A Woman's Work is Done - New-look Kitchens

Even kitchens, it seems, are reflecting the modern day trends when it comes to renovating.

Most of us will shamefacedly admit that we tend to give the kitchen a facelift either when we move out or when an appliance breaks down from old age! This implies that we tend to live with 'less than perfect' kitchens for a long time!

It makes sense to renovate the kitchen before you sell the house, a new look kitchen can make or break the realty deal. But how many of us have taken a last wistful look as we close the door on our old house, and wished that we could have had the pleasure of the new kitchen that we had created? So, how about remodeling now and enjoying the kitchen just for your own pleasure?

With more and more men getting their hands into the kitchen sink, and more and more couples having fun cooking together, kitchen design experts are suggesting that these domestic changes be subtly factored in to a modern kitchen, or when giving a kitchen a makeover.

For instance one of the recommendations was that instead of the age old idea of the 'working triangle' of fridge, stove, sink, being set up for one person, it should now be expanded for a two person set up.

Some of the functional parts of the kitchen are changing, for instance induction ovens may catch on, and steam dish washers are becoming more popular. If we want to be extreme in our make-over, then there are now floors on the market that can actually recognize the footfall of the walker, and adjust the floor temperature to that person's liking!

Incredibly, there are now counter tops with a micro-chip in them that allows you to change the color according to the cook's mood! (If it is a dull, rainy day you could click in a nice bright yellow counter top!)

Although we are encouraged to update the kitchen, design experts also warn us of following a fad and looking dated again very quickly. This is especially true of fad colors.

Another suggestion has been to incorporate more 'smart home' appliances that are governed by computers and have remote control. However, the suggestion of remote control does not mean that we will be cooking from afar.

Indeed, the future forecast for kitchens predicts that it will not only continue to be a social gathering place, but in fact, even more so. In the future it should become an even more social area, the room of choice to entertain.

Whatever you decide to do with your kitchen, the experts predict that it is becoming less a place of isolation for a woman, and more a place of social interaction used by the whole family. If this is the case, it deserves a new coat of paint!