It’s often said that the kitchen is the hub and the heart of a home. You see, the thing is, regardless of the type of home you live in – large or small – you’re bound to agree that no home is complete without a kitchen. From the smallest of functional kitchen spaces to the traditional galley-style look. – or the most contemporary, open-plan concept kitchen with island, there can be no denying that the kitchen has to be classed as the most important room in any house.
Let’s look at the many reasons why the kitchen is the most important room of all.
The most important room in your house: The kitchen mirrors your lifestyle
In years gone by, kitchens were often smaller than is the norm today. The space was typically only used to prepare meals and contained only what was necessary for doing so. The kitchen was usually separated from the dining room – almost in an attempt to hide away the mess away from the rest of the home. However, in more recent times, the kitchen has become a far more versatile space.
In fact, you can really make a statement about your lifestyle with your kitchen. These days, kitchens tend to be larger spaces. Not only that, they tend to serve a variety of purposes. Many kitchens now have seating areas as well as storage and cooking areas. The kitchen has become the most important room in home because it can now be used in whatever way that works best for you and your lifestyle.
The most important room: A family gathering space
The kitchen has always been the ‘engine room’ of a home. But now it really has become the main hub of most homes too. The kitchen has become the most likely area for the family to meet. It’s overtaken those ‘traditional’ family spaces, such as the living room and dining room. As family life has fragmented to a certain extent, the kitchen has become a place to meet, catch up and hang out
Kitchens are now set up to cater for several people. So, the kitchen has become a more popular space for the family to congregrate in. From bar seating to large working spaces such as kitchen islands, versatility has become the watchword of the modern kitchen space.
That versatility means that, more and more, kitchens are evolving spaces. Kitchens can be used to work in, cook in, meet in, or entertain it. What’s more the space can be adapted to meet the needs of the homeowner.
Kitchens are for living
More than anything, kitchens are for living. They are a hive of activity and are filled with energy.
Nowadays, the kitchen has taken on a whole new level of importance. Not only does it contain everything that is needed to prepare meals, it’s also a hub of storage and seating. It’s also the centre of communications. The kitchen is the most important room in the home because it gives the household a focus and a direction.
The heart of the home: The new living room?
This point is worth emphasising. The kitchen is the hub of the home but it’s now it’s beating heart as well. Life is lived in the kitchen and no room in the home reflects modern living more so these days than the kitchen. Modern homes are designed with kitchens as multi-functional living spaces. Much more thought is given to the design and functionality of the kitchen space. Catering for the natural flow of people coming and going into and from the space has become an important design characteristic.
A kitchen is now much more than a kitchen
Now that seating has become a characteristic of many kitchens, its position as the most important room in the home is assured. In the largest of spaces, the kitchen area itself (or designated cooking space) is thoughtfully planned and designed. It is accentuated by the dining area of the kitchen. In the largest of spaces, this is sufficient enough to enable the entire family to gather while cooking, eating, working, or simply relaxing and chilling out. Perhaps more so than any other room in the home, it is the kitchen where we tend to embrace casual, modern living more than anywhere else in the home.
Kitchens: Does size matter?
Clearly, size does matter. People who have larger kitchen spaces tend to view the kitchen as the most important room in the home. This is for the simple reason that you can make more of it, the more space you have. However, that’s not to say that a smaller kitchen is no less important. With smaller spaces, functionality and practicality probably trumps all. But the bottom line is this. Regardless of the size, the most important thing about a kitchen is to make the space work for you. It needs to suit the lifestyle you want to lead.
Get in touch with the Kitchen Warehouse team to see how you can make more out of the most important room in your house.
