The Kitchen Artisan Blog | Informative | www.thekitchenartisan.com
The market today is flooded with hot-selling trends and materials in modular kitchen, but they all boil down to one thing – utility and comfort of the end user. If you are planning for an update in your kitchen, the most important aspect is its final utility -how your kitchen is going to be really used? Kitchens are generally ignored while designing the house and are used more as a residual space solely for cooking –they lack the specialization. Kitchen is the most functional space of the house; one that needs the most ergonomic attention for orthopaedic and other health issues. It requires technical detailing to avoid accidental hazards and leakages and well-organized cabinets for easy access to every magical ingredient used to put together a delicious and healthy meal.
The process of building a kitchen includes pre-planning (fascination), planning (actual) and the final and the most crucial part – the execution. A correctly done installation is as important as the quality of raw materials picked for longevity.
1. Pre-planning: The pre-planning or the fascination part starts with all the whims and fancies.
Firstly, you need to pick the right boundaries for your kitchen. The hall way and the passage can also be smartly blended within the kitchen premises, hence fixing the boundaries shall be the very first step. Your existing kitchen might not be able to accommodate all your fancies and fetish for all things you added on Pinterest! Hence restructuring and re-engineering of the kitchen might be required. Secondly, you need to check the amount of natural light in the kitchen. Your kitchen may have the best location and artificial lights can be added to pump up the space but daylight is equally important.
It is also important to plan your fresh buys and which items (especially appliances) can be retained. These days, there is a lot of technological innovation in kitchen appliances and you might want to explore the market at this point before going hands on.
2. Planning: This part requires detailing and smart selection. The first thing to be planned is the layout of the kitchen. The peninsula, galley or the island shape are the three most practical and applicable layouts offered by the builder inmajor metro cities of India; we need to select the best suited layout for your kitchen space. While you are shifting from a conventional kitchen to a modular one,you must have some dream map in your mind; this is the time to place every fairyland item as a part of the plan. At this stage, we strategically allocate the sink, hob and fridge in the plan. A quick tip – the fridge should be placed close to the entrance of the kitchen for the family to easily access it and with the sink, place it in a way that the unwashed utensils are not visible from the outside area. Although a hackneyed idea, ‘work triangle’ is an ergonomic concept that is good to consider while planning the layout, however what is more essential is to demarcate the work zones. Define your zones in terms of your daily activities so that your storage is also planned accordingly. Specifying an area for every need like preparation for serving, washing utensils in dishwasher and sink, doing the laundry, storing your Tupperware and lunchboxes, area for storing snacks that is easily accessible by the family, will help you plan the kitchen in a way that the kitchen will be clutter free irrespective of the number of people operating it at a single time. Do remember kitchen is that one integral part of the home where family members find a cosy corner to spend time with each other. Always account for that while planning your space!
Next is to plan the electrical wiring according to the layout and the placement of gas meter and pipeline. Fire and electricity can be dangerous when not managed well. Also, the sewage line and the plumbing lines should be laid well so as to avoid leakages or blockages. Then comes the most desired – flooring and your fetish for marbles. If you fancy the thought of having a classic feel, then you should be looking for the luxurious wooden flooring or the old school ceramic style.
The colours and finishes for the kitchen furniture depend on the amount of daylight that enters and how bright do we need the space to liven it up. The interiors of the kitchen shall also be planned in such a manner that they go well with the existing interiors of the house. Suede finish Laminates, PU finish, stainless steel, and sintered stone surfaces are among the top trending finishes in the market.
3. The method:For longevity, correct installation method is as important as the quality of the product. The right sequence of civil work and carpentry is must and that needs a professional expertise to help you achieve the best results. Civil work and two coats of painting must be done before the kitchen cabinets and hardware are installed.
Quick Tips –
- Plan in advance the placement of gas meter and copper pipeline so that it can be hidden behind openable cabinets – the idea is to keep them exposed for safety and yet cover them so as to maintain the aesthetics.
- While placing built in appliances, the tall units need to have space for ventilation.
- Budget can be cut on the smart appliances, but there should ideally be no compromise in case of the quality of the furniture and hardware. A good investment in hardware and quality of wood will last 10-15 years.
- Plan your appliances well in advance before fixing the layout and cabinet size.
Kitchen is not just an area of haphazard placement of appliances and storage but rather a seamless binding of furniture and appliances following artistic logic. The width, depth and height of the bins and appliances need to be in consistent logic to make it more laudable. Good symmetry with low grade and un-matched material will ruin your kitchen’s elegance.