The way we lead our daily
lives is vastly different to our ancestors and our use of kitchens is a really
good example of how things have changed. Go back a few centuries and
you will note that kitchens were often constructed as far away from the family
living quarters as possible and was just a functional place that served a
purpose. Modern family living is now very much centered around the kitchen, so
much so that it is estimated that a typical family today will spend nearly five
times the hours in their kitchen than they will in their living room.
With people spending much more time in their kitchens than anywhere else in the house,
this fact means that casual family living now demands the creation of a great room where everything we could
want is all catered for within the hub of modern family life.
Serving the family well
When you sit down to design
the blueprint for the perfect kitchen that serves all of your family’s needs, you
will probably agree that your great room should be a place where cooking,
homework, conversation, TV watching and socializing all have the opportunity to
be carried out in this one area.
Many homeowners who used to
have a separate dining room that was rarely used, reclaimed this wasted space
by knocking through to create a larger
open-plan kitchen that was more suitable for modern
family living, so look at the space that you have available and work out how
you can create as large a living space in your kitchen as possible.
Designing your space
The fundamental purpose
behind your design plans is to create a great
room that is easily adaptable and offers casually defined zones within the
space. The room still has to
function successfully as a kitchen where food preparation and cooking are
easily carried out together with plenty of space being available for storage of
food items and equipment as well as dishwashing and other related chores.
In addition to these
requirements, look to create a room that offers informal dining, the ability to
carry out studying or hobbies and also provides plenty of opportunity for
relaxing and enjoying media entertainment too. Having some comfortable dining
chairs and plenty of seating like a sofa to encourage family and friends to
hang around after dinner, will also work well.
Working with what you have got
If you are unable to make
your kitchen any larger by knocking through, you can still aim to transform the
space that you have go to work with into a more comfortable and inviting living
area that the family will enjoy being in for many hours.
If you can design your room
to accommodate a
couple of sofas as well as your dining table and
chairs, this will introduce comfort into your living space as well as function
and rather than discouraging the idea, introduce electronic media like a TV and
a PC into your great room, as this
help to create the perfect family atmosphere, with multiple activities going on
in but with everyone together.
About the author: Luke Connor's career as an interior
designer has always centered around family life. When not working with clients,
he loves blogging about inspirations and beautiful, functional spaces for
today's family homes.
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