Sociable Kitchens

Terry Watson, Sales Manager for Moben kitchens, discusses how the role of the kitchen has evolved into a social space and how to make your kitchen work for you and your guests:

How has the trend for people socialising in the home come about and why does the kitchen play a central role in this?

“Whilst we all like to go out and have a good time now and then, the home is fast becoming the social space of choice as we look for more cost-effective ways to spend our evenings and weekends. However, staying in is the new going out not just because you can avoid expensive bar bills and travel arrangements, but because our homes are our havens and having those closest to us over for the evening can be a much more intimate and enjoyable option.

“The kitchen has been integral to this trend for home entertainment because of our rekindled passion for cooking, thanks in part to the enduring popularity of food related programmes and our love of TV chefs. We are becoming more ambitious in the kitchen and the idea of throwing a dinner party seems to now be a British tradition so it makes sense that homeowners are looking to make their kitchens part of their wider living space.

“In turn, we are demanding more than ever from our kitchens as its role evolves from simply a place to cook to being the centre of the home, where the whole family congregates. With the kitchen becoming ever more multifunctional, identifying different ‘zones’ - such as cooking, dining, entertaining and working - will help achieve the most out of the space. Practicality is essential and there is a growing demand for kitchens to incorporate an array of gadgets and multimedia, so everything is close to hand.”

What kinds of layouts work best for a sociable setting? How can you incorporate seating areas and what space considerations do you need keep in mind?

“Homeowners are increasingly looking to open up their living spaces to connect the kitchen, dining and lounging areas, providing the opportunity to work, rest and play within one communal space. The creation of a universal, sociable space is going to be a key trend this year and as such, kitchen design will offer a harmonious look that can be continued throughout the rest of the home for a complementary and inviting overall scheme.

“It is possible to create a space that successful combines cooking and dining areas by adding a central island as it can act as both a room divider and a breakfast bar or alternatively it can be home to a hob or sink. There are many designs available now that feature drop down sides to accommodate stools and create both a handy work space and seating area. Separate breakfast bars are also a simple way to create a dining area within the kitchen so cook, family and friends can all be congregated in the same space, plus they make efficient use of space and work particularly well in galley kitchens.

“To effectively create a larger useable space in which the family can have breakfast, lunch and dinner, and which can be used as a social space, it may be necessary to change the formal layout of the kitchen itself. If you have a ‘U’ shaped kitchen, this can be changed to an ‘L’ shape by removing the units and altering the position of the three main points of focus – the sink, cooker and fridge-freezer. In doing so, it is possible to construct a dining area within the same room.”

“Whichever layout you choose, for a truly functional kitchen area you need to allow you plenty of space to manoeuvre so ideally you need to leave a minimum of 120cm between runs of units or between units and a central island.

“When it comes to setting the right tone, downlighters, fitted underneath wall-mounted units, aren’t just great decorative features, they also provide much-needed practical lighting for food preparation. Plinth lighting underneath floor units is also a great feature that sets the right tone for an open-plan space, and to create an eye-catching focal point, choose one of the latest statement hoods that include a lighting feature or add illuminated shelving to really impress those guests.

“Moben’s designers have been fully trained and have many years experience, which is a huge benefit with such an important purchase. They talk to homeowners about how they use their kitchen and discuss any special requests, so that the best options can be considered. In addition, they will project manage the entire job, helping people coordinate every aspect of the kitchen and providing reassurance that the various elements will work well together to achieve their desired look.”