What makes a great kitchen? I guess it's different for everyone, I suppose it depends on how you use your kitchen, how often you're in it and if you like being in it when you're there.
(a kitchen from the 1950's from here)
I've seen a UK home make over show where each member of the family in the house to be renovated wears a tracking device around their neck for a week to see who goes where and for how long. This shows the areas in the house that are not used and the areas of high traffic. In ALL cases the mum spent an amazingly high percentage of her time in the kitchen and not just cooking and cleaning up. The kitchen was where she spoke to people on the phone, read the paper/magazines, had a quiet glass of wine or cup of tea. Other family members came and went, maybe sat to eat, but didn’t stay long.
I did a similar exercise at TAFE where we had to track the movements of people in our home over a two hour period during a busy time of day. It's called Spatial Analysis. I did mine when I was getting dinner ready and feeding the kids. It was when I was cooking two meals a night and feeding the kids early. I think the diagram speaks for itself. My movements are in orange.
That bit coloured in orange is the kitchen.
I think this alone is enough to warrant the Kitchen Of My Dreams (KOMD) be designed and built when we renovate. I could present a very convincing PowerPoint slide show to support my argument for the building of the KOMD. It’s a done deal, surely. The bit about affordability has yet to be investigated, but I'll aim high and see what happens.
So, I’m looking at kitchen designs and building materials, bench top options, etc. Many that I'm seeing in magazines are white and clean and clinical with long smooth lines. I want a bit of colour and a bit of timber and a bit of warmth.
I’d like it to be open plan with cosy corners.
I’d like the dining table incorporated into the kitchen design.
I’d like an office area/ laptop, phone corner.
I’d like a place for everything so that everything can be in it’s place. (what a dream!)
I’d like some colour, some timber, some neutrals.
I’d like it to be welcoming and comfortable.
I’d like it to clean itself and carry the shopping up the stairs.
And I'd like it to be free. Maybe I'll win a competition or something. Perhaps I should enter a KOMD competition.... but where?..... and how.....?
Until then I'll keep looking through magazines and internet sites.
Nah, too colourful.
Nah, too openplan.
Nope.
Thanks, but no.
Ummmm, well, no.
And certainly not this...
...this, my current kitchen, complete with ripped lino and falling off doors and drawer fronts. Just not the kitchen I would choose and something we've planned to change since we bought the house 4 years ago.
But I am narrowing down my options. The KOMD design is coming together and I'm VERY excited about it. Very.



