Kitchens in Japanese homes have become more stylish and are attracting attention in terms of interior design. They have become places where family members gather to create a close atmosphere. The enjoyment of making and tasting meals provides a new cohesive force for everyday life.
Reflecting this trend, Toyo Kitchen Style Co. offers a kitchen island, the iNO CD-LAND series, that is 3.8 meters wide and 1 meter deep, and has a dining table on one side so that family members can cook and eat in one place. Lively conversation as people cook face-to-face together seems to make meals more delicious.
"My family has naturally come to gather around the kitchen," said a 52-year-old homemaker in Kanazawa, who installed this series of kitchen island when her family remodeled the kitchen.
One manufacturer after another has blurred the line between cooking and dining by offering ways to bring various cooking functions right to the family table. Panasonic Corp. has released a hybrid item called Irori Dining where people can use an induction heating cooker that is built into the table. According to Panasonic, the company designed the equipment so that people's conversation is not disturbed by the sound of ventilation fans.
Some kitchens are also designed like elegant furniture. Richelle Plat by Lixil Corp. can be combined with a wood-grain counter. Lixil prepares cabinets with the same color and design as the kitchen appliances, which gives a sense of unity to the room.
Yuka Shimoda, who publishes the interior magazine Modern Living, said, "Kitchens used to sit in the back of a house, but now they play a main role as a living space where people gather."
The kitchen will appear to become more popular in the present days when everyone is busy and tends to eat alone.
New ideas on stage
Cutting-edge kitchens were introduced at the international furniture exhibition "Salone del Mobile. Milano" held in Italy in April. Italian brand Boffi unveiled modular kitchen elements that can be freely combined, including sinks, induction heating cookers, counters and dining tables. The heights of the counter and dining table differ.
The products of Japan's Sanwa Company Ltd. feature "compactness." The company displayed a cabinet-type kitchen unit that is 1.2 meters wide and 75 centimeters deep and movable with wheels. The counter height can be adjusted for people in wheelchairs, children and others.
Even fashion brands are getting into the kitchen. Fendi brought out a kitchen unit with satiny stainless counters.
Dolce & Gabbana exhibited colorful coffee brewers and toasters with fruits and flowers drawn on them in cooperation with home electronics manufacturers.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
