KITCHEN DESIGN

" The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach" was a saying that was used as often as possible, by elders to induce an unmarried girl into cooking. Whether the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach or not, women of the day would like to have a well-designed kitchen to work in. Kitchen has no longer remained the dirty, dingy place where, the women folk used to spend half their life times. Just as an advertisement calls bathrooms as glamour rooms. Fitted with the electronic and electrical gadgets like micro oven, refrigerator sophisticated kitchenettes etc, kitchen do not look like kitchen any more.

The most important factor in changing the layout is the cost of the land. Whether a house or a flat, it does not come cheap. To accommodate buying a house within their budget, families are forced to choose smaller places and be content with it. A middle class family can normally afford a flat, which measures about 700 to 1,200 sq.ft. in plinth area.

Not to be left behind are the modern gadgets like mixers, Refrigerators, microwaves, ovens, toasters, grillers etc. These have simplified the procedures and have lessened the time spent in the kitchen to a very large extent.

Though the time spent in the kitchen is very less, these days the kitchen layouts are such that they are self contained units that virtually, radiate efficiency and beauty.

When designing a kitchen, the choice of cooking appliances is a major consideration. Cooking appliances include freestanding ovens with either integrated or separated hot plates, wall mounted ovens and microwave ovens. While regular freestanding ovens leave a gap into which food can fall, flush- fitting ovens are specially designed to eliminate this problem. Flush fittings ovens usually come complete with integrated hot plates.

Wall mounted ovens have the dual advantage of enabling one to handle hot food at counter height and ease of access, but the necessity of having a separate hot plate means loosing some counter space. Further not only do the two items cost more than a combined oven or hot plate, they are much dearer to install.

Microwave ovens can either be built into the kitchen units or stand on a counter or shelf. In short there are so many different types and models of cooking appliances to choose from that your budget and family needs will be the deciding factor.

Refrigerators are usually stood in a space built into a run of kitchen cupboards. Although the colour range is limited, the fridge can be colour matched to the cupboards by adding a panel of matching laminate.

Washing up is a recurring task enjoyed by few. Once a luxury, the dishwasher is now regarded by many as an essential item of kitchen equipment. It does not however solve all the problems of cleaning up after a meal. There may be serving dishes too large to fit in the machine. Saucepans, frying pans and strainers are best washed by hand.

This section of the kitchen therefore needs to be considered as a unit, and your choice of equipment will be governed by the way you do things.

The type of sink you install will depend on whether you like to clear rinse after washing. In this case a double – bowl sink to be used or fitted. If you prefer to leave things to dry, it is necessary to have a large draining area.

In a well-planned kitchen there should be three main work surfaces; one for food preparation and washing up, one for food mixing and one for cooking.

Ideally each area should have adjacent storage for items needed for each function, for example the vegetable rack and refrigerator near the food preparation area, and vessels and pans above are below the cooking area.

A heart proof work surface is needed beside the oven and hot plate, Some oven makers produce metal worktop inserts, but wood or cork mats can also be used.

Types of worktops also determine the aesthetic appeal and convenience of cleaning in a kitchen. Marble worktops create feeling of cool freshness in a kitchen. Tiled worktops afford easy cleaning while black granite workshops look beautiful against a light décor of the kitchen.

The most important part of a kitchen design is the lighting in the kitchen. An even spread of light with no shadow is essential in a kitchen, and this is best achieved with fluorescent lamps. A centrally fitted lamp the wattage will depend on the size of the kitchen will give good general illumination, but may cast the shadow of anyone standing in front of the work surface. This can be overcome by fitting tubular fluorescent lights beneath the front edges of wall-mounted cupboards.

Cupboards fittings below work tops or mounted on walls will provide a generous amount of storage space but are not always practical in a small or awkwardly shaped kitchen. Some times there is insufficient room to fit more than one or two standard sized wall cupboards, in which case shelving may be the only answer, or perhaps a combination of cupboards and shelves.

When choosing cupboards look for rigid design, strong hinges and handles and a tough surface finish that will not scratch easily. Shelves should be thick enough to support the weight of items without bowing. Both cupboards and shelves should have easy to wipe surfaces.

In planning your kitchen you will have to decide the best places for cupboards and shelves, but there will almost certainly be areas of wasted space especially in corners where units meet at right angles and on walls where cupboards and shelves cannot be fitted. There are several ways of overcoming such problems, for example wire mesh grids can be attached to a wall above a sink for hanging kitchen tools and small utensils.

Large items such as frying pans often will not fit easily, if at all in a cupboard or on a shelf. The simple answer is to hang them somewhere so that there easily accessible but do not obstruct a working area.

Open shelves are inexpensive, simple to build and provide easy access. Divided compartments ensure a place for every thing and the differing shelf heights breakup the symmetry to give a cheerful appearance.

Towel holders can be provided at a space between kitchen units. Placed next to the oven, the towels are kept dry by the warmth.

Wire shelves on the inside of the cupboard door can hold jars. Two way cupboard shelves between two rooms provide for items which may be needed in either room, for example ketchup bottles, chilly sauce bottles can be utilized both in the dining area and the kitchen. Sliding doors close off shelves when not in use.

Thus there are umpteen number of ways in which a kitchen can be designed to give the best advantage to the user. It only needs a bit of intelligence and planning to create a congenial workspace.