Standard Kitchen Design, Term Paper Example

Introduction

Kitchen for many has been known to be a reserve for the women who were believed to be responsible for all the activities that take place in it especially the process of food preparation. Nowadays it is hardly news to hear of men wandering into the kitchen for a more distinct purpose; to cook. This is in contrary to the normal behavior attributed to men of only raiding the fridge. The kitchen used to be a feminine area characteristically since nearly all the gadgets and technology were aimed at simplifying and making easy the process of cooking. This however is slowly changing and being taken over by the masculine elements of the society (Hake, 2011). The men claim that they have with time developed interest in cooking especially after being challenged by the women to prepare delicious food as theirs or even better. This has been the driving force in most cases and has over time resulted into scores of men being the cooks for their own families.

The cooking shows of recent times have been dominated by male chefs unlike several years ago, when they used to be dominated by chatty hostesses. This simply means that the kitchen has become a battleground for the minds and even hearts for men since it offers them a chance to experience adventure, triumph and achievement. This, as I see it, is an improvement since the men do not only have to darken the doors of the kitchen simply because they are trying to pass through to gain a faster or quick access to the garage.

This shift in cooking from women to men has called for a new approach in the design of the kitchens so as to accommodate the men. The designers have therefore been forced to go back to the board and come up with ideas that would enhance comfortable cooking process for the men.

The kitchen design

The kitchen in which men operate should be designed to fit their size, procedural character and preferences. In case of an Asian man for example, the kitchen in most aspects should be furnished with Asian decorations that give the feeling of being in one of the homes in any one of the Asian countries. The kitchen walls should be painted with colors most cherished in the Asian countries and constitute a variety of the light colors and the dark colors. These bring a fresh look to anyone who enters the kitchen. These colors include black, white, red, silver, dark brown and honey/gold (Steinman, 2009).

The kitchen should be large and spacious with a large internal space that allows free movement for anyone who intents to access the cabinets, sitting area, fridges and the cookers. The kitchen furniture and equipment should be made of uniquely Asian material such as bamboo, silk, chrome and stainless steel. In addition, some of the cabinets should be made from bamboo which is currently growing in popularity in use in the Asian countries. Cabinets are designed using the Asian style and some of them should be painted black whereas the rest should be painted any other color preferably dark brown. The kitchen tables should be big and may measure about 3 feet by 6 feet. These may be made up of maple which is one of the favorite materials currently in use for it is clean and has a unique appearance (Patricias, 2011).

The fridges in the kitchen should be raised unlike in most of the ordinary kitchens where women prefer fridges at the ground level. Men prefer to pick stuff from the fridges while standing other than while bending their backs as most women would prefer. In the design of kitchens for men, the kitchen table should have a height that puts its top surface at the men’s waist’s level which is favorable to their posture as they go on with preparing or cooking the food.  Such heights would be extremely uncomfortable for women who are relatively shorter for the working posture would be interfered with. Women prefer kitchen tables with a slightly lower top as compared to that of the men.

The cookers should be situated above the level of the tables whereas he prefers to have a spices cabinet slightly above the cookers level but, of course, not directly above the cookers. The fridges are located far away from the cooker in an opposite corner. This is totally different as compared to the kitchen in which women cook most. Women prefer not to criss-cross the kitchen between the cookers, the cabinets and the fridge hence they tend to be clustered together. In the case of men the kitchen has most of the cabinets and the fridge placed a substantial distance away from the cookers’ section.

The finer details in the design of the kitchen complete are crucial. In the kitchen used by an asian man for instance, there is need to have an Asian style look of the kitchen. This includes printed silk that enlivens the room as a result of the beauty it creates when placed on the wall. The wood carvings placed strategically in some of the corners would bring a unique historical sense. The ethnic origin of the man would be highly manifest by the chopsticks, bamboo placemats and Asian dishes left on display on the breakfast bar, sitting area and on the island as place settings (Tim, 2010).

Conclusion

Men invading the kitchen should be perceived as one the revolutions that keep on occurring or happening in our homes. The earlier we accept these developments the faster we will adapt and promote a harmonious existence in homes. Men cooking should not be considered as an action that results in the lowering of dignity neither does it render the women lazy or useless in homes.

Men cooking in the kitchens should not just be considered as an event that takes place in homes but one should understand that most restaurants and hotels have a large percentage of their chefs being men. This is a fact across all the continents of the world. This therefore means that men cooking in the kitchen s not a unique or abnormal scenario. However in many homes it is believed that the cooking work is for women and is part of the role of a woman in a marriage. But the perception of a good home might differ between one person and the other. For example the Asian man in my neighborhood perceives a good home, a perfect home as one in which he gets the opportunity to make that delicious meal for his family.

The designers of the kitchens and their equipments have no other choice but to embrace the shift in the cooking approach and should endeavor to produce or make designs that incorporate the new approach.

Works Cited

Hake, John. “Asian Kitchen Design.” 2011. Retrieved on 11/24/11 from, http://kitchen-design-ideas.org

Patricias, Joey. “Women versus men in the kitchen.” 2011. Retrieved on 11/24/11 from, http://twopatricias.hubpages.com/hub/Women-vs-Men-in-the-Kitchen

Steinman, Eric. “The Testosterone Apron: Domineering Men Invade the Kitchen.” 2009. Retrieved on 11/24/11 from, http://www.care2.com/greenliving

Tim, Lee. “East Meets West – Asian Kitchen Design.” 2010. Retrieved on 11/23/11 from, http://ezinearticles.com