In our country where food and flavours enjoy a lot of importance, one can simply not ignore this space. Thanks to globalisation and exposure earned from it, kitchens have been revamped and modernised to offer a plethora of surface materials and finishes. With the advent of technology and ease of international trade, we are witnessing some state-of-the-art innovations. It is now looked at as a space where product and interior design go hand in hand to give a cohesive experience to its end user. The international market is still largely dominated by European Kitchen cabinet and hardware makers. Not only have they pioneered the art of cooking but also the space.
Earlier, a kitchen did not enjoy a lot of priority in a home make-over budget. It was looked at as a purely functional space isolated from the rest of the house. As these lines are slowly diminishing, we are seeing more interactive and cohesive floor plans. In India, where usually we expect a woman in the kitchen, we are seeing more and more men enter. Even domestic dependency has increased. The experience while cooking is now prioritized compared to the past. There is a thought given to how food is stored and consumed. Awareness of health and hygiene has also improved. With these cultural changes, we are seeing many improvements in design, building materials, technology and especially aesthetics in the kitchen. Thanks to the introduction and great acceptance of the modular furniture industry in India, there has been a paradigm shift in residential kitchens.
The origin of a kitchen started from a fireplace – the hearth. In olden times, we had something we can call a sitting kitchen, where families would gather around the fireplace, and consume freshly cooked food. With refrigerators came the idea of storing food. With architecture came the exposure of ergonomics and that brought the introduction of worktops/a platform enabling one to stand and cook. From then to now, there has been constant innovation leading to modular kitchens as the latest addition. There is a huge potential and growth for modular kitchens as more and more people are embracing the latter. For its space saving benefits, ergonomically cared-for designs and the quality of surface finishes.
 In India, the modular kitchen sector is still quite unorganized. Many builders are even today relying on age-old methods of constructing a kitchen slab first with traditional materials leaving little scope for finesse and customization in the area. Breaking and redoing it means leaving behind a lot of carbon footprint.
Kitchens are now designed to optimize your space. Giving a dedicated corner for every item and just about enough space means your kitchen would look decluttered all the time enabling you to save time and energy. Designated area for portable appliances, a broom cabinet, a space for drying wet kitchen rags, an easy-to-access grain trolley storing near about 100 kgs of rice or wheat, a writing surface for kids while their moms cook in the kitchen and multitask– are just a few interventions/contributions by The Kitchen Artisan.
A kitchen is now divided into zones – cooking, cleaning, storing and every zone is given equal importance.
Right from steam ovens to dough makers and even one-pot meal machines, our lives have become simpler with newer technology in cooking appliances. Compact homes now have compact machines that multitask. Old flour mill machines and wet grinders are replaced with compact ones for nuclear families. An almost silent and sleek chimney over a sleek hob has changed the aesthetics of the kitchen.
A scullery in the kitchen area is coming back and those who can’t afford a dedicated space for it are opting for two sinks – one to wash vegetables and one for doing the dishes. A dishwasher is now almost a must in every Indian Kitchen!
There are a lot of mechanisms and products available that optimize the dead corners of compact kitchens which were earlier used to collect only grime and dust and waste of space. Expensive but useful organizers to hold cutlery, plates and even the most precious Tupperware lids and containers show the level of importance this industry is attracting.
Due to the unique nature and nuances of Indian cooking style and family dynamics, international brands have still found it difficult to penetrate in the industry. Many local manufacturers give quality at par suited for the Indian conditions. Marine ply and that too the best grade is opted for by all top architects and interior designers today. There is a huge variety in countertop materials for the kitchen. Many solid composite surfaces have taken over old granites and marbles for their colours are lighter and brighter. The trend now is not only maintenance-free kitchens but also aesthetically pleasing and welcoming kitchens. A lot of importance is also being given to backsplash surface treatments and hence a lot of variety can be seen in the market today, especially in subway tiles, and 8×4-sized tiles.
A few pointers one must keep in mind while designing their kitchen is to segregate the kitchen into parts and keep items based on their frequency of use and accessibility. By doing so it gets easier for family members/ non-cooking members, house help to easily find things and helps keep it organized better. Once you have figured out the purpose of refurbishing the kitchen, it’s simpler to arrange and know where to keep what while planning the layout of the kitchen.
The latest in Pandora’s box is the addition of Velvet touch Matt surfaces for cabinet facades – which are super easy to clean and maintain and give an international appeal to your kitchen. From laminates to back-painted glass and acrylic, there is a shift again towards veneers, PU-painted cabinets and textured surfaces. As they say, fashion is painful, and a lot of clients are ready to embrace that even in kitchens – through the kitchens are mainly handled by domestic staff for many today, they have become a centre stage where people proudly invite their friends, party, and even cook a romantic meal together!
A few international trends that one must look out for are:
– Mechanisms making slimmer drawers to optimize the internal space are given a lot of importance.Â
– Focusing on internals and internal surface finishes along with the cabinet’s outer finishing.
– Elaborative organizers for storing systematically.
– Pot fillers, a common kitchen accessory worldwide, are now slowly being accepted in the Indian markets as well.
– Experimenting with concrete for kitchen slabs and facades.
– Sintered stones are making a huge entry as a material for making cabinet facades, countertops and also sinks giving the kitchen a seamless finish.
Authored by Anjali Shah, Kitchen Stylist, Furniture & Industrial Designer & Founder of The Kitchen Artisan.
