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Who doesn’t love a good before and after kitchen renovation? The transformations are often life changing. Maybe that’s too dramatic, but these transformations can certainly change how we live in our homes.

The isolated kitchen

For decades, kitchens were visually and acoustically isolated from the rest of the house. Perhaps if your family had a cook or a non-family member preparing your food, that isolation made sense. In a fine dining restaurant, the kitchen is closed off from the dining room. But most of the US households didn’t have a non-family member preparing meals. Of course, when moms stayed home, dads went off for work, children went off for school, I suppose it didn’t matter that the kitchen was isolated since she was the only one at home. Perhaps that’s why the kitchen sink always had a window above it – so the lady of the house could feel less trapped and isolated.

Kitchens as chore rooms

Preparing food can be considered a chore – certainly cleaning dishes afterwards counts as one. As such, having a room that is easily cleaned with durable surfaces seems prudent. We once remodeled a million-dollar house in country club whose cabinets and countertops were laminate.

Why not make the room joyful? Doesn’t working in a beautiful space make the chore less burdensome?

Home Cooking’s elevated status.

I don’t know what precipitated the change in how we design kitchens, but it is welcomed. Was it our attitude towards food or our attitude towards cooking? Julia Childs first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was first published in 1961 and it introduced American cooks to authentic French cuisine. Her cooking show, called The French Chef aired from 1963 to 1973 and is credited with changing the way Americans though about cooking at home. Could that have been the spark that changed our kitchens? Now, instead of one or two cooking shows, we have entire networks. The Food Network was introduced in 1993. Now we have added the Cooking Channel and a streaming service called Tastemade TV – not to mention the countless food channels online with millions of followers.

Cooking For wellness

As a mom, I was focused on providing the best nutrition for my children. Instead of packing a lunch box with Hostess Twinkies, my kids got carrots and celery. We had three children, and each had their very distinct likes and dislikes. Therefore, providing meals that were both delicious and nutritious was a constant struggle. The key to a wellness kitchen is ample storage for fresh ingredients like a walk-in pantry and larger (perhaps multiple) refrigerators.

Since our kitchen was open to the adjacent breakfast room and family room, our entire family saw and often participated in what went into preparing nutritious meals. Recently, there has been a renewed push for cooking with local, fresh, and whole food ingredients. New houses and communities can enhance this farm-to-table lifestyle!

Kitchens as entertainment spaces

Along with the elevation of cooking in American households came an appreciation of the preparation and those who prepared it. When friends and family gathered for a meal, they often huddled in the kitchen, conversing with those cooking, sampling the food, asking for recipes, and inquiring about cooking techniques. Suddenly, a strictly functional kitchen wasn’t acceptable for entertaining. Cabinets were elevated to furniture quality and countertops became granite or quartz. The kitchen island became the centerpiece of our kitchens adorned with decorative pendants fixtures hanging above.

Kitchens become hobby rooms

For many Americans, cooking has become fun. Instead of just one lonely mom preparing the daily meal, cooking has become a hobby for men and woman. Even our restaurant kitchens have been opened to the dining room as “exhibition kitchens”.

Along with this elevated love of cooking came an elevation in our kitchen appliances. The simple electric range with a microwave above made way for gas cooktops, wall ovens, drawer microwaves, and warming drawers.

Instead of a simple 36” refrigerator with a freezer above, we can now choose from 42” built-in refrigerators, two 36” side by side freezer and refrigerator combinations, and refrigerated wine columns.

The level of our kitchen appliances and cooking gadgets has certainly been elevated.

Another Before

A family project has become a remodel of home built in the seventies. And while the kitchen had refinished, it is still isolated from the family room and dining areas. Opening the kitchen to the adjacent rooms starts next week. Such endeavors often require structural gymnastics as bearing walls are removed. The before picture is below.

Stay tuned for the after picture…