What should you consider when designing modular kitchens in Indian homes?

Sunita Vellapally Sunita Vellapally
Modular Kitchen - Baner Pune, DECOR DREAMS DECOR DREAMS Cocinas de estilo moderno
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In Indian homes, the trend of installing modular kitchens in houses and apartments is here to say for several reasons. The sleek and streamlined look of built-in kitchens not only infuses a modern look into a home, but also presents several advantages, the most significant of which is space saving. As houses and apartments get smaller in the metropolises and bigger cities and towns, modular kitchens present the best solution for utilising available space to the fullest extent through efficient design.

Whether you are building a new kitchen or renovating an old one, we have tips that will help you to include all the essential features that a built-in kitchen in India should have. Ideally, you should work with a professional kitchen planner who can design the kitchen based on your family’s lifestyle and needs.

Taking stock of the space and requirements

Modern built-in kitchens can be adapted to any home, but it’s important to design the room based on the size of the space. The first step is to take accurate measurements of the area allocated to the kitchen. Once this is done, your interior designer or kitchen planner might ask a series of questions to help them to understand your family’s needs as well as the available budget that they can work with. Based on this, they will come up with design options and recommend the type of materials that will be best suited to your kitchen.

Get tips of the ideal measurements of the various elements in a kitchen.

Choosing a design

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The designer will work out a layout that incorporates all the elements that you need in the kitchen, whether its storage, appliances or accessories, and once this is done you will need to pick a design from the hundreds of options available for modular kitchens in Indian homes. Nowadays, modular kitchens come in a wide variety of colours and patterns, due to which, selecting a design can be confusing. Of course, your interior designer will steer you towards some of the most suitable options. However, if you have doubts, then as a thumb rule, pick a colour, pattern or style that blends with the rest of your home.

Planning the work area

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The work area in a built-in kitchen comprises the countertops, appliances and cabinets. The kitchen should be planned in such a way that it incorporates these elements in a user-friendly and aesthetic manner. While the kitchen needs to look beautiful, it’s a wasted investment if it isn’t functional as well.

The floor

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The flooring in the kitchen acts as a base on which the modular units are installed. You need to choose a material in a colour and pattern that blends with the overall design of the space. When deciding on a material, choose an option that is durable, maintenance-free and beautiful.

Get ideas of the different types of materials you can use for the flooring in your kitchen.

Cabinets

In a modular kitchen, the cabinets are usually the focal point. Additionally, they need to include ample storage so that the countertops are kept free for working comfortably. Besides choosing the colour and design of cabinets, you will need to work with your designer to include sufficient shelves and storage for all your utensils, appliances and ingredients so that the kitchen looks neat and clutter-free.

Don’t forget the triangle rule!

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In any kitchen, the most convenient layout should have the stove, refrigerator and the sink in a triangular arrangement, so that the chef has easy access to ingredients from the refrigerator as well as to water when cooking. Don’t forget to check this with your kitchen planner, so you enjoy cooking in comfort in the built-in kitchen.

Besides these three elements, think of the other ingredients or tools such as spice bottles or ladles that you need to be within reach when you are cooking and ensure that they are stored near the stove.

Counters

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After the cabinets, the countertops are an important feature in modern built-in kitchens. Not only will you have to choose the right colour, but also the material that is most practical for your kitchen. The choices for countertops in Indian kitchens include marble, granite, quartz, wood and limestone, among others. Remember to pick an option that is easy to clean and maintain besides ensuring that it fits your budget.

Connections for the appliances

Based on the number of appliances that you use regularly the kitchen should have the provision for storage as well as electric points for the appliances. Planning the location and placement of each appliance at the initial stage helps to get a better idea of the number of points where you need electricity and water connections. In Indian kitchens, essential appliances include a refrigerator, mixer-grinder, microwave or convection oven and a cooking range. These need to be built into the cabinets or counters. Hence, it’s essential to demarcate a space for each of these in the layout. Besides this, if you plan to have a dishwasher in your built-in kitchen, then there should be a provision for inlet and outlet pipes to supply and drain water from the machine.

Most modern built-in kitchens come with a chimney or a hood over the stove to extract smoke and odours. Sufficient space should be allocated for the chimney as well as for the extractor pipes that carry the smoke out of the kitchen.

The sink

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Depending upon the space available for the sink, you should choose a unit that is convenient and maintenance-free. For modular kitchens in Indian homes, stainless-steel sinks are the best option. If you have the space for it, select a double-bowled model. Porcelain is another option that looks good in a modular kitchen. However, it is not as durable as stainless steel and can get cracked or stained easily.

Lighting

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Even the most beautiful built-in kitchen won’t be functional unless it has good lighting. Keeping with the streamlined design of the cabinets, it’s best to opt for recessed lighting that enhances the modernity of the design. This also helps to keep every part of the kitchen well illuminated. Additional lighting can be installed under the cabinets to illuminate the counters and make it easier to work at night.

Accessories

Modern kitchens come with well-designed accessories that make it easy to store items to keep the space looking neat. These include built-in organisers or systems inside cabinets such as cutlery drawers, swing out doors for improving efficiency of corner units and pocket shelves on doors to provide additional storage space.

One of the advantages of a modular kitchen is that it is easy to install and remove, so even if you decide to move to a new apartment or house, you can easily relocate the existing units of the built-in kitchen and save on the cost of building a new one. However, you need to ensure that the quality of the materials used to construct the kitchen is superior and durable.

What makes modern built-in kitchens popular is their ability to save space even in the tiniest rooms. Therefore, it’s vital that your kitchen is designed to optimise every available inch of space. For this, we recommend getting in touch with one of the professional kitchen planners listed on homify.

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