Procedural Protocol!

by Darren Morgan

Humanity is governed by procedures, socially accepted protocols that have been tried and tested to allow things to happen efficiently and without difficulty. But how often are these procedures reviewed; and how flexible are they to change?

Upon setting out to build a house or plan an extension most intrepid self builders will decide that an architect should be their first port of call, as architects have become the recognised gatekeepers to the planning maze!

Shape shifting kitchens provide great flexibility within an open plan space and tall sections can be used to subtly define the space without the need for walls.

Without an architect nothing much can happen and in many instances a project may not even get permission to go ahead without an architect issuing an invoice.  But in the blur of ambition and blind determination to get a project off the ground are clients missing the point and leaving their kitchen dreams at the mercy of architectural limitation?

In many ways the tried and tested methods that we follow have evolved from a compartmentalised ideology of interiors whereby the kitchen found itself architecturally incarcerated and labelled as a human requirement instead of being appreciated as the real design influencer it has become today.

John Pawson: Good communication between architect and kitchen designer will deliver a exceptional results that will surpass your expectations.

With kitchen design now continually evolving to surpass the expectations of its users it may be time to rethink the procedural protocol of building development and start designing our domestic buildings from the inside out.

Architecture may be perceived as being the purest form of art allowing individuals to become physically and emotionally connected to their surroundings but surely the furniture, and personal design choices that through their very purpose receive daily tactile adoration by their human cohabitants must be allowed to have a seat that this influential table.

If buildings are not planned correctly with mutual consideration given by each and every design discipline they will simply add value through additional floor space and miss the opportunity to provide multi-level satisfaction to those living there.

Imagine your disappointment if you found that your dream kitchen was compromised though the incorrect positioning of a wall, or if you found that the opportunity to architecturally integrate the more cumbersome items in your kitchen had been missed due to your kitchen designer not being consulted until the latter stages of the process.  Worse still, what would you say if the unsanctioned placement of kitchen services restricted your design to the point that the island you always dreamt of was not longer an option because the under floor heating had been fitted and the screed was poured!

Minotti Cucine: A new kitchen can provide an opportunity for artistic self expression!

Clients now need to take a multi channel approach to designing a new building or extension, establishing a viable architectural footprint with an architect while adopting a more fluid approach to the interior and developing specific kitchen, bathroom and interior designs with associated professionals.

The modern kitchen now helps to define the home; who you are, what you like and who you aspire to be. It would be a real shame if the rare chance to design the kitchen of your dreams was missed or compromised by not considering its design in the early stages of the process!!

Darren

Working in rural Ireland, Darren Morgan is a designer and writer who is beginning to make an impression far beyond his native shores. Having won some of the most prestigious design awards in the industry and being noted on multiple websites and journals across the globe, his passion for kitchen design is beginning to inspire others to think about the kitchen in a different way. He simply believes that “Kitchen design is changing.”

For more on Darren visit his website www.designer-kitchen.com or follow @dmkitchen


Thanks to Darren Morgan and The Kitchen Think for sharing this article.