This weekend my partner and I began to shop for a new kitchen for
our family home. Like many homes, I’m sure, our lives and daily
activities largely revolve around this one room – hence why such thought
was put in to purchasing a new one!
Despite seeing some sunshine,
moonlight and good times, our current 1970s style kitchen is unlikely
to boogie without a much needed hip-replacement… or new cabinetry at
least!
As an avid cook, I really do demand a lot from my kitchen,
so I thought I might share some thoughts about what I believe a good
kitchen should entail, and gain valuable feedback, before I decide to
splurge a vast sum of cash on a new one.
First and foremost, my
kitchen has to be practical and considerately designed to cater for my
laziness when cooking. Unfortunately, if the Rosemary and Thyme aren’t
easily to hand when roasting a chicken on a Sunday, I tend to go
without. I like to have all of my equipment, herbs and seasonings within
arm’s reach – much like a garden shed, in that respect. A revolving
spice rack, useful revolving storage compartments and neatly organised
cabinetry therefore greatly appeals to me.
As a father with a
young child, I also need it to be hard-wearing. Really hard-wearing in
fact. Although it pains me to say, I’ve learned that if you want your
kitchen to be a room that the whole family can enjoy, you can’t be too
finicky about it. My daughter loves to help her mum bake cakes and
brownies; our current kitchen carpet is a testament to that! So having
cabinetry that’s easy to clean, and preferably slam-proof, is almost
essential.
Lastly, colour plays an essential role in the kitchen design
and is a great tool for altering the mood. The kitchen is the first
place we all visit in the morning and the first place we retreat to when
finishing work in the evenings. For that reason, the colour needs to be
bold, energising and able to lighten spirits even in the gloomy wintry
days. I find brightly painted walls or cabinets ought to do the trick.
So
with a combination of practical – anti-slam – bold coloured cabinetry,
hard-wearing surfaces, useful rotating storage and quality spot
lighting, I think I may have finally sussed the uncertainty of what
makes a good kitchen. Now all that’s left is to pay for it.