more light in general. So the kitchen is not stuck at the back of the house in the darkest part, it’s often the brightest part of the house, and the most obviously innovated part of the house.”
She says there is a continuing demand for televisions in the kitchen (along with almost every other room) as well as access to a computer or iPad for recipes etc., and a charging station, because all our devices end up in the kitchen.
“We add in a lot of hidden file drawers,” Lockhart says. “Because people bring the mail in, because we still get mail, and still have paper, so we do find people need a place to put that.”
When it comes to getting your kitchen ready for Christmas entertaining, don’t be too hard on yourself, Lockhart says.
“No house is ever prepared really for a lot of people,” she says. “They’re set up, usually, for the people who are in the house, and the odd family guest, so you kind of have to grin and bear it during that time.”
Converting your kitchen island (if you have one) into another work space or eating area can help, she says, and it’s important to figure out how you’re going to use your dining room table, and whether it’s going to be moved or expanded.