TRY DIFFERENT STYLES & POSITIONS By Nisha JamVwal

 A WINDOW TO WARM FUNCTIONAL KITCHENS

Kitchen Design Styles By Nisha JamVwal

Pictures Nisha JamVwal Design

 With good domestic help scarce and food still a preoccupation with many people, if the ‘emotional center of the house’ - the Kitchen - is not well planned, you could end up feeling uncomfortable in an otherwise well-designed house. 

 


IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT SIZE BUT ABOUT FUNCTION

 
Yet when you think about it, you don’t need a large kitchen for it to be functional. When I shifted to a downtown flat from a rambling bunglow, and subsequently a relatively compact kitchen, did I realize that a small urban kitchen can be well equipped with every requirement close at hand. It is as functional as a palatial kitchen - island et al.

 BEAUTY ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH

 A high use area like this must be easy to care for.  Big houses still have the four wall kitchens with huge cook spaces and work-stations galore. In these a dining table or a small breakfast table in the centre is very practical and visually divides the space as well. One can have wide-open spaces and a conspicuous lack of clutter.

But with houses becoming more compact, a one-wall kitchen or a strip kitchen and an L-shaped kitchen are common. 

 

THE U SHAPED KITCHEN

A U-shaped kitchen is the best. The thing to remember is that there must be a minimum four foot clearance from any one wall or counter, for it to be serviceable.

The most utilized areas of the kitchen are the sink, refrigerator and the cooktop. 

ONE WALL KITCHEN 

In a one-wall kitchen  the sink, refrigerator and the cooktop-  must be in a line, which makes for not a lot of movement back and forth.

The decoration of many kitchens suffers because of the natural side effects of cooking. 

Ventilation over the cooktop must be good so either put a chimney/ vent, a hood or a window near the cooktop. With a super-efficient ventilation and extraction system that eliminates grease build up and condensation, you have more decorative scope. Plenty of light and air also adds to the entire maintenance efficiency. 

THE CALIFORNIA KITCHEN

In residential spaces remodeled by me where the kitchen is too claustrophobic, I have torn down walls between the dining room and the kitchen. I retained only a low “pony” wall on which we placed a high gloss rounded granite slab as a dining table, around which are placed light dining chairs. This is what is called a California kitchen. The result, as might be expected, is quite extraordinary. The kitchen develops its own style.

ISLAND KITCHEN

No, not as in Mauritius, but a concrete structure called an “island” in the center of a four wall kitchen. This to me is the most convenient thing one can have but there is an if.  If you have a large kitchen there can be plenty of storage space under the island, particularly the stuff that you don’t want to see. A generous expanse provides ample space for preparing meals. Ceramic tiles offer a long-wearing surface. 

The island provides a spot for quick snacks if you have stools (bar type with a small back). You could have a standard counter height of thirty inches or go for a bar height of forty. 

INFUSING COLOR

So many kaleidoscopic tiles have flooded the market these days, these can transform a kitchen and make it picturesque. The backsplash can look very colorful if collaged with beautiful tiles. A whimsy, an inspired idea, a well placed painting, an interestingly designed window, an old fashioned glass china cabinet, all of this or even one can transform you kitchen. Utilize every area, flaunt the advantages and create a kitchen with a soul.

WRITE IN WITH QUESTIONS , IDEAS, THOUGHTS HERE OR ANY DESIGN IDEAS YOU'D LIKE TO READ ABOUT 
NISHA JAMVWAL 


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