Unique Homes Blog

“The kitchen as the living room changes what people feel comfortable having around them,” explains Richard Landon, a certified master kitchen and bath designer (CMKBD) and owner of an eponymous Seattle design firm. “They don’t want to feel they are sitting in an appliance showroom.”

Increasingly, some of those appliances are finding a home in an expanded pantry, which becomes, in essence, a kitchen behind the kitchen. In one recent design, Landon outfitted this area with a dishwasher, sink and double ovens, while the actual kitchen had dishwasher drawers for family dishes, a large cooktop and a steam oven. Other kitchens may use the pantry as a cleanup area and include storage for china and serving pieces. Landon characterizes this trend as the “re-emergence of the scullery.” Historically, the scullery was the place where prepared game was brought into the house, but with the same level of finish as the main kitchen there is nothing second-best about the scullery today.

“The old concept of the classic work triangle is long, long gone,” says Sigrid McCandless, CMKBD and owner of Avonbridge Interiors in Toronto, Canada. Rather, focused areas for specific activities such as cooking, cleaning, food prep and entertaining are distributed throughout the space. Even if the home has a formal dining room, most clients want a place to put food out in the kitchen.

Curves and ovals are making their way back into kitchens with gentle curves in islands and peninsulas or perhaps a round table slid into an arc carved into an island. Seating today invites interaction with others as well as with the cook. The dining room — even formal dining — may continue to occupy its own space, but now is almost certainly connected visually with the kitchen area.

Wood continues to make a comeback, especially for islands and countertops. Warm and inviting, it is also “much more comfortable and not as noisy” as harder surfaces, says Landon. In addition to exotic species, there is also interest in some of the more rustic woods such as hickory as well as finer woods such as mahogany and walnut, according to Fried.

Todd English emphasizes the importance of lighting, especially for entertaining, and lighting all over the home is getting greater scrutiny today. “The designer usually drives the lighting, since most clients really don’t know much about it. It’s up to the designer to introduce LED lighting and educate the client on what can be used,” explains McCandless. Also, she includes lighting controls and a control pad so clients can easily orchestrate lighting for entertaining, dining or to illuminate nighttime pathways.

If the house were a meal, the kitchen would be the main course, so it’s a place to invest wisely. “It should function and be just as pretty 20 years from now as it is today. You’ve got to use classic materials, incredible quality and then you do it once,” Steer shares.

Q. How can you transform your home to entertain in style? What are the essentials?
A. Good lighting really makes all the difference in turning any home into an enticing space for entertaining. Everyone looks great in candlelight, so lots of votive candles make any room look amazing. Fresh flowers can really help with the festive factor, as can bold splashes of color.