To Open or Not to Open

This post is inspired by a discussion on our Facebook page, around the pros and cons of having an open kitchen in India. Why is India even a factor here? For many reasons, which we’ll outline through the course of this post. We’re going to take you through our pros and cons of having an open kitchen and we’ll start with the cons.
OpenKitchen ReferenceCons:

1. Dust. This is inescapable in any Indian city. It is the endless plight of every urban household and the last place we want our dust is on the food we eat.

2. The smell of a lovely Indian curry… all over your house! We love our curries… but only at meal times. Nobody wants butter chicken in the bedroom.

3. Your domestic help, the people behind your pristine home, are in full view as they work. Most people in the city have hired people to help run the household but nobody wants to shatter the illusion that they’re doing it all on their own. When your friends are over and your trusty maid is doing what she does best in your open kitchen, it becomes pretty clear just how your home has managed to remain this perfect. A silly, superficial problem, but a problem nonetheless.

4. Space, or lack thereof. An open kitchen would deprive you of one wall, two even. That’s two entire walls of cabinets you’re missing out on. Where will all that kitchen apparatus go? It’s a vexing situation, not having enough space, and you might just be faced with it if you don’t have a separate storage room.

5. It’s a free-for-all play area for the kids. Even a wall can barely keep a determined 5-year-old out of a room he’s not meant to be in. Managing to keep your curious kids away from the dangerous equipment in your open kitchen will definitely be a challenge.

Pros:

1. It’s just beautiful. Open kitchens are magical. They are aesthetically so much more pleasing than a closed off room.

2. The light that pours in from the rest of your home will flood your kitchen and you’ll be able to bask in an abundance of sunlight as you go about your day. What difference does sunlight make? You’ll feel it when you’re surrounded by it and trust us, it feels good.

3. Entertain while you cook up a storm! You’ll no longer need to worry about entertaining your guests while your meal still needs attention in the kitchen. You can start cooking your meal when they arrive and it will barely be noticed. In fact, they’ll have a lot more to say about your culinary prowess at the end of the night.

4. Space. Walk, dance, run, long-jump or roller-blade around the island counter; you might be able to do it all in an open kitchen. Space is something that is very hard to change in a closed kitchen and something to be enjoyed in an open one.

5. Keep an eye on the kids as you cook. You don’t need to step away from your work every 5 minutes to check on your kids anymore. If they’re hanging out in the living room, doing homework on the dining table or playing Lego on the island counter, you’ll be able to keep them under your radar at all times.

As you can see, it’s a difficult dilemma to be in, choosing an open or closed kitchen. If this is your situation at the moment, we hope this break down of pros and cons helps.

Until next time,

The Atmosphere Family

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


seven × 7 =

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>