This year has seen the kitchen become a multifunctional space used for working, home-schooling, socialising, cooking, relaxing, and a place to store food and essential items. Now more than ever it is crucial to define exactly what prospective buyers want from their kitchen space, and how housebuilders and developers can help bring their vision to life.
Leading British kitchen manufacturer Moores have over 70 years of experience working with all types of property developers and housebuilders, with project schemes ranging from 10 plots to over 1000. In these everchanging times, Michael Barrett; Group Sales Director at Moores, has been working closely with housebuilders, buyers, and Moores’ R&D team to understand and deliver the types of kitchens buyers need right now. Here, he outlines a few of the key elements to consider when creating a kitchen that aims to support today’s multifunctional lifestyles, regardless of project budget or size…
Truly understand your customer
- 2020 has shown that having a kitchen that suits a multifunctional home lifestyle is essential. However, what ‘multifunctional’ means will vary from buyer to buyer, and it is therefore crucial to really understand who the individual is and how they will be utilising the space. For example, when developing homes targeted at young professional couples, they will likely want a versatile space that can accommodate dinner parties for friends, but possibly also double as a home working space. The design considerations will therefore completely differ to that of a 4-bedroom, semi-detached property built with a family of 4 in mind, who may require an island unit to cater for cooking meals together, but also allow space for the children to do their homework. By truly understanding the purpose of the space at the very beginning of the process, you can begin to shape the perfect layout and design.
Kitchen design expertise
- Once you understand how the buyer will want the space to work, consider bringing in another expert to help bring the interior to life. Working with an experienced kitchen designer for your development can help to add another dimension, and they can ensure the functionality of the space is just as perfect as the overall aesthetic. Moores offers a full start to end service in terms of design right through to delivery & installation. This could be for small projects of 10 plots or up to much larger scale developments of over 1000.
Storage
- An efficient kitchen is not determined by size, but how you truly maximise the space through design, storage solutions, and layout. By understanding the importance of clever storage options early in the design process, you can create a practical space that will make the buyer’s day to day tasks much more efficient, without compromising on aesthetics. There is now a wide range of innovative storage solutions within the market that have evolved far beyond the standard kitchen cupboards and drawers set up. Moores offer fantastic internal storage solutions, such as a sleek larder pull-out which is becoming a regular feature on buyers’ kitchen wish lists. Unlike standard cupboards, a larder pull-out makes everything easier to see by bringing the entire contents of the cupboard out in full view. There are also innovative new storage solutions that look beyond the standard cutlery tray, by incorporating space for essential kitchen items such as spices, internal knife blocks, and chopping boards to name a few.
Lighting
Lighting is commonly overlooked in the planning stages of a kitchen, but ensuring a room has enough lighting is crucial for functionality, performance, and creating the perfect ambience. Lighting is especially important in multifunctional kitchen spaces where certain zones have different purposes. Natural lighting is a huge benefit to any kitchen, so opting for bi-fold doors or sky lights can really transform a space. Kitchen specific lighting includes task lighting, which is a great option for cooking enthusiasts and can really enhance the cooking experience, ambient lighting which really helps to set the mood of the room, and finally accent lighting, typically placed on trims and plinths to add a modern touch.
Additional accessories
- As with storage solutions, there are now an array of additional kitchen accessories available that can cater to the demands of a multifunctional space. Accessories such as pop up sockets placed in kitchen islands and countertops are ideal for those working from home, and family kitchens where children may sit and complete their schoolwork. Other integrated accessories such as kitchen bins are also commonly forgotten about. In today’s world where people are consciously trying to minimise their waste, items such as internal waste separation bins truly make recycling even easier, in turn promoting efficiency within the kitchen space.
