inthekohzwu
Slow living in a cozy space called home | 屋
A tasteful guide to kitchen customisations.
179
Kitchen is one of the most underestimated places where you need to make MOST of the uncomfortable decisions. Here comes Inthekohzwu's Non-reno kitchen regrets. When we get renovations done, the most fun part of the whole journey is CUSTOMISATION. DO NOT BELIEVE when an ID or contractor tells you this item fits in this place or this measurement is fixed. They are lies. Customisation is the best part and the greatest fun of the entire renovation process. Being vertically challenged, I decided to lower my table top height to suit me. Do not consider "What about my friends/relatives who come? Will they be uncomfortable?" In 365 days, count the number of times they utilise these places vs yourself. Who should the home be catered to then? It was something I considered when I customised mine as mine was awkwardly lower than normal. To be honest, when my friends come over, they do bend over quite a bit. As long as it doesn't look weird, it will be fine. On the contrary, if you're taller, you will definitely want the table top adjusted to the height where you no longer need to bend/hunch over for prolonged period of time! 
Against the norm, there is NO KITCHEN HOOD. There was no hood in my parents place despite heavy cooking and the cabinets held on fine. It is neater and have a cleaner look. Hence, I decided to stick to not having hood in the kitchen. Just have to wipe down and clean the laminate above the hood after each cooking session! Maybe this isn't a 5-7 dishes per meal household, so it is easier to maintain. If you're the kind of household like mine, you may want to take the leap of faith and go hoodless! 
Another consideration which may fall under one of my regret list (but there isn't an option to regret) is to have the tall cabinet to house my oven. The oven can be customised to be adjusted to fit your height and near eye level. My ID created a small vent to allow heat to rise and escape from those little gaps! Again because being vertically challenged, the oven is slightly lower than normal and suited to me. Below, there are 2 deep drawers to place kitchen items. The regret comes because this tall cabinet semi blocks my wind flow from the service yard. But because I cannot have it in any other way, there isn't an option to regret or change the position. The oven was not placed in the lower kitchen cabinet because of the heat and constant bending of the back just to retrieve the items or trays. Not just that, you would be bending or simply close to squatting just to take a look at the food cooking in the oven. Also a caution for households with children. You may want to think about safety concerns if you have little ones crawling or walking around and the oven is activated. 
The kitchen is extended outwards to have a dry pantry on the left and a curved edge peninsula on the right. Usually the cutlery drawers are placed near the hob for easy access when/while cooking. But I shifted the placement right at the edge of the kitchen. This is to allow easy access of the cutlery from the dining area. Therefore, this means that you may need to retrieve most of your cooking accessory and cutlery before you start. Trust me, after some time, this is not going to be a major problem. The other drawers/cabinet space can be used for placing your tea/coffee or even containers or health supplements or snacks! The peninsula is also used to place groceries when entering the home. On this side of the kitchen, a leg space is provided for sitting. This forms your breakfast nook or a bar space for drinks at night! Not forgetting cabinet space for storage or extra drinks too. 
Major love for the extravagant countertop space! The bakers and chefs will have hearts shooting out of their eyes with this space! In this Japandi home, kitchen appliances are kept after use. This ensures there is no clutter or accumulation of unwanted dust. Be mindful of where the suggested joining of your countertop slab may be. There can be choices and alternatives for you to choose. 
There is some slight walking distance from hob to sink so it may be inconvenient to some people who are used to both being right beside each other. Another consideration I took for this kitchen was to shift the sink outwards nearer to living spaces. This is intentional so that guests and myself do not have to walk all the way into the deep parts of the kitchen to use the sink. Hence, this means that the hob position needs to be shifted! 
There is space on the left and right of the hob to ensure that plates or bowls used for mise en place can be placed near the hob. Sufficient space for food preparation is also one of the key features of this kitchen! If you haven't realised, the lines segregating each cabinet door is aligned for top and bottom. Also, if you have a top cabinet (on the right most) like mine, make sure the door opens smoothly without hitting the open shelf! 
Till date, I do not regret the different positions of my 3 main kitchen items - fridge, hob and sink. The super easy access from fridge to sink is one of my major love. It is such a breeze to take items out of the fridge and into yhe sink to wash. To chefs, this is a very weird placement. But, to a simple everyday homeowner, do what pleases you. It may be look/sound weird but think about your work flow and everyday life. What suits you best and how you live will help in your decision making in this journey of customisation! Customisation makes all wonders!
8 September
