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Lately, kitchens are not only for cooking but also for entertaining guests and for spending quality time with families. Its function covers a wide range of things. Along with its multi-functionality, the use of open-style kitchens became widespread, but just having an open-style wouldn't fully serve its purpose. Under these circumstances, "order kitchen" is getting attention. These kitchens can be structured according to the users' wishes, instead of standardized sizes or shapes.
What's important in planning an open-style kitchen is how to create a space to hide various items. There is always something in the kitchen that you would like to hide from public eye. So planning a kitchen according to each individual's lifestyle and establishing a pantry is favorable. If you tuck a pantry away at the back of a closet, it's not easy to use or access. It's better to establish low-depth cabinets along the walls so the food stock and electric appliances can be seen in one glance.
Moreover, the kitchen material should be decided upon to be in harmony with the interior and also be easy to maintain. The worktop in particular is a large area so it's a main decisive factor for the impression of the space.
In the kitchen, the work such as "using fire", "using water", "cooking" and "eating dishes" are done and it is common in Japan to place the water sink in the center of a traffic line. On the contrary, the cooking top creates smoke and heat, so it is mostly positioned the farthest from the dining table. The sinks need to be set at least 850mm high but the gas stove is easy to use if it's about 750mm because you need to look in the cooking pot. In the case of connecting the worktop and the dining table, the height where you can sit and eat should be around 700〜750mm. It becomes important how to plan those 3 differences in height.

Architect : YOKOBORI ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES

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