Kitchens of the Future

Chew on this!

Envisioning the kitchen of the future

By Ted McIntyre - Inside Storey Q & A with Suzy Margorian, Showroom Manager, Cosentino City Toronto

Roughly since man invented fire, the space where food is prepared has been the heart and soul of the home. And things aren’t going to change anytime soon, suggests Suzy Margorian, the showroom manager of Cosentino City Toronto, whose Spanish-based company produces and distributes high-value innovative surfaces for the world of design and architecture.

Margorian is citing a Cosentino organized international study entitled “Global Kitchen,” which takes a deep dive into the sociological, environmental and technological factors that will shape the way we live 25 years from now, and how they specifically pertain to the most important room in the house.

Seventeen experts from eight countries, including a Michelin-star chef, gerontologist, renowned architects, interior designers and a Harvard professor, were brought in for the project, with additional consultation taking place among another 842 kitchen industry professionals.

While a second edition of the study is in progress, Margorian presented some of the current study’s findings at January’s Interior Design Show in Toronto.

OHB: The open-concept design dominates today. will that continue?

Suzy Margorian: No matter where you are in the world, people have always gathered around the fire, where food is being prepared. And 87% of the panel’s experts believe the kitchen will become even more relevant as a hub of activity and gathering place.

In fact, when they were asked what activities will take place in kitchens in the future, more people said “spending time with family and friends” (93%) than actually eating (83%).

We’ll see the gradual popularization of a kitchen model that is fully integrated with the rest of the home. In addition to food handling and cooking, it will be the hub of other activities which traditionally have been carried out in other areas of the home.

But we can’t underestimate the importance of preparing meals. We’re increasingly valuing recipes that have been passed down through generations, as well as the craftsmanship of meals. And new appliances will make it easier for us to cook those meals.

As far as the kitchen layout goes, one of our panel, Italian architect Piero Lissoni, says we have to be sensitive to the life, dynamics and surroundings of the space. “People move around, open a bottle of wine and prepare a salad while talking,” he says. “Designing an excellent kitchen for the future requires taking these activities into account.”

The experts consulted underscore the emotional value of the new kitchen model, enhancing its role as a space for relaxation, but also for fostering community and interpersonal relationships.

What about countertops?

According to industry professionals, countertops of the future should allow users to cook directly on the surface, besides incorporating connectivity and acting like a control panel.

You spoke of food craftsmanship?

Worldwide, we have increasingly valued the expertise of celebrity chefs and of the experience of someone making food for us. We want to emulate that— to create those recipes in-home. That’s where we’ll see further tech innovation, allowing people to create these dishes, while eating healthier. Three-Michelinstar chef Jonnie Boer thinks that in 25 years, home kitchens will look more like professional restaurant kitchens, since people are showing a growing interest in the technical appliances and the installations they require.

The study highlights an impending food shortage.

We know we’re already not producing enough food to feed the world’s population. Our experts highlight how meat will become a luxury item. The current production levels are not sustainable, nor does it do any good for the planet. We’ll be eating more seafood and vegetables. And to help grow those vegetables, we’ll see a rise of shared patios and gardens, or of live indoor walls. Technology and LED lighting will play a big part in the controlled feeding and watering of those plants.

As one of our experts, Singapore chef André Chiang, notes, “We need to make more accurate calculations regarding the things we eat: Where do they come from? Do they contain chemicals? Are they organic? Will we be able to have food that can be grown in small spaces?”

We’ll also see more stages of food. Instead of throwing something out, we’ll find other recipes—other uses of it—prior to composting and using that to fertilize. We’ll see a 360-cycle of food systems, with data generated from the garden to help us with recipes, all the way back around to waste management. It’s part of the more circular economy we’ll have—the life of the product, how its resources are generated, how it’s repaired, how long it lasts, how they are recycable. The experts are saying we can’t continue to make appliances with lifespans of just eight years. It won’t be just a 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) thought process anymore. It will be multi-R: rethink, redesign, repairable, reuse, recycle, remanufacture.

As panel member Piero Lissoni of Italy said, “True creativity is linked to the responsible use of resources.”

And, no doubt, more connectivity?

'Interconnectivity will increase, with our appliances talking to each other, as well as to us, and adapting to user habits, likes and dislikes. Protecting all that information from being shared with manufacturers and other sources will always be a concern.

And we’ll still age in place?

Absolutely. We have both a gerontologist and manufacturing expert on the panel who agree that the kicthen will no longer be an interconnected series of cabinetry, but more like pieces of furniture dedicated to specific functions—one for your coffee and tea, one for cooking, one for washing, etc. Many pieces will be portable, so that, for example, the infirm or aged can easily roll their coffee-and-tea-making item into their rooms. Each of these items will be made-to-order and delivered, then pieced together with other kitchen ‘furniture.’ There will not be the permanency of today’s designs. As part of ‘Inclusive Lifespan Design,’ gerontologist Patricia Moore feels that a growing trend of ‘self-care’ health maintenance combined with nutrition will trigger this revolutionary decentralization—that activities traditionally relegated to the kitchen will be spread through mutiple rooms.

Along that line, interior designer Sandy Gordon notes how one of the most important kitchen innovations is the induction cooker, in that it allows people of all generations to use the kitchen space safely. She believes the multigenerational use of the kitchen will definitely change the way it’s designed.

In an environment of increased collective experience, technological innovations should also facilitate the use of household appliances and other equipment by all household members. These changes will specifically benefit children and the elderly, who are currently limited in the kitchen for reasons of safety and access.

Can we predict the kitchen design of the future?

Experts almost unanimously agree that the kitchen industry will undergo a transformation in the coming years and the diversity of trends observed will force practitioners to face the design of this new model with an interdisciplinary approach—working together.

Of course, when looking 25 years ahead, we don’t know what we don’t know.

As Chef Chiang says, “There is no doubt that in the near future some breakthrough technology will change the rules of the game, similar to what happened when microwave technology emerged. Other devices will appear and cause a new design and lifestyle approach.”