Our Cosy Kitchen: Designed for the Ultimate User Experience

2853

Japandi
HDB (BTO)
~1,000 sqft
3 br
Couple Living

Welcome to Our Kohsy Kitchen! When it comes to the kitchen, practicality is of utmost importance for us as the kitchen is the heart of every home, where meals are prepared and tummies are filled. We'll share tips on how we achieved a user experience-focused kitchen in this post.
We went with an open kitchen as it allowed the kitchen to be a central part of daily living rather than a closed-off, isolated space. Having an open kitchen helped make our home feel larger and more spacious by eliminating walls, improving natural light flow through the house. An island countertop sits in between the living and kitchen spaces, seamlessly integrating both to create an ease of movement. Practicality-wise, this layout worked for us as we do not do heavy cooking like deep frying at all.
To counter the increased chances of cooking fumes and grease entering the living space, we went with a chimney hood as they tend to have a more powerful suction system. The chimney hood also serves as a statement piece in the kitchen, blending functionality with aesthetic appeal.
A large undermount sink to provide ample space for washing large pots & pans. Placing diatome mats under soap bottles in the kitchen sink area also helps inhibit the growth of mold and mildew, keeping the space around the sink clean and hygienic.
On the other side of our kitchen is our tall unit where we house our fridge and commonly used appliances like microwave oven and air fryer. Lesser-used appliances like the rice cooker are kept out of sight in the concealed storage space here.
Practical design elements, such as easy-to-reach storage, durable surfaces, and well-placed appliances, streamline workflows and make for a better user experience in the kitchen. The use of top and bottom cabinets ensures sufficient storage space to stow away all our kitchen necessities in an organised manner, minimizing clutter and maximising countertop space for essential tasks. The use of sintered stone for both the countertop and backsplash creates a cohesive look that is also durable and low maintenance. The sintered stone’s intricate veining that mimics that of natural stone also create a sense of dimension, adding depth to the space while maintaining a sleek, modern aesthetic.
- #FunctionalKitchen
- #PracticalDesign
The kitchen triangle layout we utilised is a design principle that optimizes efficiency by placing the three key kitchen work areas—the sink, stove, and refrigerator—in a triangular arrangement. The goal is to minimize movement between these points while ensuring enough space to work comfortably. This layout helps streamline tasks like food preparation, cooking, and cleaning, making the kitchen more functional and reducing unnecessary steps, contributing to an ergonomic and practical design. The island countertop space adjacent to the fridge also provides a convenient spot to quickly place and organize groceries before storing them in the fridge or pantry cabinets. It also serves as an additional workspace for food prep or assembling meals.
- #FunctionalKitchen
- #FunctionalSpaces
The pièce de résistance of our kitchen - the dry pantry that sits in between the kitchen and living space. The matt black water dispenser and coffee machine contrasting beautifully against the travertine-looking backsplash. We placed our water dispenser here for convenience so that we do not need to walk all the way into the kitchen for water. As a coffee bar by day and an alcoholic bar by night, positioning our dry pantry here allows us to remain engaged with guests while preparing drinks. Bottom cabinets and drawers in this area also serve as storage for coffee machine accessories, cups and wine & spirits.
Dim-to-warm feature lights in the dry pantry area help set the mood and transition from cafe to bar, from day to night. That's a wrap for our kitchen! We hope that this post serves as an inspiration to you in building an aesthetically pleasing and highly usable kitchen.