Estate Living Digital Publication Issue 11 November 2015 | Page 52

2015

DESIGN & DECOR

52

and the garden accessed. The height of luxury in these
days would have been a small turnspit dog trained to
turn the roasting wheel. The use of coal, gas and then
electricity made major changes to the kitchen. Gas and
electric lighting meant that food could be prepared
quicker and kitchens cleaner and the invention of cast
iron in the 1850s made cooking more efficient. The
advent of plumbed water was perhaps the biggest
addition to kitchen cleanliness, with staff now able
to have on-tap access to water and the saving of time
and energy.
The industrial revolution saw gas become the
preferred source of heat and cooking, allowing ovens
to become smaller and lighter. In 1899, the Hoosier
Manufacturing Company introduced a freestanding
kitchen storage piece, known as the Hoosier Cabinet
which incorporated space-saving features and
although small, was the first of many storage devices
such.
The tiny, but efficient, Frankfort Kitchen in the 1920s,
made in Germany by Frederick Winslow Taylor,
focussed on the revolutionary concept of putting all
necessary items in the kitchen within arm’s reach and
eventually gave way to the ‘golden triangle’ (sometimes
known as the kitchen work triangle which is the easy
and ergonomic location of the stove, refrigerator and
sink). Only recently have we seen new concepts like
Dynamic Space come to light to enhance and rethink
this triangle. Post-World War II kitchens were quieter,
cleaner, better organised and easier to work in, and
included innovations such as cooker hoods, ovens and
matching refrigerators and dishwashers.

The kitchen was now incorporated into the home with
guests often invited to join their host in the kitchen
to chat while food was being prepared. Movement
towards an integrated part of our everyday living
space - the open-plan trend, where the kitchen can be
seen and readily accessed, will remain for a long time
to come.
The kitchen is now a source of pride for homeowners
and a place worthy of entertaining. It has slowly began
serving as a hub of social activity and the ‘trophy
kitchen’ has thus come into being. More emphasis has
been given to aesthetics and the use of new materials
allowing the kitchen to feature colour and texture from the iconic red, white and stainless steel of the
1960s to the orange and browns of the'70s, the dark
timbers of the ’80s and the light timbers of the ’90s;
we see trends going full circle, remerging, revamped
and re-inspired.
The modern clean lines, use of natural colours and
mixed materials of today may seem a far cry from
kitchens of pervious years, but each decade has had
its influences and whilst the role and aesthetic of the
kitchen is likely to continue changing, it will always
bear reference to its pasts and the pioneers of design
and technology who have moved the kitchen forward.
For more information, visit www.ksa.co.za or contact
your regional KSA offices:
JHB: [e-mail]
KZN: [e-mail]
CPT: [e-mail]