NOWHERE IN the home is the balance of form and function more apparent - and often, more difficult to achieve - than in the kitchen.
Which is why the choices can be overwhelming. Should you pick a farmhouse style? Or is a minimalist design a wiser choice? Do you need a breakfast bar or is an island more practical? Before getting carried away with the style of the kitchen, putting function before form will help ensure that the daily reality of using your kitchen matches the dream.
More fundamental than the style is the layout: open plan versus a separate kitchen. Open-plan kitchens usually have no more than a partial wall or doorway, and open right into the living or dining area, but there are many variations.
Both layouts have pros and cons. Given that many people spend up to 30 per cent of their total design budgets on kitchens, it's important to consider these issues before making a decision.
'You've got to set the ground rules,' says architect and kitchen designer Gordon Fraser of InnerVision Design. He says that means asking yourself questions about your home, your lifestyle, your eating habits and your cooking style. How often do you cook? Do you like to eat informally in the kitchen or in a proper setting? Is the kitchen the centre of your home, or just a food preparation and storage area? Do you like to chat while cooking or do you hate being interrupted? And what do you actually cook?
You will also need to consider building and fire regulations. If converting your separate kitchen to an open-plan design means tearing down an interior supporting wall, the project is probably a non-starter. And if you want to cook with gas, you risk breaking fire regulations,' says Fraser, who recently designed an open kitchen for a home in Discovery Bay. 'If you have a gas cooker, it's supposed to be in an enclosed space, or [the kitchen must] have a fire door.' However, there are ways around this restriction, says Paul Ngan of Pro-kitchens, such as opening your kitchen by removing only a section of the dividing wall, or inserting a large serving hatch.
