Ideas for Non Open-plan kitchens

5 years ago

Hi, I have been a follower of Houzz for many years, and often find exciting ideas there. However I find some ideas missing and would love more of this. I am an Australian-Chinese living in Sydney. Like many Asians, we do not prefer an open plan kitchen, because most of our cooking involves spices and frying. Open plan kitchen allows the cooking and smell to go through the whole house, especially during winter when there is heating, and we can't open the windows easily. Also some of the floors have carpet. So the smell pervades the house and stay on the carpet and furniture. Would to see some ideas especially photos and plans for kitchens which have a door between the kitchen and the rest of the house, and also where the stove is located near windows where the windows can be opened during frying. In Singapore and Malaysia where I lived before, the kitchen is often enclosed from the rest of the house, and there is also a "wet" kitchen where we can prep and cook spicy ingredients. Most of my Asian friends complain about the same thing with houses and apartments build in Australia. They don't cater for the Asian market or our style of cooking. I would welcome some ideas and suggestions. Thank you. Belinda

Comments (5)

me me
5 years ago
A lot of older houses have separate kitchens. I prefer them as well, and I'm not Asian. I like my cooking mess to not be on show.
bkhong
Original Author
5 years ago
Hi, I live in a large house built in the 1970's. Large kitchen and everything, but no doors in between the different areas. Costed a bomb to heat up and also to hide cooking mess when entertaining. We have to installed doors on either side for those purposes. YOu are right, this preference is not only for Asians, it is for most people who like to not show the mess of cooking and the smell going through the house. Developers, architects, interior designers like to promote open planned kitchen. The reality is different. They should seek the views of the people who actually live and use these areas. So my plea to the professionals, and builders- listen to the market and the consumers. So far I have only found 1 big apartment with an enclosed kitchen area and the cooking stove near an open window. I would pay a premium for such thoughtfulness and understanding of how people live. Thanks for your comments. Belinda
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I find it difficult to view your floor plan as it blurs if I enlarge it, so excuse me if this comment is invalid. Assuming the entry is from your living room and the home runs lengthways with the hall linking the bathroom, ldry and bedroom from the kitchen. The issue with this is that having two doors in the kitchen means you cannot form a working triangle for it to function well and don't have enough wall to fit out with tall storage. However, if you sealed up the door to the hall and opened access to the hall from the lounge as your plans seems to indicate in the top right of the lounge area, then you could widen the front opening into the kitchen rather than remove an entire wall, so integrate it into your living zone without lumping a kitchen in the middle of your lounge, you will improve your walk through flow, and gain a new length of wall in the kitchen where your fridge could go into the corner with a larger pantry flanking it, then your proposed layout t follow.
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PRO
Foshan Yubang Cabinets
4 years ago
Hi， If you would like to post your kitchen floor plan here, we are happy to supply a design for your view.
bkhong thanked Foshan Yubang Cabinets
brizcs
4 years ago
Hi Belinda. I totally agree. The closed kitchens are obviously harder to photograph and just don’t give the wow thing (yawn) when published. But I’d also love to see more options and layout plans for these spaces. The cooks of Houzz do tend to take firm sides on this, but the images on the website are overwhelmingly of the open variety. I enjoy seeing efficient galley style restaurant kitchens in full action with several staff in a smaller floor space producing massive amounts of food, and compare it to the open glamour kitchens of the same size but for just two people. It’s that cooking v entertaining thing they always discuss. Perhaps an average sized kitchen with more benches, less floor area looks disproportionately small when visible from the living area. And yes to kitchen windows, please not a kitchen shoved into a dark corner as so many are. Both open and closed styles have their place, so I agree, let’s have some photos of both.
bkhong
Original Author
4 years ago
Brzcs, thanks for sharing your thoughts and comments. I agree that open plan kitchens are easier to photography. But it is a matter of photos vs the reality of living, and usage. I would love to see more photos of both open and closed kitchens too. Many of us who uses ideas from Houzz are also looking for practical solutions to real living.

Ideas for Non Open-plan kitchens

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me me

bkhong
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Ideas for Non Open-plan kitchens

Comments (5)

me me

bkhongOriginal Author

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bkhong
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bkhong
Original Author