Opinion
kbb Birmingham 2018 Show Special
How to… design broken-plan kitchens
Johnny Grey, founder of Johnny Grey Studios in Hampshire, has some suggestions on how to retain the benefits of an open plan kitchen while adding areas of peace and privacy
B
roken plan’ is a welcome tweaking of open-plan to provide areas of peace and order without boxing anyone in. It is a having-your-cake-and eating-it-
solution or a third way between total openness and full compartmentalisation.
Alcoves are a useful start. These sequence the space into different zones that allow people to do whatever they want or need to do in the kitchen with a degree of privacy. Traditional houses were designed with closed- off rooms to preserve warmth and privacy. Their functions were fixed in a way that no longer works as lifestyle changes have brought us informality and freedom of movement. Technology has turbocharged this process. There is now a sense that you can do anything anywhere, as long as you have your mobile device with you. A laptop, phone or tablet is your book, writing desk, TV, telephone, camera – portal to the world. Open-plan living is a popular response to this freeing up, but people do still feel an emotional need to hunker down in cozy spaces. American clients who requested nooks led me in this direction some years ago. I designed a kitchen for a barnlike space in Memphis. Here, a series of interior posts created the opportunity for making differently- scaled areas around the sides of the room, and more storage. As it was a new-build, we were able to lower the ceiling in the smaller spaces for added intimacy. We tucked a dining table in one of the alcoves. Alternatively, any medium to large open-plan space can become broken-plan through the use of double- sided screens.
For a London client, I created smaller nooks by using woodwork designs to create ‘deep windows’ – following Christopher Alexander’s wonderful ‘deep walls’, interior alcoves for storage and other uses. Here, we built wide, upholstered seats into the structure around the kitchen windows. I
have also taken out corridors and exposed staircases, used space underneath for storage. The extra space gained means you may have room for an island or a big table and increased circulation. Every time someone goes up or down the stairs, you see them. You’re also more aware of where people are in the house.
There is an exciting
new possibility of using interlinked tables as an alternative to islands, their contribution to the working kitchen enhanced by the installation of battery-charged induction hobs, which allow you to cook on any surface.
Make the break
When planning, it makes good sense to break up the kitchen space into virtual rooms. Johnny Grey suggests…
• Culinary area. Keeping this fairly tight is no disadvantage. • Storage. Ideally, this would be a walk-in pantry that takes storage pressure off the cabinetry in the rest of the room, leaving more space for social uses. • The table area. What makes a kitchen a social space is being able to sit down, with others at times, back-protected and – hopefully – looking out at the garden or urban view. Placing the table in the arc of sunlight across the room ensures that it feels well-located and is a popular place to sit.
• A sofa or other soft seating. Ideally this is near a fireplace or wood-burner and maybe with a TV to offer living-room functions in the kitchen – most useful for parents with young children. A toy cupboard is a good addition for a young family. • Second table or central island. These could accommodate entertainment and even home- working activities. • Family furniture. A space for special pieces, like a dresser. • An ‘administrative’ alcove for office work. • A dog zone with a good quality cushion.
These hobs can also be placed in an alcove or annex as a backup cooking area. They can be used for precision cooking that is safer around small children. No more burnt food and crusty saucepans and less cluttered hobs at meal times.
It’s a welcome
tweaking of open-plan to provide areas of peace without boxing anyone in
102 kbbreview kbb Birmingham Special Edition March 2018
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