Simply Kitchen

I’ve been mulling over the question of what makes an ideal kitchen, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s pretty simple. For me, it’s all about the essentials. This might sound a bit austere, like I don’t care for aesthetics, but that’s actually far from the truth. I think there can be a lot of aesthetic value in functional objects in and of themselves: a stove-top, a knife block, a pan rack, stacked ceramic bowls neatly positioned on a shelf of just the right proportions to house. Are these things not beautiful in themselves? Are they more than ostentatious, unnecessary fixtures and finishes?

That pretty much sums up my thoughts around how to approach kitchen design in 2020. Melbourne people often have this mild obsession with being ahead of the curve, and it can manifest as a compulsion to waste time and money on edgy features that don’t serve any purpose and date quickly. I’m as guilty of this as the next person, by the way. Most of the time, we don’t even realise we’re doing it.

Maybe that’s why I feel a need to take a more pared back approach to my upcoming round of kitchen renovations. If I’m consciously aware of my occasional impulse to stray from simplicity, I’m more likely to reign that in and end up with a result that’s closer to what I really want. Of course, it’s possible that I’ll fall into some traps, especially once I start looking at all the gleaming folders of possible wood finishes, tile colours, tap shapes and cabinet styles. 

To that, I say this: all things in moderation, including moderation. If I’m impelled to go to excess, then so be it. It’s okay as long as I’m doing it from a place of deliberate decision-making, rather than on an impulsive whim spurred on by, like, some kind of unconscious need to impress my mother.