While the interiors of a home should reflect the personality of its occupants and meet their day-to-day requirements, the budget factor plays a crucial role. Let us look at the Kitchen of your home to explore some of the options that you can consider.
Design your kitchen to be practical and ergonomic. You don’t just want your kitchen to look amazing, you want it to be functional too. Make sure your layout works efficiently. Your fridge needs to be accessible; your dishwasher shouldn’t block any paths either. You need ample bench and storage space too.
There is an increasing trend towards modular kitchens and open plan kitchens which merge with the living room.
The kitchen counter top should be made of granite as it is hard and stain free. Cabinets below the counter top should be made of matt finish laminate available in exotic colours. Shelving should be done with steel racks. It is easier to maintain and not very expensive.
Vitrified tiles are best suited for kitchen flooring as they are stain free. These tiles cost around INR 60-120 per sqft. Cast lights i.e. down-lighters casting light on the kitchen counter is an essential.
Granite counters comes at a price of around INR 3000 and it is advisable to opt for shades of black, red or dark grey. Marble should be avoided as it gets easily stained. A small chimney can help remove the warm air and cooking fumes. This comes in a wide range of INR 7,000 to 30,000.
Different types of Kitchen layouts:
•U-shaped
•L-shaped
•Corridor/ Parallel
•Island based
•Broken U-shaped
•Single wall
Consider the type of the kitchen layout that fits your home space. The U-shaped kitchen is the one that surrounds you on all sides with storage, countertops and appliances, saving lots of steps. If the ‘U’ is big enough, you can add an island work station in the middle but this is a relatively costlier option.
One of the most popular kitchen layouts is the L-shaped kitchen because the work triangle is uninterrrupted by traffic and there is a lot of space for appliances. The most cost-effective model is the corridor kitchen. While you can move around the entire kitchen in a few steps, counter space and storage are limited.
The kitchen should be designed for both comfort and utility. Modular kitchens are increasingly preferred because of the flexibility they offer. There is a wide range of options with the price range starting at INR 3000 to 4000 per trolley to composite kitchens, either fabricated to size or readymade, which can cost up to INR 5 lakhs for some International brands.