Can the Closed Kitchen make a comeback...

Closed Kitchen Comeback...

While still short of a mainstream trend, closed kitchens appear to be staging a quiet comeback. Many entertainment- and cooking-conscious homeowners are trading in their open-concept kitchens in favor of dedicated cooking and food- prep areas. Here’s a quick look at the inspirations behind the shift toward the committed culinary space.

1. Affordable Remodeling

Kitchen updates are pricey, especially open-concept conversions. The structural updates necessary to create an open layout can devour your budget and leave you with little room for other remodeling must-haves. Most closed kitchen updates require few structural renovations, which can leave you with a larger budget for aesthetic goodies — like the latest in colored or matte-stainless appliances.

2. Simple Kitchen Management

Mixed cooking and living spaces can be difficult to manage. Undefined kitchen areas quickly become clutter-catchalls and gathering places for friends and family — neither of which are conducive to cooking. Closed-kitchens provide a distraction- and confusion-free cooking space to prep and serve meals. Devoted cooking areas also lessen the stress of entertaining by keeping food-prep spaces separated from the living portions of your home. Subjecting friends and family to the chaos of cooking can result in a hectic atmosphere and a sloppy aesthetic — which is a major drawback of the open-kitchen design.

3. Ample Storage

More walls mean more storage — and more storage means less clutter. The organizational solutions included in closed-kitchen designs will streamline your cooking and food-prep areas and simplify day-to-day use. Extra cabinetry can also double as a savvy-yet-stylish focal point. Adding extra cabinetry or storage options to open-concept kitchens can incur major construction costs and clash with the shared design elements of your space.

4. Dedicated Dining Spaces

Dedicated dining rooms simplify mealtime and boost your home’s aesthetic cohesiveness. Formal dining spaces also encourage family togetherness by removing living-space distractions like TVs, computers and tablets. Many homeowners with open concept kitchens struggle to keep dirty dishes, utensils and other food-related items out of eating and entertaining spaces. Open-concept dining areas also collect day-to-day clutter like mail, shoes, jackets and backpacks.