The primary function of the kitchen stretches back to the dawn of humanity when primitive communities gathered around simple fires to consume the spoils of their hunt. Throughout the millennia the basic need to prepare and eat food encouraged the development of a cooking space we now call the kitchen. The development of the kitchen also had an impact on the evolutionary development of our species creating a sense of community or family and encouraging the development of social skills. The activities undertaken in the very first kitchens helped to cement the norms and values of the modern society we live in today.
The modern designer must not forget the history of the kitchen or its primary function as delivering function is the basic ingredient to any successful design. There is no point in designing something beautiful if it doesn’t work very well.
Thankfully the procedures and appliances used to prepare our meals have become much more sophisticated and our ingredients are now more sanitised, collected from well lit supermarket isles, but the basic function of the kitchen remains the same. It is used to prepare and eat meals but it is also a space were family bonds are re-enforced through conversation and social interaction. In today’s high speed society consideration must be given to the complexity of the new age of kitchen user who comes from a rich melting pot of cultural and social backgrounds.
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