The concept of an enclosed cooking space
All the way from a party of hunter gatherers hauling a fresh catch up to a campfire, to a skilled chef performing an elaborate art of utter perfection with dozens of ingredients, cooking has come a long way hand in hand with human evolution. Imagination has fueled mankind’s inventions and great expeditions whereas hunger has fueled our creation of new dishes and cooking methods. Merging the two sources of inspiration together in perfect unity; the place we cook, socialize and have our meals was born – The Kitchen.
The clattering of cutlery, the sizzling sound of a juicy steak on a pan, the happy chattering of a family are some of the vivid images we all envisage together with the word ‘kitchen’. However, it hasn’t always been this way. The term kitchen was used to describe a very different concept every few centuries, making the cooking space of ancient times look completely alien to the well-equipped, marble tiled modern kitchen. In many parts of the old world, the kitchen was something that was considered unsightly with poor ventilation, and designers often tried to hide the kitchen in some unnoticeable quiet corner. Perhaps one major elemental piece of this evolutionary chronometric construction is that back in the day, kitchens were only inhabited by women.
ANCIENT GREECE
Ancient Greece, well established in agriculture, was known for their gratifying appetite in the old world. Despite having a rich variety of dishes, the Greek design of a kitchen screamed simplicity and convenience. The average middle class family had their kitchen covered indoors, a small shed beside their houses or out in the open outdoors. These were often very basic designs with only the most basic equipment which are needed for cooking. The rich were the only population who were fortunate enough to afford the luxury of having a separate room inside the house as a cooking space. This was usually built next to the bathroom so that the fire used for cooking will warm both rooms efficiently. These kitchens often had large stoves, long stone counters and plenty of space, as unearthed archeological evidence suggests. In contrast, the poor were likely unable to afford any sort of kitchen at all. Most cooking equipment at the time was made of clay.
MIDDLE AGES
Move forward a thousand years; we arrive at the dark ages and the renaissance. Man has discovered iron and soon invented the metallic cauldron. This caused a few basic changes in the overall design of the kitchen, since a different looking apparatus was used in the place of the stove. The cooking fire was lit within a topless brick enclosure, where the metal cauldron would be hung from a stand right above the fire pit. As fancy as this sounds, this was not quite the place you would want to sit right next to. The smoke and soot from the fire rather created an unpleasant atmosphere around the vicinity which ultimately still rendered the cooking space isolated. It was not until the crafty Romans found an effective solution to this sooty issue that the kitchen was finally marked as the traditional symbolic heart of the home.
THE REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE
The invention of chimneys by the Romans, allowed the soot and smoke to be safely transported outside of the house through tubes built on the wall. The first recorded domestic use of a chimney dates back to the 12th century in Northern Europe. This revolutionary invention changed everything ranging from home designs to the variety of dishes that could be made. Kitchens transitioned from fume-filled, soot ridden pits of torture from women to pleasant, breathable, warm rooms where you could sit and have a delightful conversation while enjoying a meal. How efficient early chimneys were is a question that is lost to history. The kitchen still being located in an isolated area may suggest that some fumes still escaped into the house.
A MODERN KITCHEN FOR A MODERN HOME
The invention of chimneys by the Romans, allowed the soot and smoke to be safely transported outside of the house through tubes built on the wall. The first recorded domestic use of a chimney dates back to the 12th century in Northern Europe. This revolutionary invention changed everything ranging from home designs to the variety of dishes that could be made. Kitchens transitioned from fume-filled, soot ridden pits of torture from women to pleasant, breathable, warm rooms where you could sit and have a delightful conversation while enjoying a meal. How efficient early chimneys were is a question that is lost to history. The kitchen still being located in an isolated area may suggest that some fumes still escaped into the house.
Perhaps, one of the greatest privileges we get to enjoy is the amount of customization options we are presented with when designing our ideal kitchen. What color cupboards would you have? What material would you have them made of? Where would you like to have your refrigerator placed? What sort of sensation would you like to enjoy every time you rest your hand on the kitchen counter or dining table? The most fascinating part is that you need not be overwhelmed with the amount of detail to choose! Kitchen remodelers such as Lifestyle Kitchen Boutique offer the best of all worlds while presenting a design that matches your dream kitchen. Exceedingly crossing and leaving far behind any ordinary standards architects strive to match, Lifestyle Kitchen Boutique will ensure that your shiny, fabulous kitchen would be something you would want all of your guests to notice!
