The role of the kitchen during COVID-19 continues to change. With so many homeowners in the Upper Valley working from home and/or with children attending school from home, many families are staying in and eating healthier. Additionally, in many cases, more family members are involved in preparing meals.
If you are thinking about creating your dream kitchen, the first question that a professional designer should ask is who will use the kitchen and how often? Kitchens that will accommodate multiple cooks are often a harbinger of family members cooking together, especially the kids. Cooking provides a blank canvas for your children to be creative, solve problems and build confidence, and it offers a wonderful opportunity to increase quality time together.
Cooking with your kids also can be educational. They can build math skills by understanding how many ounces are in a cup or how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon. Cooking with kids provides multiple learning and confidence-building opportunities.
Effective kitchen design for multiple cooks features at least three distinct work stations to prepare meals. There are clear traffic lanes from the sink, range and refrigerator, allowing more than one person to easily navigate the space without running into one another.
Another feature of a multi-cook kitchen is more than one sink. Typically, homeowners in the Upper Valley opt for a main sink near the cooktop or range and a prep sink in an island or other space. At a minimum, we recommend at least 30 inches of counter space on each side of the main sink and at least 48 inches between cabinets and/or appliances.
A minimum six-burner cooktop is ideal for a multi-cook kitchen because it allows two people to cook independently on each side of the cooktop.
If you dream of a new kitchen that can accommodate your entire family and provide more quality time with your kids, give us a call at 603-448-9700 or make an appointment to visit our showroom at 105 Hanover Street, Lebanon, NH.
