Living in the Kitchen

By: Jane-Page Crump, ASID
Jane Page Design Group

The ASID Kitchen and Bath tour the weekend of September 12-13th was a huge success. It appeared that the majority of people viewing the homes were in the process of, or considering, building or remodeling. Many people were interested in making their kitchens an attractive part of the living area with furniture quality cabinets and finishes.

Kitchens are so personal and need to be designed specifically for the way the owners cook and the way they live. Many times the family is together only when they are cooking and/or eating. Therefore, there should be a comfortable area designed for the family gathering at those times. If there is enough space, it is nice to give the eating area its own interesting design element, something that complements the overall kitchen design. The interest might be established with an upholstered banquette, an interesting light fixture, a unique table, etc.

If the kitchen is part of a living area, I like to minimize open countertop space so that you don’t feel as if you are always in the kitchen. One of the characteristics of a typical kitchen is a lot of countertop space---cluttered with all kinds of “things”; I prefer to design the countertops with “work areas” that can be closed off when not in use. Once the preparation area and clean-up area are established, the rest of the countertops can be designed for baking, mixing, storage, coffee bar, breakfast bar, all of which can be closed off when not being used.

I always address the importance of the lighting design, the location of equipment that needs docking, speakers, TV’s and computers. The location of these items should definitely be an integrated part of the final kitchen design.

Once the space plan is complete the cabinets can be designed to coordinate with the other cabinets in your living area and can be finished to look like furniture.