The following are excerpts from “Killer Kitchens” by David Chilton Saggers were originally published in the Fall 2014 edition of Ideas Magazine by Castle.

Shakespeare told us in Hamlet that there is nothing new under the sun. He was writing about human behaviour, but his words could just have easily been about kitchens.

They have come full circle, from the central gathering place in any dwelling to a separate room for preparing and cooking food and back to being a household’s focal point save for those occasions that call for a certain formality.

Given this renewed emphasis on the kitchen, how has its design changed lately? What, in other words, are the essentials that go into creating today’s “killer kitchen” layout? How space is used is the first consideration.

Once, when kitchens were home to many fewer appliances, the distances between them, if not quite moot, did not matter nearly so much as they do now.

After all, back when it was mother who staffed the kitchen and if she was a stay-at-home parent then it was assumed she had enough energy to skip from one end of the kitchen to the other.

Times have changed. It is a common observation that both parents work so fatigue is hardly unknown, and the time and energy saving “kitchen triangle”, that trio of stove, fridge and sink laid out geometrically held sway for years, and may still do so. However, as kitchens evolve so too does their design.

Shanna McDonald, senior account representative at Superior Cabinets in Saskatoon, Sask. And an interior designer by training, says the kitchen triangle can still be used, but in kitchen planning these days different zones for different tasks have taken over.

One zone would be for food storage, she says, with often a fridge right next to a built-in pantry; a second zone would be for plates, cups, containers and so on; third would be a cleaning zone with the sink at the centre; appliances such as a stove and a microwave would constitute the cooking zone; and finally there would be a food preparation zone.

“When I started designing kitchens 12 years ago definitely the triangle was in there; but over time house plans and kitchens changed that did not seem to work, so it just made more sense putting like things together,” says McDonald.

Another element in the design of that killer kitchen is cabinetry. These days, says McDonald, she recommends that all drawers be at the bottom of the cabinets that hold them, all of them with silent close doors. “Instead of using upper cabinets for things that are harder to reach, there are drawers for them now,” says McDonald, noting today’s emphasis on ergonomics in design.

As for kitchen colour, white is in for McDonald: “We are seeing a huge trend in white kitchens. White kitchens are definitely timeless.” It can be matched with earth tones and if homeowners want to get some colour in their kitchens they can get it with their countertops, McDonald explains.

Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) is the material of choice for most cabinets. It is cost effective, hard wearing and is produced in a multiplicity of colours. McDonald is not certain that solid wood is all it is cracked up to be.

Of course, budget will determine just how “killer” that killer kitchen will be. “Most people are very realistic about their budgets,” says McDonald. “Usually we start with a budget.” Budgets vary widely so averaging out the cost of a kitchen that wows the neighbours is impossible. However, McDonald suggests two-thirds of the budget will be for cabinetry and the other one-third for a countertop.

Grant Calberry, general manager at Post-Form Products in Peterborough, Ont., is also a fan of calling in the professionals when it comes to installing countertops. Laminated and the increasingly popular butcher block countertops can be put in by the DIYer, says Calberry, but the increasingly popular granite countertop is very heavy, will need at least two installers, and extra strength cabinets to support its weight.

Funnily enough, for a rock that is touted for its macho toughness, granite needs delicate handling: it must be stacked and carried vertically or is liable to break. The cost, size and what one might call culinary qualities of a countertop are also a factor in kitchen design, Calberry explains.

“A laminated countertop costs about $1,000, a butcher block countertop made of maple and using food grade stains and finishes runs to $3,000 or so, but a granite countertop can cost as much as $4,000,” says Calberry. “A granite countertop will stretch only 10’ compared to a laminate’s 12’ before joints are needed. Granite is not flour friendly, either.” “Some of the solid surface materials are not as conducive to baking,”Calberry goes on to say. “If you do a lot of baking, the granite’s cold and the flour reacts poorly to cold. If you are rolling out dough, you have got to put something down to roll it on.”

Great design or not, at least some of the killer kitchen’s reputation rests on what is actually prepared there.

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SOURCE Ideas Magazine Fall 2014 issue by Castle produced by Castle Building Centres Group Ltd

Author DAVID CHILTON SAGGERS