Houses in the UK have never been smaller and kitchens have now shrunk to levels last seen 80 years ago. Bob Andrew from Elfin Kitchens considers the challenges this brings to a building project and suggests compact solutions to this contemporary problem.
According to research carried out by LABC Warranty in April of this year, Britain’s houses have never been smaller than they are today. After analysing data going back as far as 1930, obtained from property search giants Rightmove and Zoopla, LABC Warranty concluded that the space allotted to kitchens actually peaked in the 1960s when they measured on average 15.37m2.
But since then kitchens have shrunk by a hefty 13 per cent, and the space designated to cooking and food preparation is now significantly smaller in new-build homes than it was back then, measuring on average 13.44m2.
If this trend continues – as it looks as though it is set to do – it brings with it challenges for the building sector. So just how do designers and building professionals set about crowbarring everything that’s required into a shrinking food preparation space?
A kitchen requires a number of definitive basic elements – namely, a cooking area, a fridge, a sink and some storage. Devising ways to combine all these into a restricted space without sacrificing any of them can be a challenge.
Similarly, sourcing appliances that are able to fit into a limited area and still be fully functional, while also forming an aesthetically appealing arrangement, is not straightforward. However, a solution that the hard-pressed project manager might do well to consider is at hand – that of compact kitchen products.
A compact, all-in-one kitchen that arrives fully assembled on a palette, either with or without hotplates, bypasses a lot of potential headaches for the house builder – time is money on a building site, after all.
All the cupboards and appliances are measured up and fitting neatly together, and the time it takes to install the kitchen is greatly reduced as so much of the work is already done and no manual labour is required. Plumbing costs are also cut back as good-quality compact kitchens arrive ready for installation complete with an appropriate waste kit. All of this makes it easier to stick to the proposed budget.
What is also helpful is that there is a broad selection of products out there. Many have the added bonus of being made from high-quality steel for added robustness so they will stand the test of time. When it comes to cost, there are a variety of well-designed compact kitchens at varying price points, from entry level right through to top end, comprising all sorts of different configurations of the required elements.
For instance, at Elfin Kitchens the Entry range offers full functionality and complete simplicity with a fridge, sink, drainer, under-sink cupboard, and two-hotplate hob combined in a single unit, but there are also a whole range of flexible options available, going all the way up to the company’s Premium 1500 product.
The latter features multiple configurations, for example the combination of two-hotplate hob, refrigerator, 56L convection oven, sink, drainer, tap, and storage space.
An alternative combination includes a compact six-place dishwasher, and all can be adapted to create an even more high-end result when accompanied by the company’s Studioline system that gives the finished kitchen a superior polished look.
While compact kitchen products may be ready assembled, keeping them as versatile as possible allows them to be adapted to suit a high number of specifications, also taking interior design considerations into account. Indeed, there are well constructed compact kitchens that come in a broad choice of colours to suit a range of interior styles, which can even create a high-end ‘bespoke’ look.
Offering full flexibility is key. It’s this agility, as well as the fact that kitchens are steadily reducing in size, that in part accounts for the increasing popularity of kitchen and bathroom compact products. According to a recent study by AMA Research (Bathroom and Kitchen Pods Market Report UK 2018-2022) there is a growing trend towards modular building techniques as they clearly offer so many advantages to the building sector. In fact, the market saw an impressive 8 per cent growth in 2017, and it is expected to grow steadily at a rate of 4 per cent to 5 per cent per year over the next five years.