This isn’t your grandma’s kitchen anymore.by Eric GoransonThink about what has happened in kitchen technology over the last 50 years. Many of us remember our parents or grandparents having a few favorite pots and pans and maybe a couple of cooking gadgets. Not to mention the failed experiment (before the day of the home office) of having a desk in the kitchen. Times were a lot simpler then. Today, we have microwaves, speed ovens, steam ovens, induction cook tops, knife collections, beverage centers, all of the name brand cookware such as All-Clad or Le Creuset – just a few of the thousands of kitchen gadgets that are on the market.
If you have a kitchen over 25 years old, it just wasn't designed for today's cook, let alone today's safety standards. A majority of kitchens over 30 years old have a 30" range, a badly working range hood (for ventilation), and a refrigerator smaller than today's standard size. The basic model of a kitchen has changed just as much as the technology that goes into it; even something as simple as a kitchen drawer has changed over the last 30 years.
I like to think of kitchens beyond the traditional "kitchen triangle" design concept of the last 20 years, and instead use one that is "work zone based". In a kitchen, you have things like prep areas, clean-up space, baking zones, and storage. All of these are based upon your cooking style and how you function, and 25 years ago, they weren't considered during the remodeling process. By addressing them, you can get the most out of your kitchen's function and appearance.
Once you decide to remodel, finding the right designer is the single most important decision you will make in the process. One industry measure is the NKBA Certified Designers. A Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer is the brain surgeon of the kitchen industry; you know what you are getting with that CKD or CMKBD after their name.
