Your browser is out-of-date.
To get a better experience with our home designs, please download other browsers for free. Just click on the icon!
With the shift from living in sprawling bungalows to tiny apartments, most people prefer to do away with large traditional kitchens and look for ideas on how to incorporate a modern kitchen for an Indian home. At first, the task might seem impossible, but with space planning and smart design, one can get a kitchen design that is suitable for one’s home.
For homeowners who are fortunate to build their own house, designing low-cost modular kitchens is not so challenging as one has the liberty to create a layout before construction commences. In the case of an apartment that comes pre-built, one has limited choices of small kitchen layouts that will suit the available space.
Another point to consider is that traditional Indian kitchen design catered to the old-style of cooking where large quantities of food were prepared for each meal to feed all the members living in a joint family. Today, nuclear families are more common, and with it, homeowners’ expectations from a kitchen have also considerably changed. It’s all about efficiency, whether it’s the type of appliances or the storage. Space planning is something that an amateur can’t perform as well as a professional, which is the reason it’s advisable to consult an interior designer or kitchen planner to help with the process of planning a modern kitchen for an Indian home.
Today, we present a guide on how to design a perfect modern Indian kitchen.
With the busy lifestyle that most homeowners experience in the urban areas, appliances simplify and speed up the process of preparing meals. However, it might not be possible to fit all the required gadgets and appliances into a very small kitchen design.
Therefore, one should prioritise which appliances and utensils are essential. For instance, for a young couple who rarely find the time to cook meals, a small refrigerator will be more practical than a side-by-side one. Similarly, one can do away with a cooking range if one doesn’t need the oven, as it will make more space for storage.
Evaluate the available space and consider all the aspects that might interfere with the smooth flow of the counters and cabinets, whether it’s a break in the wall or a beam that protrudes from a section of the ceiling. The most popular layouts for modern kitchens are the L-shape, U-shape or galley style kitchen. The galley-style or U-shaped layout is ideal for spacious kitchens where there will be enough space between two parallel rows of counters. When looking at ideas for Indian kitchen design for small spaces, the linear or L-shaped layout might seem the most suitable so that movement within the kitchen isn’t compromised.
However, several other factors go into the better planning of a modern kitchen for an Indian home. For example, the work triangle, or the space between the three main elements – the stove, sink and refrigerator – should be efficient so that it ensures a smooth flow of work in the kitchen. These are aspects of which a layperson won’t be aware and are best left to the expertise of professionals.
Open kitchens are popular in modern homes in the west, but in India, the overpowering aroma of roasting spices can permeate the social spaces and often linger for days. Therefore, it’s best to ask the interior designer for the pros and cons of an open layout before deciding whether to opt for it. Often, the professional will help to find a simple solution such as a sliding door combined with a heavy-duty chimney to flush out the cooking aromas without permitting them to enter the living room.
Modern Indian kitchens have the advantage of ample choice when it comes to selecting materials, whether it’s the laminate for cabinets or tiles for the backsplash. Bear in mind that the kitchen is an area that needs cleaning every day, so opt for maintenance-free features rather than those that look sophisticated but are very difficult to look after. Since Indian cooking comes with the risk of oil and spice splashes (especially turmeric), which often leave a stain, it’s advisable to choose darker colours for the counter and backsplash. Similarly, for the cabinets, choosing a laminate in a tone and finish that is easy to wipe clean will ensure that they don’t need to be replaced for years. While newer materials such as quartz are available for the kitchen counters, it’s best to ask a professional about its suitability for your style of cooking as even a small stain can diminish the overall style of the room. Natural stone, especially darker shades of granite with coating, are the best suited for handling the heavy grease and spices of traditional Indian cooking.
Within the modern design style, one can choose different versions such as minimalist, industrial or rustic. Browse through modern Indian kitchen images online or in magazines, so that you can show your interior designer the styles that you prefer. Similarly, finishes can vary from sleek to minimalist. A perfect example of this is the type of handles used for the kitchen cabinets. An ultra-modern kitchen design might have flat surfaces with push and release hinges for opening and closing drawers and cabinet doors, whereas sleek steel handles will represent the contemporary style. Look at several options before finalising each element in the kitchen.
The choice of the perfect colour can pull together the overall look of the room, whether you want it to be cheerful or stylish. While dark or bright colours can add warmth to the ambience, it’s best to use them in small sections as they could overpower a kitchen and make it look tinier than it is. Similarly, a minimalist colour such as charcoal grey might look sophisticated but using too much of it in a large kitchen can make the entire room look gloomy. When putting together ideas of Indian kitchen design for small spaces, you should make a note of the colours and combinations that catch your eye and ask your kitchen planner about their suitability for your kitchen.
6. Storage solutions for modern Indian kitchens
For a kitchen to look good always, it should not have clutter on the counters, as it hinders the cleaning process and interferes with the aesthetics. Therefore, it’s essential to design enough storage to ensure that there is a place for everything to be stashed when it is not being used. While this might seem a challenge for a homeowner, a kitchen planner can provide clever solutions that ensure that every inch of the kitchen is put to good use.
A well-designed kitchen is a joy to work in, but it’s not easy to get everything right. By consulting a professional, one not only minimises the risk of elements not turning out the way one expected or of using sub-standard materials and finishes that require high maintenance or frequent replacement.
