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Every Urban Indian Kitchen Needs These 4 Design Elements
Masala fumes and odours taking a toll on your kitchen? These expert design solutions have you covered
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Oil sputtering, onions sautéing and masalas simmering – a classic midmorning scene at all but a few Indian households. While the sounds and aromas of a busy kitchen signal a fast-approaching meal, its grimy residues can be just as quick to kill the mood, with spills, stains and odours giving rise to significant wear and tear over time.
If you find yourself slaving over the stove, only to follow it up with a backbreaking cleaning regime afterwards, take heart. Here are some tips from the design experts at Godrej Interio to save the day (and your kitchen) by making cooking more fun and less labour.
If you find yourself slaving over the stove, only to follow it up with a backbreaking cleaning regime afterwards, take heart. Here are some tips from the design experts at Godrej Interio to save the day (and your kitchen) by making cooking more fun and less labour.
1. Deep cabinets and drawers
With colossal pressure cookers, clunky coconut scrapers, tavas and chakla-belans an integral part of traditional cooking, deep storage is of the essence in the Indian kitchen.
Optimise your wall space by opting for deep cabinets and drawers. A standard depth of 560mm for lower cabinets and drawer units, and 310mm for upper cabinets, is ideal. By maximising concealed storage in this way, you can protect your kitchen from heavy fumes and odours while still managing to retain a spiffy facade. If planning your cabinetry seems a tricky affair, consider seeking a design blueprint from Godrej Interio to help you get the perfect dimensions for your kitchen.
Stylist’s tip: With deep cabinets, reaching items stored far back often proves to be a problem. Tackle this by opting for pull-out stainless-steel wire baskets. For dead corners, go for lazy Susans or magic corners that give you 360-degree access to your wares.
With colossal pressure cookers, clunky coconut scrapers, tavas and chakla-belans an integral part of traditional cooking, deep storage is of the essence in the Indian kitchen.
Optimise your wall space by opting for deep cabinets and drawers. A standard depth of 560mm for lower cabinets and drawer units, and 310mm for upper cabinets, is ideal. By maximising concealed storage in this way, you can protect your kitchen from heavy fumes and odours while still managing to retain a spiffy facade. If planning your cabinetry seems a tricky affair, consider seeking a design blueprint from Godrej Interio to help you get the perfect dimensions for your kitchen.
Stylist’s tip: With deep cabinets, reaching items stored far back often proves to be a problem. Tackle this by opting for pull-out stainless-steel wire baskets. For dead corners, go for lazy Susans or magic corners that give you 360-degree access to your wares.
2. Ergonomic layout
Wish you could turn your kitchen into a no-spills space? Embrace zoning! Divide your kitchen into five designated zones – a storage zone for dry ingredients, dishes and cutlery; a preparation zone for cutting, peeling, mixing and marinating; a cooking zone to host your hob, microwave and oven; an appliance zone for your mixer-grinder, air fryer and other appliances; and a cleaning zone for your sink, waste disposal and cleaning utilities.
By zoning, you can minimise superfluous movement within your kitchen and thereby confine the effects of those mega cook-outs to a limited area. Take the layout of your kitchen into account when planning your zones. If yours is a galley kitchen, for example, you might have to put a fair bit of thought into creating zones along the length of one wall. In a U-shaped kitchen, on the other hand, you might have creative freedom in spreading your zones across the three walls in an ergonomic way. Likewise, take your family structure into account. If yours is a joint family where cooking is a shared effort, it could be a good idea to extend the size of your preparation and cooking zones. Conversely, in a nuclear family setup, you might prefer a bijou cooking zone to make room for other elements. It’s worth discussing the ergonomics of your kitchen with a turnkey kitchen service to know how best to plan your layout.
Stylist’s tip: Ring-fencing your cooking range can go a long way in preserving your kitchen. A splatter screen or a backsplash of sturdy, hard-wearing tiles, for instance, can work wonders in catching spills and splutters — and save your walls from surprise stains. Similarly, a powerful chimney can eliminate oil particles and odours, preventing them from escaping into the vicinity.
Bonus tip: If you’re baffled by the range of chimneys in the market, base your decision on the suction power of the chimney, which is in turn based on the size of your kitchen. A chimney with a suction power between 400 and 1000 cubic metres/hour (depending on the size of your kitchen) is ideal for the Indian kitchen.
Wish you could turn your kitchen into a no-spills space? Embrace zoning! Divide your kitchen into five designated zones – a storage zone for dry ingredients, dishes and cutlery; a preparation zone for cutting, peeling, mixing and marinating; a cooking zone to host your hob, microwave and oven; an appliance zone for your mixer-grinder, air fryer and other appliances; and a cleaning zone for your sink, waste disposal and cleaning utilities.
By zoning, you can minimise superfluous movement within your kitchen and thereby confine the effects of those mega cook-outs to a limited area. Take the layout of your kitchen into account when planning your zones. If yours is a galley kitchen, for example, you might have to put a fair bit of thought into creating zones along the length of one wall. In a U-shaped kitchen, on the other hand, you might have creative freedom in spreading your zones across the three walls in an ergonomic way. Likewise, take your family structure into account. If yours is a joint family where cooking is a shared effort, it could be a good idea to extend the size of your preparation and cooking zones. Conversely, in a nuclear family setup, you might prefer a bijou cooking zone to make room for other elements. It’s worth discussing the ergonomics of your kitchen with a turnkey kitchen service to know how best to plan your layout.
Stylist’s tip: Ring-fencing your cooking range can go a long way in preserving your kitchen. A splatter screen or a backsplash of sturdy, hard-wearing tiles, for instance, can work wonders in catching spills and splutters — and save your walls from surprise stains. Similarly, a powerful chimney can eliminate oil particles and odours, preventing them from escaping into the vicinity.
Bonus tip: If you’re baffled by the range of chimneys in the market, base your decision on the suction power of the chimney, which is in turn based on the size of your kitchen. A chimney with a suction power between 400 and 1000 cubic metres/hour (depending on the size of your kitchen) is ideal for the Indian kitchen.
3. Generous prep space maximised by a kitchen island
A kitchen island can double-hat as your preparation zone, providing a useful surface for prepping, chopping, marinating and more. As a stand-alone unit with no walls next to it, it promises a reduced risk of peripheral wall stains.
An island can also serve as the centrepiece of your kitchen, adding character to its aesthetic and pulling your design scheme into a cohesive whole. If you’ve been longing for a kitchen island but don’t know where to start, take your first step by browsing prospective designs. When you’ve found one that resonates with your style and sensibilities, the term ‘dream island’ will have never rung truer.
Stylist’s tip: Topping your kitchen island with a sturdy, long-lasting material can add years to its life and make it resistant to heavy cooking. Some quality materials to consider are granite, marble, quartz and natural stone. Not only are these supremely resilient, they also offer oodles of eye appeal.
A kitchen island can double-hat as your preparation zone, providing a useful surface for prepping, chopping, marinating and more. As a stand-alone unit with no walls next to it, it promises a reduced risk of peripheral wall stains.
An island can also serve as the centrepiece of your kitchen, adding character to its aesthetic and pulling your design scheme into a cohesive whole. If you’ve been longing for a kitchen island but don’t know where to start, take your first step by browsing prospective designs. When you’ve found one that resonates with your style and sensibilities, the term ‘dream island’ will have never rung truer.
Stylist’s tip: Topping your kitchen island with a sturdy, long-lasting material can add years to its life and make it resistant to heavy cooking. Some quality materials to consider are granite, marble, quartz and natural stone. Not only are these supremely resilient, they also offer oodles of eye appeal.
4. Durable materials to withstand tough conditions
With water, oils, masalas and high heat integral to Indian cooking, it’s important to pay heed to the quality of materials that you use. The good news is that a beautiful finish doesn’t have to be a prophet of doom as far as maintenance goes.
Fancy a gleaming metallic kitchen? Go for 303 grade galvanised steel for a look that straddles form and function (it offers a termite-free experience and effectively repels oil and water). Love the warmth and rusticity of wood? Opt for IS 310 grade, boiling waterproof marine ply for a wooden aesthetic with the resilience of steel.
Stylist’s tip: If you opt for a stainless-steel-clad kitchen, contemplate opting for stainless-steel decorative features that tie into your decor. Lighting fixtures in stainless steel, for instance, can mirror your cabinetry and give your space a modish appeal. If you’re a DIYer, make a weekend project of turning steel cutlery into eye-catching wall art. Put old ladles, scoops and spatulas in matching frames to create a quirky display.
More: Godrej Interio’s innovative modular kitchen range tips its hat to the rigours of traditional Indian cooking, with finishes and materials capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and resisting grease, grime, smoke and fumes. With intelligent and ergonomic designs rooted in years of anthropometric research; a 15-year warranty on every kitchen and after-sales service to boot, you can indulge in heavy-duty cooking while keeping your kitchen true to its original avatar.
Explore Godrej Interio’s modular kitchen range here.
Tell us:
How do you combat fumes and odours in your kitchen? Tell us in Comments below.
With water, oils, masalas and high heat integral to Indian cooking, it’s important to pay heed to the quality of materials that you use. The good news is that a beautiful finish doesn’t have to be a prophet of doom as far as maintenance goes.
Fancy a gleaming metallic kitchen? Go for 303 grade galvanised steel for a look that straddles form and function (it offers a termite-free experience and effectively repels oil and water). Love the warmth and rusticity of wood? Opt for IS 310 grade, boiling waterproof marine ply for a wooden aesthetic with the resilience of steel.
Stylist’s tip: If you opt for a stainless-steel-clad kitchen, contemplate opting for stainless-steel decorative features that tie into your decor. Lighting fixtures in stainless steel, for instance, can mirror your cabinetry and give your space a modish appeal. If you’re a DIYer, make a weekend project of turning steel cutlery into eye-catching wall art. Put old ladles, scoops and spatulas in matching frames to create a quirky display.
More: Godrej Interio’s innovative modular kitchen range tips its hat to the rigours of traditional Indian cooking, with finishes and materials capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and resisting grease, grime, smoke and fumes. With intelligent and ergonomic designs rooted in years of anthropometric research; a 15-year warranty on every kitchen and after-sales service to boot, you can indulge in heavy-duty cooking while keeping your kitchen true to its original avatar.
Explore Godrej Interio’s modular kitchen range here.
Tell us:
How do you combat fumes and odours in your kitchen? Tell us in Comments below.
Godrej Interio is India’s largest furniture brand in both home and institutional segments. We started our journey... Read More
Godrej Interio is India’s largest furniture brand in both home and institutional segments. We started our journey... Read More
Wonderful
in Mumbai, a parallel is the best way
So nice