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Kitchens: Everyone has one, but what is done with it and what is expected of it varies greatly from person to person.

For some, the kitchen is a refuge; a place to claim shelter from marauding offspring while sipping champagne and creating culinary delights.

For others, it’s the modern equivalent of the prehistoric bonfire: a gathering place to eat meat, insult each other, and find out why Beaver is flunking science.

It is no longer just for cooking, cleaning and a nightcap, the kitchen has become a super room, suitable for entertainment, dining and normal life.

If your idea of ​​a flawless kitchen is the latter, then this first piece of sage advice applies to you:

Gib’s Kitchen Design Rule #1:

“You don’t just cook in it”:

It is no longer just for cooking, cleaning and a nightcap, the kitchen has become a super room, suitable for entertainment, dining and normal life.

With this in mind, ask yourself: What will you and your family do in your kitchen?

Will you be entertained? If so, some of your uneducated guests will no doubt be arriving early biting into a bit of victuals. Enter the island! Instead of them drooling like you’re covered in fava beans yourself, you can take them to the cleverly placed island that has a convenient cantilever with elegant stools and a variety of delicious hors d’oeuvres. This way you can work the range from the safe side of town while they drink their Chianti, chat with you, and stay out of the way.

If you live in your kitchen, you can combine it with the dining room/living room to achieve that modern urban loft style that the chic and trendy love so much. Add a comfortable loveseat and a TV in one corner so that when your recipe fails miserably you just have to relax on the couch, change the channel and let the Food Network come to the rescue.

Just be sure to remember that the overall layout should allow traffic to pass through each corridor without the danger of hitting sharp corners. If you and your partner can’t turn around, the aisle is too narrow.

Gib’s Kitchen Design Rule #2:

“You can’t have enough storage space.”

Do you remember the last time you moved? Ok, maybe it’s a mist of pain, cursing, and booze, but I’m sure of one thing: You had 150 times more stuff than you thought you did. You may be losing sleep not knowing where to put Grandma’s canning kettle only to find that the fondue set and oyster forks are crying out for shelter.

Varied storage will be your salvation: drawers of different sizes, hidden pull-outs, cabinets with adjustable shelves, and the list goes on. If you depend on wide open spaces to solve all your storage problems, remember this: there was a reason the plate ran off with the spoon.

The latest trend is to display your belongings, restaurant style, adding character to your kitchen. This is great if, like me, you’re showing off your priceless collection of Fabergé eggs, but less so if half-eaten Doritos and pizza boxes are your idea of ​​a “lifestyle accessory.” And since life without junk food is nothing but a poor man’s game, hidden storage is a must.

This storage doesn’t have to be limited to fixed cabinets – it can greatly benefit from the European trend of freestanding cabinets. These cabinets are complete pieces of furniture: they are sturdy, provide a unique aesthetic effect, and can be moved when small children and pets get left behind. They also give you much more freedom to modify your kitchen at a later date with the added bonus of taking it with you when you move. Oh, those Europeans are so smart.

Gib’s Kitchen Design Rule #3:

“Triangles Suck”

The classic design rule for kitchens of yesteryear was the “working triangle.” From Henry VIII to Betty Crocker, the ideal situation seemed to be ease of movement from the refrigerator to the prep area to the stove. Like most commercial propaganda, this was based on little more than lining the pockets of cabinetmakers. This antiquated system has now been cast aside for ideas that are better suited to our brave new world.

The latest revolution in design is inspired by professional kitchens. The area is divided into stations, each based on a specific function. You define each season and its purpose: chopping, cooking, baking, and preparing meat are common candidates. If you have a “cake icing” station, you clearly have too much free time.

Multiple sinks, different countertop materials, proper appliance placement (say five times faster), and task lighting all come together to delineate separate areas of the kitchen for certain tasks. And these things, dear ones, we will cover in the very near future.

Stay tuned for more Gib-gab. The sequel to this series has you enlightening the masses on your choice of appliances, countertops, flooring, and lighting.

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