Key Takeaways:

  • Everyone has a priority to be healthy;
  • Balance in materials, elements and spaces is crucial to designing for a healthy lifestyle;
  • Understanding clients’ needs and priorities will yield the design best suited to them.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

 

Who wants to be healthy?

The obvious answer — everyone — fueled the recent NKBA Summit, “Designing the Healthy Kitchen,” in partnership with Beko appliances. With a goal of creating kitchens and homes that make healthy meal prep easier and contribute to a wellness-centric lifestyle, kitchen designers discussed the creative process in developing these spaces.

The importance of health, wellness and sustainability in kitchen design is nothing new. It has been a hot topic in interior design circles for a number of years, but the pandemic dramatically increased the focus on healthy eating and cooking, sustainable products and materials, and the greater role our homes have played in our lifestyles.

Hosted by Tricia Zach, NKBA’s head of research, the session “The Importance of Health and Sustainability to the Emerging Home Buyer” addressed the top priorities of health-conscious consumers, particularly Millennials, who are in their peak home-buying years. Zach was joined by MaryJo Camp, CMKBD, owner of DesignCamp in Denver, N.C., and Nadia N. Subaran, co-founder and co-owner of Aidan Design in Silver Spring, Md. Both are members of the Beko Healthy Kitchen Council. Zach began by asking the designers what characterizes their clients most interested in the concept of designing a healthy kitchen.

To view Designing The Healthy Kitchen On-Demand, click here.

“It’s less generational and more about attitudes,” Subaran began. “Where I think Millennials are leading the charge is in acceptance of new technologies. I am a huge proponent of induction cooking, but for some of my clients who have been cooking with gas for a couple of decades, converting to induction can be a hard sell, but it’s not so hard for Millennials. Millennials are very data-driven, they love to research — and the numbers don’t lie. Induction cooking is 90% to 95% energy efficient, whereas gas is 50% to 55% efficient. There’s a heightened awareness about how important our choices are. Folks are interested in companies that share a greater view of the health of the planet while providing quality products, and that embrace things like diversity and fair trade.”

Getting into specific design elements, the designers concurred that Millennials are interested in streamlined design, the use of natural materials and creating open spaces that have a strong connection to the outdoors.

“That desire to bring nature in has so many benefits to mental health and the joy you feel working in spaces,” said Subaran. “Most families now want to live in a connected, open, engaging space.”

Camp said some clients are adamant about certain healthy elements they want in the kitchen. “But I have a dialogue with all my clients about their needs and priorities, how their lifestyle works, and how they want to support that lifestyle within their space,” she said. “We then discuss layouts, materials, appliances and other products to fulfill those needs. Some people have very strong preferences and others need to be led into understanding how these materials are going to work best for them, like which have the highest cleanability, or why fewer details make it easier to live with for a long time. Everybody’s main priority is to be healthy, whether they know they want to be healthy cooks or not.”

Subaran added that she considers ergonomics —are clients right- or left-handed, their height — their entertaining style, how many people typically work in the kitchen, how often they cook at home, and what’s on their wish list.

“My job as a kitchen designer is to let people know what’s out there,” Subaran said. “I’m not pushing anything, but I do want them to know about newest technologies, especially relative to appliances: induction cooking, steam ovens, modular refrigeration. We want them to know the benefits in terms of design, health and technology. Then we try to prioritize.”

Zach asked about specific design elements that support clean eating and healthy cooking.

Camp pointed to a balance of storage, openness and counterspace, and said the food storage — refrigerator and pantry — must be convenient to the workspace. “A refrigerator that has the technology to keep food fresh and healthful longer is a great choice. We often put a separate freezer in a walk-in pantry, because many people are canning and freezing now.”

But she added that storage, while important, must be balanced. “You can’t have all this big equipment and no counterspace or place to work. We’re looking for that balance of the right materials, the right work centers, storage and open space.” When that combination is optimized, healthy food is easier to prepare.

Subaran said a popular trend for her clients is a breakfast bar area, an autonomous space where clients can prepare smoothies or do their juicing. It’s versatile, because it can convert to a bar when they’re entertaining.

Finally, the designers said it’s important to think about resale value, considering the scope of such an investment.

“I think people are moving away from choosing appliances strictly based on name brand,” Subaran noted. “I think it’s more about finding appliances that fit the need and that are the most energy efficient. That’s really important to our clients. And looking for the components that fit the design.”

Camp agreed that if materials and appliances are chosen thoughtfully, for the right space and the right technology, it enhances resale value more than choosing appliances by brand. “Again, it’s about balance. If all the elements work together as a whole, that resale is going to stay there. As I said before, everybody has a priority to be healthy. So for me, a healthy kitchen design is the epitome of a great kitchen design — and that will enhance the resale value.”

To view Beko sessions on demand, go here.