In the course of my career in publishing I’ve been lucky enough to have interviewed a number of professional chefs, gourmet foodies and home cooks – both those who have made an independent name for themselves as well as those who come to our attention thanks to our insatiable appetite for reality cooking shows.
I always like to ask these food-focused souls about their own kitchens – what do they think works and what doesn’t, what might they change if they could renovate and where (and why) they might place certain elements.
I do cop a bit of flack from the industry when I do this – good-natured flack for the most part, but flack nonetheless. The point which is often made is that just because someone can cook well, or even excellently, this does not make them a good kitchen designer. So why ask their opinion on layout and design?
One of the reasons I find this question so fascinating is that it reveals a lot about the cook/chef/foodie, particularly about how they cook. And often what’s interesting is that different styles of cooking often require different elements in different places and that’s why it’s great to get a range of individual points of view.
And I do feel that someone who works with food for a significant portion of their day, whether in professional kitchens, test kitchens or at home, will almost certainly develop a keen sense for what works – and, sometimes more importantly, what doesn’t – in terms of layout and design when it comes to kitchens.
So, while I would definitely agree that an excellent designer does not automatically make an excellent cook, I would also argue that people with a passion for food and produce, who understand about how to combine flavours and textures, who produce meals and recipes that are enjoyed by thousands do deserve a voice in our industry.
No, I am not suggesting they all give up their day jobs and take up kitchen design (for one, they lack the essential technical knowledge with which to implement a good design).
But, I do believe that we can all learn from a collective pool of knowledge and these individuals bring another dimension to our understanding of the needs of a growing sector within the kitchen design industry.
So, for this reason, I’ll continue to ask the question. I’ve never encountered a dull answer yet and I always find I learn something new for having asked.
OK – over to you. Do good cooks make good kitchen designers?
