The notion that kitchens are machines for living originated roughly in the 50’s and had fully developed in the 60’s, when the cooking space was perfected to an unprecedented efficiency. But what we now take for granted has not always been so.

Actually, in quite recent history, kitchens were as much a space for food preparations as they were a source of heat, a place for rest and often-times, the house in its entirety. It is important to consider that in some parts of the world this is still actual.

In what is commonly called the civilized world, homes developed into multi-room habitations. As a result, the many uses of the kitchen got reduced when other spaces, such as bedrooms, for instance, provided better alternates for some of its prior uses.

Things started to change when Harriet Beecher Stowe published some of the first thoughts on ergonomics as early as 1869 and predicated a systematic design for kitchens.

In her book, The American woman’s home, Stowe offers a model for how kitchens should be.

This series of articles on Smart Kitchens will illustrate five of the beautiful and practical solutions that kitchens continue to amaze and serve us with if well designed and properly executed.

THE APPLIANCE GARAGE

In the age of cooking gadgets, as much as we love them, we do need to reconcile the bulkiness and messiness of machinery with the need for neatness that most of us aspire to.

The appliance garage is still one of the nicest and practical ways, aside from having built-in appliances, to hide those clunky pieces when not in use.

And while you place all your practical but more unsightly items in there, consider buying a show-piece to keep it as decoration on the counter.

Decor should be as practical as the kitchen itself. From a whimsical bouquet of parsley or sage in a vase to a charming teapot, the range is limitless.

Interiors: Dochia Interior Design

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