Kitchens Gold Coast – The heart of the home
We cook in it. We eat in it. Kids do homework, friends have coffee, partners share a glass of wine, we laugh and we cry in it. The days of the kitchen being a room that is hidden away, unappreciated and underutilized, are long gone! Homeowners are embracing a modern take on the ‘great room’, the beating heart of the home.
Traditionally, kitchens in medium to large size homes were usually big enough to cook a meal and hold a table large enough to seat a few people for breakfast or a small snack. Dining rooms were used to host formal events, while the lounge room was used as seating during informal family dinners. The meals that were considered to be important would be served in the formal dining room on a table big enough to seat the entire family at once. Sitting down as a family for a meal used to be very significant, today, busy lifestyles are making this kind of event practically impossible.
It seems like these days are now well and truly behind us! New kitchens and kitchen renovations are seeing homes embrace a communal living design, even changing layouts and removing walls to accommodate it. The combination of the dining room with the kitchen has created an open plan entertaining area and solidified the kitchen as the heart of the home.
This style of kitchen is influencing the way that families are living. Regardless of busy schedules, the kitchen as a hub works well at helping families cross paths throughout their day. Small, segregated kitchens that are only used for cooking show a more controlled and closed off family setting. Open plan living spaces promote communication and quality time together.
The size of the kitchen can also influence its status as the heart of your home. A well planned kitchen should have a good size that promotes a productive work environment. No cramped spaces, tight corners or awkward shelving please. If the area is too small, be prepared to bust out the sledge hammer.
Some walls may need to go in order for you to create an open feel. A good size kitchen can also increase the value of your home and is often viewed as the most important room when it comes to selling. Investing in a well-designed new kitchen can increase your property’s resale value drastically. A kitchen renovation that streamlines the area and gives it a more modern look will increase appeal to home buyers.
The kitchen is slowly being transformed into the living room. We probably all have images of our parents buzzing around in the kitchen, cooking meals, baking or cleaning up. This was all the kitchen was used for and it was used well. Now that new kitchens have been freed from those constraints they are starting to take over the role of the living room.
Kids no longer have to sit in their bedrooms doing their homework, they can now get help from their parents as they are cooking up a storm right in front of them. The kitchen is now a living and breathing space, dedicated to more than just cooking. Filled with energy and life, the kitchen has become a conversation facilitator, a space to hang out and catch up with your loved ones.
Although kitchen trends come and go one thing is certain – the kitchen will continue to be an irreplaceable space in our homes.
