A vintage kitchen's efficient design for modern cooking
110
- Mid-Century Modern
- HDB (Maisonette)
- ≥1,500 sqft
- 3 br
- Couple Living with Kids
My kitchen's distinctive shade of green is probably something you've seen in other posts - in this entry, I'm going to show you a slightly different side to my kitchen by delving into some of the finer details of the carpentry :) In this image, you can see the kitchen is framed by very gentle arches on the left and right. This design feature was preserved from the original 1983 kitchen doorway. The kitchen is divided into two zones: the "prep" zone and the "cook" zone. The prep zone makes use of the "golden triangle" concept where key points of cooking activity are arranged in a vague triangle of movement. Here, the fridge and dry pantry form one corner of the triangle. You retrieve your food, turn around and immediately place it on the island counter, the second corner of the triangle. The sink forms the third corner, and its very easy to reach it if you need to wash any veggies you've just chopped. Food prep is quickly done, facilitated by this invisible triangle. The island is a generous 1m x 1.5m - ample space for a one or more sous chefs. Imagine you've dumped your ingredients all over the counter. In the drawers, the kitchen island offers all the dishes you might need for food prep, with a handy drawer bin for you to quickly dump remnants while chopping veggies. Metal cooking bowls, regular porcelain dishes, cutlery and other cooking utensils are stored here, with a double layer to maximise the space in the upper row of drawers. For storing plates and bowls, you can't go wrong with extra-deep drawers - its much easier to arrange and retrieve dishware (vs shelving). Pull out the drawer and you can see and access everything at a glance. Make sure to use high quality Blum drawers, else the weight of the porcelain may cause your drawers to sag. Along the sink, more food prep items are handy. The white accessory rail is indispensable for hanging frequently used cooking utensils. The design of the handles feature an inset circle - this is a vintage Scandinavian design from the 1960s. It can look rather unusual - a relative who visited my house asked me if my contractor forgot to put in my kitchen handles. I deliberately left the inset circle unstained and unlaminated for a nice visual contrast. Two kinds of drawers we can't live without: a condiment drawer and an extra-extra deep pan drawer. The pan drawer is about 70cm deep, making it suitable to hold medium sized pans and even chopping boards. The condiment drawer is works great for us because we're mainly weekend cooks. All our sauces get stored away during weekdays, keeping things neat. A more frequent cook may prefer having condiments on display for easier access. This second section of the kitchen is the "cook" section. Here, an angled Otimmo cooking hood takes pride of place, helping to control odours and grease in the open kitchen. Under the window is a device countertop dedicated to frequently used kitchen appliances - our favourite two are a rice cooker and an air fryer. A steamboat rounds up the trio as it's lunar new year season! The devices are plugged into a powerpoint hidden below the countertop, where less-frequently used appliances and pots are stored away. This device counter really helps to keep everything neat, whilst still ensuring we have easy access to the appliances we use frequently. Final detail: a lunar new year couplet because its CNY season!
- 5 February
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