HEALTHY KITCHEN DESIGN
Dean Weston from Commodore Design offers advice on how you can
create kitchens that meet the growing demand for healthier living.
Now worth £3.5 trillion, the global wellness industry is rapidly
growing as more and more people across the globe seek to
improve their physical and mental wellbeing. This wellness
mega trend is filtering through many aspects of our lives,
including the design of our homes. In the kitchen, this means a splash of the right colour could
make a significant difference to the owner. Shades to
consider include yellow, which can brighten a person’s mood
and increase energy, and blue which can increase a sense of
calm and relaxation.
Kitchens, in particular, offer huge potential for housebuilders
and developers to help their customers feel healthier and
happier. Here are just some of the ways in which this can be
achieved. INCREASE NATURAL LIGHT
MULTISENSORY DESIGN
Multisensory design is already being used in workplaces and
urban planning but can be reflected across the home too.
It’s a concept that acknowledges people experience and
react to space in many ways, using all of their senses. This
can affect the way we feel, our behaviour and physical and
mental wellbeing.
For example, the colour of a kitchen will appeal to our
sense of sight but there is also strong evidence that colour
schemes can affect our mood. Research linked to colour
chromotherapy, which is believed to affect body vibrations,
has highlighted that different shades can trigger a variety of
emotional responses.
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Lighting can be complex in a kitchen where functionality
and comfort must combine, but it’s another important
consideration when designing for healthier living.
Too much artificial lighting can cause headaches and eye
strain so different options such as dimmable lights must
be weaved into the final design. However, one of the most
beneficial solutions for our wellbeing is to flood the space
with natural light.
Skylights and bifold doors work particularly well but if these
aren’t feasible then consider how kitchen finishes could be
affected by light. For example, light coloured worktops can
help to disperse light more evenly whereas darker ones will
absorb more light. Gloss cabinets can also make the most of
natural light.