When designing and building a community kitchen, it is crucial to consider the purpose of the kitchen and its intended use. This includes ensuring sufficient storage space, considering the layout, choosing durable materials for heavy use, ensuring adequate ventilation and lighting, and adding green features. Community kitchens are grounded in principles of social equity, inclusivity, food justice, and community empowerment, which guide the design and operation of these spaces.
The first step in kitchen design planning is to research the boundaries between inside and out, public and private realms, individual and communal relationships, production and consumption, and social legislations. The kitchen can serve multiple or singular purposes, such as cooking, socializing, and relaxing.
Community kitchens promote the use of local ingredients, as learning how to cook naturally goes hand-in-hand with the local food movement. To create a modern communal kitchen, define the goals of your shared kitchen vertically, such as floor-to-ceiling cupboards or a pull-out pantry.
In addition to these considerations, consider architectural aspects like exposed beams, sloping ceilings, or recessed walls during layout planning. Community kitchens are designed to help generate a sense of belonging and “normality” in domestic lives, making them an ideal choice for those with gardens or farms.
In conclusion, community kitchens are designed to promote social equity, inclusivity, food justice, and community empowerment, while also providing ample storage and promoting the use of local ingredients.
📹 Communal kitchen design
How do you set up a community kitchen?
Starting a Community Kitchen involves several key steps. First, identify the need for the Kitchen, including its purpose, timing, and necessary resources. This can be done by setting up a Working Group, which may include potential participants, group leaders, volunteers, or other organizations. The group should also identify potential partners, locate a kitchen, recruit group leaders, and promote the Kitchen.
The goal is to create a space where people can come together and share ideas, learn from each other, and create a sense of community. By following these steps, you can create a successful Community Kitchen that benefits the community and the environment.
What is another name for a communal kitchen?
A shared-use kitchen is a certified commercial kitchen where individuals or businesses prepare value-added food products and meals, usually leasing a space shared by others. These spaces are often used by culinary or packaged food entrepreneurs and can have positive social, economic, and health impacts on a community. Commercial kitchens are not new phenomena, as they are often found in restaurants, colleges, dining services, elementary schools, and churches.
Many communities are turning these facilities into shared-use kitchens, which can be rented by the hour or made available free of charge. These spaces are often used by entrepreneurs who make products or meals as a business, as they meet regulatory requirements for venting, sanitation, and food safety. This is particularly important for farmers who want to process and sell value-added items that bring additional income, or for food hubs to lightly process raw fruit and vegetables to be sold to schools and other institutions in the forms they need.
How does a communal kitchen work?
Community Kitchens are weekly or fortnightly events where participants actively participate in planning, preparing, and cooking food. These meals are shared among participants and their households, not given away or sold. They increase access to healthy meals, help develop life skills like fresh food growing, budgeting, meal planning, cooking, and social skills, and support community members in connecting and starting new friendships.
How to design a universal kitchen?
The Living in Place Kitchen, a design philosophy that emphasizes functional and accessible storage, intuitive appliances, and easy-grip cabinet and appliance hardware, was awarded the Living in Place Kitchen Category at the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s Western Canada Design Excellence Awards 2021. The author shares strategies for incorporating Living in Place concepts into kitchen designs, including adequate clearances, multiple work surface heights, functional storage, and non-glare surfaces.
How to design a contemporary kitchen?
Modern kitchen design is characterized by open spaces, minimalistic features, and a simple color palette, offering a clutter-free space for relaxation and entertainment. It features horizontal lines, frameless cabinetry, negative space, and sleek industrial materials. The transitional look blends traditional warmth with modern simplicity, creating a clean and laid-back design. These styles are the most popular and consistently requested in the field, but they also serve as the foundation for other kitchen design trends to emerge.
How to design a community kitchen?
When designing a shared-use kitchen, it is essential to define the goals, set a working budget, consider existing infrastructure, access, entrances, and exits, plan the layout, follow building regulations and health and safety considerations, and visualize your kitchen. The shared kitchen industry has shown remarkable resilience and adaptability, with an increase in new kitchens opening and existing ones expanding. This vibrancy is a testament to the indomitable spirit of entrepreneurs and the communities that support them.
Planning a new shared kitchen space or reinventing an existing kitchen or facility for shared commercial use can be a daunting prospect, but seeking outside help can help navigate the challenges and provide a space for innovation and creativity in your local community.
What is an example of a community kitchen?
Community kitchens are institutions or society-led organizations that coordinate large-scale food sourcing, cooking, and availability to large numbers of people. Some kitchens aim to transform aspects of the food system, such as how food is sourced, who cooks it, who can access it, and at what price. The Landed Community Kitchen addresses the gap between social movements promoting agroecology and food sovereignty, which focus on the reality and livelihood of farmers, and community initiatives and policy discourses focused on food poverty, food justice, and urban food policies, which often overlook the role and lives of farmers.
The potential to articulate new relations between food producers and consumers, aligned with principles of care and solidarity, makes the Landed Community Kitchen pivotal in building an agroecological urbanism.
What is modern vs contemporary kitchen?
Modern kitchen design is typically more formal, promoting simple geometric lines and a minimalist approach. It makes an outright design statement, while contemporary design incorporates these elements in a relaxed and flexible way, borrowing from other styles to create a more individual space. Frameless and in-frame kitchens are the two main options for kitchen design. Choosing the right kitchen design depends on your personal preferences and budget.
What are the benefits of a communal kitchen?
Living in a coliving space offers a unique blend of community living and private comfort, with a focus on kitchen setup. Private kitchens provide privacy and convenience, allowing residents to cook and eat in their own suite without interruptions. They offer personalized space, allowing residents to maintain their kitchen exactly the way they like it. Flexibility allows residents to cook whenever they want without waiting for others to finish, perfect for those with irregular schedules or specific dietary needs.
Communal kitchens foster a sense of community, providing residents with access to a wider range of cooking tools without having to purchase them individually. They are typically equipped with more appliances and utensils than private kitchens, making them an economical choice for those who don’t cook daily.
In summary, coliving spaces offer a unique blend of community living and private comfort, with both private and communal kitchens available. The choice between the two options depends on the lifestyle and preferences of the residents.
What is the purpose of a community kitchen?
Community kitchens are gathering places where individuals gather to prepare and cook meals together, sharing ideas, trying new flavors, building food skills, and connecting with others. They involve planning, purchasing, preparing, and cooking food, with rules based on group needs. Community kitchens are often set up to help members save money by producing more food than they could individually and buying larger quantities of ingredients. They are not soup kitchens, but are used by people who want to connect with others, learn new food skills, try different foods, and make new friends who enjoy cooking.
Many communities in Manitoba have community kitchens, and individuals can find a full list of kitchens and contacts on the Government of Manitoba Commercial Community Kitchens page or mb. 211. ca. In the City of Winnipeg, community kitchens are located in resource centers and local churches.
What is a community kitchen called?
Community Kitchens are groups of people of all ages and backgrounds who regularly gather to prepare meals, share knowledge, and learn about cooking, preserving, and finding affordable ingredients. These groups can be hosted by faith organizations, schools, community centers, businesses, and nonprofits. Each Community Kitchen is unique and designed by the participants to meet their community’s needs. The program is modeled on successful Community Kitchen movements in Seattle, Canada, and Latin America.
Community Kitchens are a way to stretch food dollars, strengthen community ties, and foster resource and skill sharing. They help communities maintain strong social ties and access to an abundant food system. They exchange resources, tips, experiences, celebrations, languages, traditions, skills, local knowledge, and friendship. Food serves as a bridge across cultures and other differences.
Kitchen Commons supports the development of Community Kitchens and collaborates with leaders to organize, grow, connect, and sustain a diverse network of kitchens. They help members of diverse communities achieve their unique goals by connecting Kitchen Leaders with resources, creating opportunities for networking, sharing ideas, exploring, and celebrating the local food system, and advocating for the development of community kitchen spaces and policies that make them easier to use.
📹 Common Design Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Kitchen 😬
In today’s video, we are looking at more kitchen design mistakes! you love this stuff, i love this stuff, so i make it! Watch MORE …
I’m a cabinet maker myself and love your articles. Your insights of trends vs practicality are very true. We have these conversations with our clients constantly when designing and planning their kitchen builds. We oftentimes try to respectfully steer them the right way towards a kitchen that will be timeless and functional. Thank you for your content.
I noticed that there were no articles lately and was wondering if you’re ok. Please take care yourself. I’m not a fan of people posting too often just for a sake of content and keeping the audience. I rather prefer quality over quantity. We’re not going anywhere. I always enjoyed your articles and sense of humor and will continue to enjoy whatever comes next. Get well! And thank you! 🙏🏻
Completely agree on EVERYTHING you said. Well done! One note on faucets, many people don’t know that most faucet brands offer a lower-grade model for the box stores and a higher quality version of the SAME model at plumbing showrooms. Don’t buy your faucet from a box store. Go to a plumbing showroom, such as Ferguson, and order through them.
NO, no trash in my kitchen cabinets! I say this because when I purchased my condo I had the displeasure of finding the pull out trash and recycling bins were smelly even though there was no trash currently in them. I had to pull out the bins scrub them down and wait for everything to thoroughly dry ( because mold is something I don’t want ) then I had to use ” Kilz ” paint, 3 coats of it to get rid of the smell. Keeping a covered trash container in plain sight will let you see if ants or other insects decide to invade. I have a nice stainless steel one. Easy to clean. Common sense and practicality are very necessary if you want less stress in your daily chores of cooking and cleaning, at least for me, that is. I feel the need to clarify why I had to use the Kilz odor killing paint. The plastic bins cleaned up fine with disinfectant but the wood cabinet absorbed the odors. I asked a friend who cleans houses why I couldn’t get rid of the odors. She came over and we removed the mechanism for the trash and recycle bins. The stench came from the walls but mostly from the bottom ( or floor ) of the cabinet. She figured it was a potato that missed the bin, rotted and liquified in there. In my previous house I also had a pull out trash and recycle bin with no problems. The anxiety of the constant cleaning of that area to get rid of the odors was exhausting! It literally took weeks of trying different cleaning methods before trying the Kilz paint. And if that hadn’t worked I would’ve had to hire a handyman to replace the bottom panel.
We had all panelled appliances. They looked good, but boy were they ever a PITA. Getting anything replaced was a nightmare because the options are few, and the costs are high, esp. after the added cost of the panelling and installation. We recently did our dream kitchen reno, and this time none of our appliances are panelled.
I dont like pull out trash cans. If you have something really messy I dont want to have to touch and pull out the can. A trashcan that open with just a toe tap is so easy and keeps everything cleaner. I dont really find well designed trash cans with a closed lid ugly though. Having a hidden trash can is annoying when you have guests over too, you got to keep opening the cabinets to find it and its a guessing game. Its cleaner to not have to touch multiple surfaces.
Love your content, whenever you do upload! One of your articles last year made me reconsider what I could do in my main kitchen (I have two, because we live in a two unit property). I ended up painting my lower cabinets Behr’s Carbon black in high gloss. Leaving the uppers matching the backsplash and ceiling. (Like featured in this article) It’s gorgeous now! Please take care! I’d prefer less content of amazing quality, than more of less quality. Feel good!
When we conform to resale expectations we do two things: we disallow innovation in case it won’t sell and we STOP living in our homes as we NEED to. neither of those ideas makes me happy. So if you want to jerk all your upper cabinets off the wall so you feel like you can breathe!! I will support you in that. Maybe we need to move to drawers and built in walls of storage instead of looming cabinets? and pare down, or have as much stuff as you like in a butlers pantry 🙂
Glad to hear you’re doing well! I don’t think about Youtubers in terms of ‘upload schedules’, for me any article you put out is a treat 🙂 love your articles and personality, I think you’re really insightful and somehow you always bring things that I didn’t know of before or hadn’t thought about . So thank you so much!
I agree with everything you said except the paneled appliance thing. What are you suppose to do when your appliances need to be replaced in 10 years? Redo your kitchen cabinets? Sure you might be able to DIY a panel, but it will be impossible to match up the colors or wood tones unless you spend a fortune repainting all your cabinets. This may have worked 30-40 years ago when appliances would last forever but there is no way this makes sense today with appliances last anywhere from 8-15 years. I will admit that paneled appliances look nice but they just don’t seem practical. What am I missing?
Don’t worry at all about not posting for a while. Taking time out is natural and I’m sure everyone who watches would want you to take care of yourself first and foremost. We are human and life ebbs and flows. Your website is so great, but I’m happy to wait for the next drop if it means you have more balance in life.
You asked for it, so here goes. As a former restaurateur, vegetable gardener, and passionate cook it is important to me that the recycling, compost, and garbage receptacles are easy to use. Real food prep is often wet and messy. It is ridiculous to have to take extra steps with wet hands to access open a cabinet to use a trash can. Trash and compost must be taken out frequently. Having a trash can in plain view with an open top should be a reminder to take the trash out. For those whose kitchen experience consists primarily of perusal a screen, the out-of-sight trash and compost containers makes sense. For those of us who actually prep and cook food, it’s foolery. I wish that kitchen designers would get over their trash phobia.
Your article showed a microwave above a stove in your pictures, but you did not talk about this. I have this set-up in my home and I hate it! It is better to just have an exhaust hood with lights over a stove. My microwave broke and is unusable, and the exhaust fan is not very good at capturing smoke/cooking fumes. It costs more to replace this micro with another microwave, than to buy a simple exhaust fan. We are going to do this soon.
I’m moving to “no upper cabinets” for two reasons: safety (my mother has almost managed to drop items on her own head several times) and not having more space than needed will avoid overfill (at most, there’s 6 people in at the same time; why do I need over 30 glasses? I don’t, but I have several relatives who gift me glasses or cookware because “this item is so cool and she has the room”). And I expect this house to be sold by my heirs in about 30 years
Great article, I was drawn to your website with your awesome article on painting veneer doors(subbed). I agree with all points of this article except 7:50 As a flooring installer for forty years I would say that using a tile floor is the best choice. It’s not a design choice, it is a practical choice for all “wet area” rooms. I have seen the aftermath of all other flooring choices in wet areas and it’s not a pretty site after a pipe leak/knife drop/splash grease/scuffs… etc. In most cases the whole floor needed to be replaced and cost thousands. I would rather change one tile instead of the whole floor. Now that’s practical.
I would much rather you post only when you feel ready, than regularly just for the sake of it. websites that keep posting a slightly different variation of the same article over and over again, because they burned through their good ideas in a matter of months, become quite off-putting in my opinion. I find your articles to have great value, with good points and relevant illustrations. I also like how they’re straight to the point instead of tediously stretching the run time. Your writing and delivery is full of life and the whole is just very enjoyable. So thank you!
Glad you’re in a better space ❤Take care of your self. Yes to all of those but in Australia you’ll probably void your appliance warranty if you don’t buy ones that are manufactured for a cupboard door to be attached. I’d never buy separate hot and cold faucets, I feel it’s a waste of one hand especially since I have arthritis in the hands. If people don’t want upper cabinets, I’d put in all drawers in the lowers and put 3 drawers in most so it adds 50% storage to the shell.
My problem is that I’m so short that I can’t reach above my first shelf unless I grab the step stool. We’re getting ready to redo my kitchen so I’m thinking about taking down the upper cabinets and installing them all on an empty wall together. When my house was built it was built as an eat in kitchen so I had an empty wall on one side. With the cabinets together I’ll have bottom shelves all close by and if I need a step stool I can address more shelves. I will place one open shelf where I can reach it in place of each of my cabinets to put my often used items.—Susan
One thing to avoid in a kitchen is grouted tile. I learned the hard way. I have a ceramic-tiled floor, and although the grout was sealed after installation, the sealing needs to be renewed regularly. I didn’t realize that until the grout was seriously stained. It soaked up kitchen grease and grime, and when I asked the installer about a product to clean it, they said, “We don’t install floors like that anymore because of the staining.” I have conceded that my tan tiles now have brown grout. I would imagine that grouted tile behind a stove would have the same problem. (My backsplash is Formica.)
These are great ideas but I have to draw the line at wood flooring in the kitchen. A friend I knew was selling her house, and right before closing, she had a pipe break under the sink, and of course, she had to fix it before the sale could happen. That said, I do have linoleum wood pattern flooring, and I love it. It has lasted for almost 25 years
Re undersink and cabinet garbage bins, ive never seen one that closes properly ir can be opened without touching it. Especially if there are kids ir parties there is inevitably mess all over the cabinet and smell of garbage because they don’t close well. Thats why pedal bins exist. I don’t want to touch the garbag. I am ok witht them for recycling. But at the end of a party there is always stuff and people looking for the bins. Hiding them makes no sense. Also, a movable bin is handy for different tasks, like cleaning fish at the sink and move to the opposite counter when cutting vegetables. In the cabinet it sacrifices function for aesthetic, and yet still ends up being dirty and unpleasant. I just haven’t seen one that works as well as a brabantia bin.
I hate paneled appliances. It’s all the rage in the luxury condos going up in NYC. I want to see clearly where my dishwasher and refrigerator are. It’s too much for my brain to look at a cabinet door and remember it’s the fridge. Also I’m not offended by a metal garbage can on the side, as long as it’s nicely kept.
A kitchen re model can cost upwards of 100 thousand these days. For many of us ( me 😂), we have to accept that our kitchen isn’t going to be the best of the best. But, we still deserve to have a beautiful home. I recently did a budget re model on my kitchen and I still spent quite a bit. There are some things I have to accept that I can’t afford. I’m tired of seeing instagram kitchens that are unrealistic to me. I would love normal kitchens to be trending.
For me, having an unenclosed garbage can is an absolute requirement. Otherwise, during food prep, each time I need to throw something away and have to open a cabinet/lid to do it, touching the cabinet handle gets my hands dirty and I would then have to wash them. My ADA-compliant apartment just has an open area under the kitchen sink, which is a perfect place for a garbage can.
Do you lady! Quality over quantity is why I watch your articles. If you produced endless articles you would be saying all of the same things as so many others and I would unsubscribe. Wishing you to live your best life so you can be happy and well and share your gifts with people like me that need your input!
I think I must be the only person in the world who doesn’t like the look of paneled appliances. To me, when all the appliances have panels there’s just too much uniformity. What others call “sleek,” I call monotonous. I prefer the look of the cabinets being broken up by appliances. Also, I want my guests to be able to find the refrigerator without having to open every cabinet trying to figure out which one it is. Also, NO WAY to the trash under the sink. I can’t tell you how many times someone has been working at the sink, and they have to move to let someone else access the trash can. My hands are all wet and soapy, and I have to back up a few steps while leaning way over to keep my hands over the sink so they don’t drip everywhere, so the person can open the cupboard I’m standing in front of to throw something away. An absolute pain. I’m building a new kitchen, and I told the designer that trash and recycling bins have to go in the cupboard next to the sink, NOT directly under it. I agree though that the trash should never be sitting out; it’s unsightly and seems unsanitary.
I’ve never had trash in cabinets, Always wanted it though. Even with a small family, I fill a full size trash every 2 days, 3 tops. I am reno’ing kitchen now and am afraid that the under cabinet trash will: 1. be filled every day 2. Smell under there 3. Ruin the cabinet by having it opened and closed 25 times a day. Thoughts?
The only thing about paneled appliances, at least in the U.S., is that they are considered a luxury item and can’t really be found for an affordable price. For instance, I’m shopping counter depth refrigerators right now and a nice high end SS one is around $3,000, while a panel ready one is $6,000. Both those prices actually make me choke because appliance quality, especially refrigerators is horrible across the board. Get ready to spend hundreds of dollars every few years to have the compressor and/or the mother board replaced. Or worse yet, have it fixed so often that you virtually pay for it again or just give up and replace it. Ask me how I know.
If you have a normal size kitchen, which is generally smaller than the so called small kitchens in design magazines, you do not have room to waste with storing garbage in the cabinets. Moreover, the number of containers needed have grown since most homes were first built. My bins are in the hall going off my kitchen. And the compost in a metal container on the counter top. I already had to get rid of an upper cupboard to replace the fridge that came with the house. Impossible to find anything short enough that would not leave a foot wide gap. Not to mention a lack of space in the fridge. If I were going to lose cabinet space for something else, it would be a dishwasher, not garbage. And this is actually the best kitchen I have ever had. I built an oak plate rack to fit over the sink, and added lighting. No window. The actual cupboards are solid oak from the 90s, so will actually be around decades after newer cupboards which start falling apart after a few years. Even the so called top of the line ones start falling apart by 10 years now. A friend has those.
Only disagreement, here.. but appliances that are made to accept custom paneling can be anywhere from 2x to 5x the price.. and they are all too expensive! We did our entire new kitchen appliances for less than $6K cost.. from a standard “big box” store.. all the design center appliances were stratospheric in price. Even putting custom panels over your existing appliances isn’t a cheap venture – for most folks. We DO agree with your assertion that having overhead cabinets is a VERY smart idea.. OK, I need a step stool.. so what? Thanks for the article.
instead of the 50/50 or 75/25 horizontal staggering of subway tiles, would it be better to do basket weave pattern with subway tiles? my cabinet colors are neutral (tops are off white creamish and bottoms are maple dark stained) so I think itll basket weave would be okay? countertop is very minimal as well
Counter composter here!! I found this lovely looking rectangular compost container from simple human —it’s in a matte black, and I have it next to a matte black Fellow kettle and coffee grinder. It looks like it’s part of a set! Keeping it on the counter keeps it accessible and ensures we use it for everything, and we do! It’s right next to the sink and it’s so convenient. I keep very few things on the counter but the compost is a must!
I am looking for a 4×8 vinyl sheet to glue on the wall for easy back splash… I have no upper cabinets- just a long shelf running on the wall. Not worried about resale, just function. Not interested in posh bc I cant spend my budget on exp backsplash. As far as frigs-Gotta find a frig I can afford- any frig.) Maybe this tuber could address inexpensive options besides paint for backsplash. Anyone visiting my house that would hate on my frig that sticks out can eat somewhere else- or better yet gift me one.
I would never put hardwood flooring in kitchen,… there is lot of water in kitchen, and sooner or later, something will leak. And in acordance of Murffys law, att when you wont be there to dry it before it will destroy your Hardwood… In cases of Kitchen is part of wider open area, and you want luxury flooring, natural Stone(Granite, marble) is much better choice.
All my taps are wall mounted. It’s harder to find the right fittings because they’re not trendy, but I never have to clean up that puddle of dirty water that collects behind taps mounted through a benchtop or basin. I used to own a special curved brush for scrubbing the narrow gap between the back of the tap and the splashback, but now I just wipe everything and it’s done.
Upper cabinets affect people differently. A person’s height may have something to do with this. Shorter people obviously have more difficulty accessing uppers. I personally don’t like working on a benchtop underneath uppers. I am just average height but I think it would be more difficult for taller people. Also they can become damaged by appliances that give off heat & sit under them (electric kettle, toaster, air-fryer) especially if you use these appliances a lot (which I do). It was said that doing away with uppers wasn’t so bad if you have alternative storage in a large kitchen, but I actually think smaller kitchens can become very closed in spaces when they have uppers. It will depend on if you like your kitchen totally clutter- free or not, but you can store things in sight on the wall, or shallow shelving – magnetic strips for knives, small hooks for ladles, slotted serving spoons, etc, larger hooks for frypans, shallow shelf to display large serving platter that just doesn’t go in standard storage drawers or shelves. These items don’t sit out from the wall very far, leaving headspace clear. I agree with presenter – if you must have uppers in a small space, make them white or as light a colour as works with your colour palette. Consider the push to open doors (no handles) & try to design so they go across an entire wall (no uppers designed for corners) This gives a clean line, much less imposing on the space. ❤
I have a compost container on my counter. It’s hideous and I hate it. LOL But, it MUST go out every single day and I don’t trust that will happen if I can’t see it. It’s just a small plastic tote that’s super easy to clean. I don’t like having a lid on it because moisture builds up and it’s gross. If I didn’t have a garden and chickens I probably wouldn’t bother. Maybe I can make a decorative container to set the plastic one in. That might make it not as ugly. Imma try that! 😅
Just know, it’s easy to buy a Hoosier and use the top only and place it on the counter before staging the house for sale ❤ It’s so easy I did two. I also now have an „appliance garage.” And those old solid wood cabinets are 40″ wide and 49″ long. One only needs a couple of those! I took out an island and added in a drop leaf kitchen table on wheels. It’s lower and we love gathering around it. ❤
Yay, you’re back, I missed you, glad you’re ok, take care of you 🌹 Nothing transforms your kitchen instantly like a sexy tap!! I did rip out a lot of my old upper kitchen cabinetry but then I do have a massive pantry! I kept a few. Painting them the wall colour to blend in is genius, mind you, I have to say🙌🏻👌🏻 Trendy backsplashes are so niche I think they’ve started their own cult🙄😳#hatethemandvisiblebins Dunno about the hidden appliances…🤔a lot of big American style fridge freezers these days are huge and sexy as hell…and who would want to hide a Smeg either…hmmm
This is not me being a Karen yet me just saying something because I don’t know that you are aware of this. There are some people who have mental health disorders such as OCD with intrusive thoughts that may literally find themselves up all night because their brain won’t shut up and runs and runs with a thought like figuring out a back splash or a number of other distressing things. I say this because that person does have a real problem and your very next words were something along the lines of, “for those who have a real problem.” That comment could set off a wide variety of thoughts in the mind of someone struggling with mental health disorders that cause that kind of battle and distress. I am not fussing at you or upset and I get your humor in it. Now back to perusal the rest of your article.
Glad I found ur website.. these articles helped me thinking of common mistake most designers even make.. so as a common person, it’s basically the knowledge one shd hav rather than goin to whatever the designers says.. we might like to hav so many things at our new home but how practical we can go ahead ..is what matters.. thank you so much for ur articles.. 🙏🏼 Take care of ur health first 🥰.. we can wait 👍🏼 Love from Bangalore, INDIA
I have a very small 1950s galley kitchen with the old metal cabinets and unused corner, dining room doorway at one end & exterior door at the other end. We’re getting new cabinets. The base cabinets are: A slim 18″ pantry with pullout shelves, a 12″ pullout tray drawer, a 15″ drawer cabinet, a sink cabinet, a corner lazy susan and a regular 27″ cabinet with top drawer and pullout shelves. Glad they are selling door cabinets with pullout shelves.
To me, one absolutely fatal flaw of a kitchen that would make it unusable for me, is not making sure countertops are the appropriate height for the people using them. All my counters have been raised by a full 8 inches. Unfortunately, this resulted in a ridiculously tall and ugly toe kick. Now, how do you achieve counterheigh that works for more than just tiny people, without compromising resale value?
I’ve been looking at houses recently as I’m moving, and islands are a real bug bear of mine. Even if they’ve opened up the space, why put one where the space behind ends at the door. I’ll probably rip them out and get a moveable butchers block. Plus I’ve seen them where you have to go around from the hob to the sink – great for draining vegetables. Also seen fridges in the off-kitchen utility area -I’m like don’t they drink tea or coffee, and the kettle is next to the sink. I have a strong suspicion that a lot of these are designed by people who don’t cook. or want to up their step count. With you on the lack of upper cabinets. At least putting in different coloured ones or white is okay if you can’t get the exact match.
3 handles on a dishwasher just make it “blend in” with the cabinets are a no go for me. As for getting rid of top cabinets; I’m 5’1 I can barely reach the back of the first shelf that at my eye level. I dont consider myself that short since all the women I’m around are maybe 2-3 inches taller. It’s not the minimalist look women want going topless It the lack of accessibility which is useless unless you feel like dragging a step stool around. The more cabinets you have the more its prone to become a junk drawer and just storage of unused stuff. No one needs that much kitchen equipment.
No judgement, my recycling containers are what overflows.🤔 I know I can hear you all thinking 🫣walk it to the recycle bin outside😢. 😊 If for every time I had to do that, I’d create a knew inside footpath look n trend on my carpet 😅. Ps. So, happy for you Posh Penny for making you, your life, your priority. Good on you. Stay safe, stay healthy, be well 🥰.
Hi Penny, I really appreciate your approach to interior design, which is not just about being Instagrammable but first of all pragmatic. And I love your subtle sense of humour… so posh! :o) It was interesting what you said about wooden floors in the kitchen, could you please elaborate a bit more on that? I can’t help ignoring the potential risk of flooding that sometimes happens in the kitchen (once I had one :-/ but at the time I had laminate floors). Thank you so much for your work, and I hope you’ll find the strength to go through this difficult time (hugs!)
I agree that taking down upper cabinets is a mistake. Open shelving is no substitute for all the stuff that cupboards contain. A tiled splashback can be gorgeous, and then there are all those HGTV shows that use ugly floor tiles in substitution. However, I have moved beyond tiles in favour of a wipe clean semi-gloss paint. Floor space in a kitchen is never wasted since that is where you could put a dining table. The obsession with the island is baffling, especially if you have to take down a wall to make it happen. A tiled kitchen floor is a no brainer. It is easy to lay and needs the minimum of maintenance. When a lot of people get their kitchen and appliances from a big box store, decor panels may not be an option. However, there is nothing wrong with a statement freestanding fridge/freezer such as a Smeg. I’m not fussed about taps or design trends. I only require that it turns on, off and doesn’t drip.
I live in a townhouse very open space and kitchen isn’t large, but it’s not closet phobic along one wall is my cabinetry, I simply don’t have enough storage. That’s why I’m redoing the kitchen. I cannot afford to sacrifice any kind of cabinet space for garbage when I have open floor and I can get an attractive garbage bag.
Some beautiful kitchens and houses shown! DO NOT INSTALL IN CABINET TRASH RECEPTACLES…They are disgusting and draw bugs…Sadly; many people install those near their Ranges. smh… As an installer and designer; In the philly area; we never run into that sort of problem ( sans the uppers)…As an installer…NO WALL CABINETS?…YAHOO! I can install all the bases in a 20X20 kitchen by lunch time…CHA CHING..
I love the green cabinets you showed in the intro. I am glad you know what you like. So important for each to have their kitchen how they want. I do not like the trend of open shelving. Subway tiles give me a chuckle. About ten years ago, every kitchen makeover was done in all white with white subway tiles as the backsplash. I finally realized it was cheaper.
Compost bins under the sink is my worst nightmare. The heat from the water heater (commonly in the corner next to the sink in my experience, where I’m at – if there’s no heater then there’s not as much of an issue, really), makes the compost stink more, generate more moisture and biological processes, as well as generally making more of it, as being under a sink in a cabinet makes it so much easier to neglect to empty out. Personally, I prefer having it on the bench, alternatively (especially in the summer), keeping it out while I work, and storing it in the fridge until it’s full enough to bother emptying out.
Hey, in your Ikea article you talk about down pillows. Could you please look into the cruelty involved in down and select down alternatives and please don’t recommend to people to buy down down anything. Nothing nothing down. Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you Coast for animals too. Thank you!
Speaking as a pest control technician : I cringe when I see panelled appliances! If they are a pain to remove and rebolt back sturdy and plum, they make treatment for roaches, rodents, Indian moth and other pests a much bigger hassle than it needs to be. Often, I will refuse to take responsibility to loosen them from the wall. That’s a thing to consider. Remaining in the world of pest control, an other design mistakes that should be outright criminalized : center stile in two door base cabinets. Whatever function they serve, one of them is preventing us from sticking our head inside. And they are ugly. And in upper cabinets, they get in your arms way. I’ve removed them more than once and what I found is that they have never been structural by any stretch. If they were meant to prevent sagging, they would not be held in place with brad nails….
I think one should decorate and style one’s home for what they like today and not think about what the resale situation might be. They might be in their home for 50 years and their relationship might actually last. Seems like current thought should be that this is not forever. Sounds like a self fulfilling prophecy to me.
Am I the only person who doesn’t like kitchen islands? I prefer having a dining table right next to the kitchen and skipping the dining room/area. I think bar stools are uncomfortable and kind of awkward. It’s gimmicky to me and I just want a nice big table where I can serve food without any hassle. The extra space of a dining room can be used in a more convenient and efficient way, as a play area for example or an extra guest room.
I didn’t do subways tiles but a square Spanish one with a little print. I love it. Has some color not as much as I would like but I know I will not get sick of it in 7 yrs etc. my cabinets are a light maple, not natural though. Counter top is quarts a white with gray and gold but mostly white. Not a vaining, Ithink with a large kitchen with a large island it be too much movement. We didn’t have the money for flooring but my was still good. It’s an Armstrong don’t think they make it anymore. But people knock on it because they think it’s tile. I would do some things differently if money wasn’t a big deal and the design place would have listen to me! Ours designer suck! If I didn’t change some things that she wanted center my lights would have been not center! Or maybe that was her plan so they would have had todo my ceiling too. So that was my big mistake I will say. Never pay in full till a walk through with everything is done. I mean every little thing!