Five Must-Have Kitchen Features for Modern Living
Recent developments in technology and innovation have made the kitchen more functional and ergonomic than ever before. We have come a long way since the days of the one storage pantry and fridge hooked up in the corner design, with people looking for ways to make their kitchen more user-friendly and efficient.
Apollo Kitchens is a designer/advocate of the modern kitchen, as we believe it makes the cooking and entertaining experience smoother and more enjoyable. We would like to share with you 10 features of the modern kitchen that make it such a pleasure to work in.
- The Ergonomic Design
The days of cramped, spaceless kitchens are obsolete, and many people refuse to buy/rent out a house simply based on the fact the kitchen is outdated and lacks space to work. Where once you used to duck, bend, weave and dodge just to cook a piece of toast, you can now have a kitchen that utilises the space provided by the property.
When having your kitchen designed, emphasise the need for bench space – this makes cooking far more enjoyable. Also, request that the benchtop heights are appropriate for the person cooking; straining your back night after night to cook dinner can be bad for you.
- Easy-Care Countertops
Older countertop materials were often hard to clean, with the constant scrubbing and putrid waft of cleaning materials being a real downside to cooking. However, you can now choose to have easy-care countertops installed in your kitchen that eliminate the need for endless elbow grease.
Easy-care countertops include:
- Engineered Stone: Often referred to as Quartz, Ceasarstone or Silestone. These engineered stones are created by binding together crushed stone with polymer resin. This method makes the countertop non-porous which, of course, makes it resistant to staining.
- Soapstone: The durability of soapstone has made it a popular choice for hundreds of years; however, it has only recently become a regular in the kitchen industry. Soapstone is incredibly dense, making it highly resistant to staining. Not only this, but it is heat resistant, meaning that it can hold hot pots and trays as you cook.
- Innovative Storage Solutions
A kitchen without adequate storage is impossible to organise. With people constantly adding to their cookware, appliances, dishes, etc. – the need for innovative, ergonomic storage solutions is greater than ever.
Thankfully, designers are meeting this need with a whole host of storage solutions allowing for greater organisation and fluidity in the kitchen. These include:
- Custom, Walk-In Pantry: Everybody dreams of having a walk-in pantry. The optimised space allows you to house all your goods in the one storage space and alleviates the worry of buying something you already have.
- Corner Drawers: You no longer have to worry about breaking your back to reach into that black hole in the corner of the cabinet section. The corner drawer allows the user to utilise the space of this previously unusable part of the kitchen by pulling diagonally, offering a versatile space for storage.
- Tray Drawer: Stacking your trays (baking, pizza, cooling racks etc.) can seem like a space-consuming nightmare, especially when the grooves of the trays don’t fit together. A recent development in storage solution has been the divided tray drawer, one that allows you to neatly place your trays standing upright in their own positions.
- Eco-Friendly Appliances
The modern kitchen should be environmentally-friendly. There are some amazing appliances you can purchase to make your home eco-friendlier, those which can help you significantly reduce your carbon footprint.
These include:
- Recycling Systems: You can now recycle food waste in your kitchen with the use of home recycling systems. An estimated 60 per cent of landfill garbage is made up of food waste, which then goes on to create methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. Home composting machines allow you to turn your food waste into reusable garden matter. Being great for the environment and your garden, these appliances are an absolute win-win.
- Energy Efficient Fridges: The fridge used to be the place where a home’s energy was eaten up, having harmful effects on the environment. With energy rating systems now applied to fridges, you can opt to have a fridge that minimalizes your home’s impact on the environment.
- Water-Saving Dishwashers: Companies such as Bosch are now producing water-saving dishwashers. Look for a higher number of stars, this means that the dishwasher has a higher water-saving rating and is better for the environment.
- Simplicity
Because no one wants a cluttered, poorly designed kitchen space. Modern designs place a greater emphasis on the importance of simplicity to allow for efficient cooking. Ornaments are slowly becoming obsolete, horizontal lines are prominent and a neutral colour scheme is paramount.
Need a Hand?
If you feel it’s time to leave those old cabinets and appliances behind for a more modern, efficient approach to cooking, get in contact with the experts at Apollo Kitchens. We work hard to create the most effective kitchens for any space, and will be happy to provide you with a quote on your stunning new kitchen.
Call us on 1300 90 80 90 or submit an enquiry form on our contact page and we will get back to you with all the information you require.
