Ideal Kitchen
The kitchen is probably the most used (or misused !!) room in any home, requiring an efficient combination of storage spaces, working counters, seating areas and free passages. It has to be functional, practical, elegant and comfortable, all at the same time and hence, great emphasis should be laid on the overall layout design of the kitchen, especially the small (and seemingly minor) details.
There are various practical points that must be considered and discussed before commencing the designing of a new kitchen or the modification of an existing one.
-The style of cooking (which varies greatly due to influences of country, state, religion, health and personal choice) would greatly influence the design and layout of a kitchen. Importance must be given to the type of materials, ingredients and mediums used as well as the appliances and working space required for that particular style of cooking.
- A kitchen should be designed to match the preferred style of the individual user and the general decor of the rest of the house. It may be designed in a country/farmhouse, contemporary, colonial/english, laboratory, futuristic/high-tech, European/Mediterranean or ethnic style with matching decor and finishes.
- A minimal, modular, straight lined, no-fuss work-area where the emphasis is on efficiency, workability and cleanliness. There are no wasted spaces and no unnecessary display of items or clutter. Most of the appliances are built-in and the work areas are easy to maintain and clean .
- According to the theory, an efficient and practical kitchen layout is one where ideally the three major elements: sink/washing area, refrigerator, cooking range are conveniently located so that the user can work and move about easily. The distance between the refrigerator, the cooking range and the washing area should not be less than 6 meters. This working should not be broken by full heights, fitments doors or passages.
- The flooring, mostly used are mosaic, ceramic tiles, marbles. Stone flooring or ceramic tiles are recommended for Indian conditions, keeping in mind the surrounding dirt and dust since the material is impermeable, hard and stain/scratch resistant .
- The walls in most kitchens are usually painted. Good quality plastic emulsion paint for areas under the sink and near the wash area .
- Cabinets are usually made of 19 mm commercial block boards with laminate or enamel/duco paint.
Useful Tips
* Adjacent to the kitchen platform, another L shaped platform near the south wall for keeping micro even, mixer, grinder etc. will be very useful.
* The main kitchen platform should be in the east and the south-east corner. The platform should not touch the east and the south walls of the kitchen. It should be at least one to three inches away from the walls. We can also take a projection of 1 to 2 inches while constructing the kitchen.
* Stove or gas burner should be in the south-east corner, a few inches away from the wall.
* The kitchen should be in the south-east corner of the main building or flat.
* The washbasin (sink) of the platform should be in the north-east corner as far as possible. Pitcher of water and utensils for drinking water should be in the north-east or the north side.
* Essential commodities like boxes of grain, spices, pulses etc. should be in the south or the west direction.
* The entrance door of the kitchen should not be in any of the corners. Kitchen doors in the east, the north and the west are useful.
* The gas burner should not be in front of the main door of the kitchen.
* There should be one or two windows or air holes in the east and the west direction of the kitchen. An exhaust fan in this gap is useful.
* If there is a dining table in the kitchen, it should be in the north west or the west side.
* Light weight articles can be kept in the east or the north.
* Mezzanine floor in the kitchen should be in the west or the south.
* While cooking, the face should be towards the east.
* The colour of the floor and the walls of the kitchen should be yellow, orange, rose, chocolate or red. However, it should not be black or white as far as possible.