For anyone who’s planning or finished a kitchen remodel or working with a kitchen designer for their new house, you must know the importance of choosing the best kitchen design for your needs and house design. You may have already decided what shape of kitchen you want, as in, L-shaped, U-shaped, galley, or all on one wall, and with or without an island. If you have not decided what shape kitchen you want, take that into consideration as you decide what type of kitchen will work best in kitchen design project.
Eat-In Kitchen
The eat-in kitchen is popular for the obvious reason – you can eat in the kitchen. The eat-in kitchen utilizes bar space or has room for a table and chairs where the chef in the family can serve food just steps from the preparation area. That means no schlepping dishes to and from a table in another room, though the house may also have a dining room for more formal meals or when your dining room can seat more guests that your kitchen table.
When adding a table to the kitchen, make sure in your planning stages that there is sufficient room for people to walk around the table and to be able to open refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher doors without hitting the table.
An eat-in kitchen can add value to your home, making it a good thing to consider if your are planning a kitchen remodel. In factor, Shirley Zeitlin, president and CEO of Shirley Zeitlin Realtors in Nashville, Tennessee was interviewed by This Old House about the usefulness of eat-in kitchens and she says, “Most of the people in the market for a new home simply expect an eat-in kitchen.
Family and Guest Kitchen
Back in colonial times, living and kitchen areas were open to one another, allowing the cook of the family to interact with family and friends during meal preparation. As people established bigger and better homes, the kitchen was separated from the living area, sometimes by great distances, presenting a quiet area for conversing, away from the heat, aroma, potential clutter, and noise of the kitchen.
We’ve gone full circle and have returned to the desire to have living space connected and open to the kitchen. Guests can then join the cook, whether in the kitchen or in the comfort of the adjoining open area, to share in the camaraderie. Add a fireplace to that adjoining room and you have yourself a country kitchen, reminiscent of colonial time.
Not to encourage the viewing of television while dining, but if the room adjoining your kitchen also has a television, you may find that people will gravitate to the room. There’s just something about a kitchen that exudes warmth and welcome. For some, that may come from delightful cooking aromas; for others, it could be that cold beer in the frig. Whatever the reason, your kitchen/family room combination will become the most popular place in the house for family and small gatherings. Let your kitchen designer know that to provide sufficient seating.
Basic Kitchen
The basic kitchen is typically separated from other living areas. The basic kitchen may have a pass through, which is an opening in the wall to serve food to an adjoining room like dining room or family/living room. Built for function as a place to prepare meals, the basic kitchen is usually small making it difficult for more than one person to comfortable prepare a meal together. A basic kitchen is what you would expect to see in a very small house or in a small apartment.
