Gone are the days when kitchens were mostly outfitted with white walls, cemented slabs and few shelves to keep the stuff. Today, the kitchens are social spaces adjacent to the living room and the design goes with the flow of the entire interior design of a home as well. Surfaces Reporter spoke to Modular Kitchen expert, Seema Khosla , MD & Designer, Ideas Kitchens n Designs about the Top 10 innovations that have changed the face of kitchen industry in the last decade. This article opens up scope to home owners to redesign their kitchens to a functional, eye-pleasing and comfortable space.
Mechanical Technology
The introduction of new innovative machines for edge bending, cutting, multi-boring of Indian and German brands has led to mass production and excellent finishing. Finished edges ensure cleaner & hygienic kitchens and creates smart and effective usage of each inch provided in the kitchen area. Modular units allow you to dismantle whole kitchen from your existing space, which you can take to your new home and fix it again. Incase of a damage only one unit has to be repaired or replaced. Various components are company-fitted readymade kitchens with just installation done on site limiting inconvenience and disturbances caused to the customer due to fabrication & woodwork, thereby providing a clutter free installation.
Introduction of new ways of cooking styles
Acceptance of hob in place of cooktop by the masses in metros and the change of cylinder to piped low pressure gas is another innovative step. Chimneys have become a necessity to keep the kitchen smoke free, and comes with features like air purifier, built in pest repellent, exhaust and recirculation mode. Modular kitchen range with built-in cooking hob, almost sits flush with the counter top and appears as a part of it. They also come with extra pullout slide which can work as a dining table as well, and no one can make it out whether it’s a cooking workstation or a dining area.
Intelligent Appliances
With multi-tasking becoming the norm, smart and intelligent kitchen appliances have halved the time spent in the kitchen. Microwaves, coffee makers, water purifiers, roti makers, induction cook top, fryers, and vegetables choppers etc have become worthwhile investments for convenience working. Built in microwave, built in ovens, built in refrigerators, coffee machines, steam ovens for the health savvy individuals, dishwashers, etc have made the kitchen a wonderful cooking and rejuvenating hub.
High end Accessories
With multi-tasking becoming the norm, smart and intelligent kitchen appliances have halved the time spent in the kitchen. Microwaves, coffee makers, water purifiers, roti makers, induction cook top, fryers, and vegetables choppers etc have become worthwhile investments for convenience working. Built in microwave, built in ovens, built in refrigerators, coffee machines, steam ovens for the health savvy individuals, dishwashers, etc have made the kitchen a wonderful cooking and rejuvenating hub.
Modern backsplash Materials
Copper tile, Ceramic tile, Glass tile, Chalk board paint, Limestone, Tumble stone, River rock, Toughened glass, Steel tiles, Single steel panels, Corian, Quartz are just some of the materials making the back splashes the focal point of modern kitchens.
New finishes in Outer doors
New finishes in the outer doors have come to the fore such as UV, Acrylic, Glass, printed UV, Acrylic Glass, ACP sheets moulded on wood, 3D laser cutting, curved shutters, making Kitchens high on design value. Boiling water proof (BWR) plywood with lamination, Pre-Laminated Particle board, MDF with acrylic finish, MDF membrane and Pre-laminated MDF are the best available options in the market.
New Designing Software
Kitchen Design Software, an interior design that allows several wall arrangements, door selections, windows criteria enables professional people to design tiles, cabinet doors, backsplash, outdoors, units and also make renovations in already created kitchen photos. It can customize room width, height, floor dimensions with user defined size and shape. New designing software made designing and presentation very interesting and simple with KD max, 3D max, 20/20 software real life-like images of kitchen and interiors could be generated. This gives the customers a virtual touch and feel of the interior.
Concept of Open Kitchens
Now a days, people want the kitchen to be an active part of the family home. And open-concept kitchens are by far the more popular choice today. It gives a home an appealing flow and extra light.
Energy efficiency
With the introduction of energy saving appliances that carries STAR Rating, you can save up to 30 per cent of your home energy use. As our reliance on appliances increases, energy prices are also on the rise, thus home appliances companies are introducing more & more energy-efficient appliances.