Kitchen

Is a humongous Kitchen really needed or is it just one more futility of our society?

I have always wondered why some people are so obsessed with big kitchens? I have seen innumerable amount of houses in magazines where the kitchens are noticeably bigger than any of the other rooms. In many cases, especially in modern architecture, with the kitchen located as the heart of the house. Don’t misunderstand me. In no ways do I think it looks clumsy or odd. On the contrary, it’s very functional. My lack of understanding starts to arise when it seems a requirement that this very important and must-have room of our homes, the absence of it would make of a house more a hotel room, to be humongous. I ask myself, do we really spend more time in the Kitchen than in any of our other rooms? Is the kitchen the most important room in our homes? Let’s compare and let’s start with our bedrooms. That private place of our living spaces, where we go to sometimes escape and disconnect from the hectic daily life or to share our most intimate moments with our significant other. In that room, if we are lucky and nothing disturbs us, we spend for sure at least 8 hours straight. Sleeping…yes, but equally important and needed as eating. Not because it’s a room to sleeping, rest and perhaps watch TV while cuddling in our favorite linens, means it should lack space. Do you use your room to wind down, to get dressed in the morning, to have a cup of tea or coffee while reading a book or magazine? Then that room should be decorated and accommodated to meet all your needs and tastes. The size of the room will depend on the types of activities in it.
The living/family room, the space where probably our favorite memories are created, we get together with our families, friends. We spend an average of 38 hours a week. More, if you like me, are a stay at home mom. Here we play, converse, watch TV, listen to music, snack, nap? If you have small children you probably need enough empty floor space for that child or children to play on? Now that is a must-be big- or big-enough room we are talking about.
Meanwhile, the kitchen. Although I agree that “our heart is where the kitchen is” for others, that is true, only when hungry. Specially for those who prefer eating out or take out vs. cooking at home. For many busy people eating out almost, if not everyday, is a lifestyle. These same people, who are not always, single, sometimes they are young couples or a small family, would probably opt for a catering service or delivery service if they were to have a party at home. The rest of us, who most of the time cook at home, spend about 15 hours a week? I should say that this is a place where precious memories with our family and friends are originated. In my case, one of my favorite moments is when I sit on the countertop enjoying a glass of wine while watching my husband cook. But this is something I used to do before in our 50 square foot kitchen and it was as great then as now in my 200 square foot, bigger kitchen.

For me, a kitchen, big or small, should be, above all, a place to have fun, to share, to learn and teach how to cook to our kids, to eat. The size is not as important as making these precious moments last in our memories forever. As long as we make every square inch count. Let’s hope that the term “Big Kitchen” represents the cooking in the kitchen more than the actual size of the space.