For years kitchen units have simply been chipboard boxes containing nothing but fresh air! Their design results in the biggest single kitchen grumble – bending down to put things away. Progressive kitchen designers now suggest that well made cabinets should serve you, or at least meet you half way.

Cabinets may now be supplied with ‘pull outs’. These may take the form of deep, wide drawers, (ideal for large pans,) chrome shelves, or even a ‘magic corner’ that reveals all the contents of a corner cupboard. All these devices bring the cupboard contents to you. You can quickly see what is there and don’t have to bend down and contort your body to peer within the gloomy depths of a floor unit.

Kitchen appliances and their housings have been redesigned so that they too may be set at the best height to serve you. That means no more stooping to unload the dishwasher, safe access to hot dishes from a waist height oven and a microwave just above. Lighting, once seen only in fridges, is now standard in ovens and most dishwashers. This lets you see what you are doing and is very helpful when cleaning the interior. Good lighting is now set to shine on work surfaces rather than a central ceiling mounted fitting.

When you are working with your kitchen designer, be sure to say who is the main kitchen user. The bottom of the sink bowl will be set at the same height as pan handles on the hob. That way you can cook or work at the sink with your back straight. This eliminates tiring stooping. Wall cabinets are now mixed with shelves and hanging rails, selecting the most appropriate storage method for quick access right where you need it. For instance, a hanging rail by the hob will retain large stirring spoons and skillet scrapers so when you need them in a hurry you don’t have to scurry across the room and search in drawers.

Kitchens attract dirt. Efficient extraction will remove fats released during cooking but inevitably appliance and cabinet surfaces accumulate dust or grease. Today’s contemporary flush surfaces and hard wearing laminates make cleaning so much easier than the traditional wood panel cabinet doors. Stainless steel and aluminium appliance decors quickly clean with a wipe.

This emphasis on making life easier for the user also extends to the rest of the family. Kitchens are no longer the small back room only ever used by the beleaguered housewife in lonely isolation. Now intelligent designers are working with the whole family to accommodate its’ needs. A breakfast bar will be good for all but formal dining, saving the trudge of pots and food between kitchen and dining room. TV and computer facilities may be built in giving the room a leisure feel. Hobbies and homework can be accomplished on a peninsula without restricting bona fide kitchen activities.

Making the average kitchen in to a true family room is not difficult but some users wish to extend through in to the dining room to make better use of space. A good kitchen specialist should be able to take on such work on but will advise architectural assistance and building control authority if there are structural alterations.

Today’s laudable trend of making kitchens serve you better has led to a more practical, contemporary style. Flush surfaces, metallic decors, imaginative use of colours and a less fitted look may appear strange to traditionalists but it is a fashion that is not going to date. It has so many practical benefits that it is unlikely that many users would wish to return to a kitchen crammed full of identical units.

Article supplied by David Watts, 

david.watts@intoto.co.uk 

www.intoto.co.uk 

Tel: 01924 487900