When was the last time you walked down the street and passed a dog owner walking a four legged version of themselves?  We see this all the time. Its fascinating how we choose our own traits in our pets. Your kitchen design should be the same. It should reflection how you cook and what is most important to you when cooking, preparing and storing food. Current trends on the market are about surface finishes and overall "looks", not about the efficiency of a kitchen.

I've been following a few discussions about kitchen design on a popular interior design website One person will post a request for other opinions' or general help. Everyone responds with positives and negatives comments about the layout, design or finish selection. Ultimately there will be such a huge variety of opinions that the person will be left to decipher, and end up more confused then when they posted the original request.

What to do? Ideally they should be assessing what they need as well as likes and dislikes, ignoring the opinions of others. This is phase of the design process is called programming. Its like a business plan for the design of any project. An Important element in kitchen design is the "triangle" formed between the fridge, stove and sink. The dishwasher should be nearby and all the rubbish/recycling/composting in easy reach. It should all flow seamlessly while still having individual details like open shelving vs cabinet doors, pots hanging or hidden away. The design options are many but they really should be individual. 

Two radically different kitchen looks that show different ways to use a kitchen. The image on the left, a kitchen designed by Gaggeneau for a trade showroom is modern, contemporary, clean in its detailing but warm and inviting with the selection of oak floor and wood cabinetry. The image on the right is a traditional, classical inspired kitchen with contemporary detailing with the dark cabinets paired with white counter tops. These owners like antiques but appreciate when everything has its place in the kitchen.  

Rethinking the way we use kitchens is a annual project at design school. Do we even need a kitchen? How big is the ideal kitchen? Do we need to cook at all? Mental and physical health depend on controlling what and how you fuel your body. Family and friends bond more when they share a meal together,  sharing the events of they day.

As we progress towards a world where we can work from any corner, taking the time to build and maintain your community is of paramount importance for the future of mental health. On the surface what seems like a simply discussion about kitchen design can ultimately affect our mental and physical health. Make sure you plan it well.