Life Within The Living Space - Expert Guest Post -

Integrated kitchen aquariums

The term ‘living space’ when used to describe the purpose of modern kitchens has now become engrained within the conversation of home and lifestyle design. Often modern kitchens are defined not just by the ergonomics and door finishes but by the features integrated into them i.e. appliances, technology, and entertainment. This explosion of products and features has led to us now spending more time in our kitchens than ever before. This shift from a purely functional space to a living space has led to home owners and designers thinking out of the box and incorporating standout features to create the ultimate living experience.

In the same way remote control work top extractors will raise an eyebrow a seamlessly integrated aquarium will create that wow factor within any kitchen space. Aquariums are fast becoming the ultimate lifestyle accessory to incorporate into your home. They add light, colour, and movement to a space, and are incredibly versatile from a design perspective with an infinite variety of sizes and dimensions. An indication of this new and growing trend within kitchen design is clear when luxury brands like Poggenpohl are embracing the concept of integrated aquariums into their range.

For an aquarium designer a kitchen offers a number of opportunities and challenges. Here a few considerations when building an aquarium into a kitchen.      

Planning and preparation

To create that seamless integrated finish it is always a good idea to think about your aquarium at the early stages of your design and plan for the necessary provisions and services that will make the long term maintenance of you aquarium as easy as possible. Considering these things can be expensive when retrofitting an aquarium into a finished kitchen so make the provisions for it at the initial stage even if you’re not planning to install an aquarium in the immediate future. You should treat your aquarium in the same way you would treat any other appliance in terms of supplying it with water and electricity and a means of drainage.

Connecting your aquarium to the water mains will make water changes as easy as turning a few taps or valves. Untreated mains water will be really harmful to your aquarium system and its fish so the water will need to be treated before it enters the tank. The best way to do this is to pass the water through a series of canisters containing DI resin, Carbon and micron-particle filters. A four stage water filter will remove all the harmful chemicals from the tap water. 

Plumbing your aquarium into the waste pipe system will make maintenance a far less messy and laborious process. The combination of a clean water supply and drainage also gives you the option of automating some of the more arduous tasks involved with aquarium care.

In addition to the supply and removal of water making sure your aquarium system has an adequate electrical supply, on its own dedicated circuit is a good way to prevent overloads and trips. Avoid running equipment off regular household plugs and get your electrician to provide IP rated junction boxes, as splashes and condensation are a reality with any aquarium.

Removing moist air from enclosed cabinetry will dramatically improve the life span of doors, fascias and panels. During the planning stage think about how you will ventilate the cabinetry or units around the aquarium to prevent condensation build up, which in turn leads to fungus and mould. This really applies to any enclosed aquarium but is extremely pertinent when in the kitchen as mould and fungus throws up issues of hygiene in a food preparation area.

Integrate physically and practically

Contrary to what most aquarium designers and fish enthusiast will say bigger isn’t always better when designing an aquarium into a kitchen. There’s nothing worse than seeing a kitchen space being choked by an aquarium that becomes the space, not part of it!

 Large aquariums work best as space dividers or partitions between the functional area and dining area of an open plan kitchen. If however you were integrating an aquarium into the run of wall units, cabinetry or as a splash back then try to be conservative with your dimensions. Any kitchen designer will tell you that work top surface area is a premium resource in any kitchen design. I would suggest a minimum tank depth (front to back) of 300mm to allow enough room for your fish to swim comfortably, and for you to prep your food. This however really is all relative to the size of your kitchen, as exceptionally large kitchens can easily accommodate a large impressive display tank within its furniture.

Lighting

You can integrate the arrangement of your aquarium lighting into the wider lighting scheme of the kitchen. I use the three lighting principles colour, position and timing when considering how I am going to illuminate an aquarium in relation to the space it is in.

Like with any other lighting source the colour of you aquarium lighting can significantly impact on the mood it creates within the tank as well as the room it sits in.

The position of light sources within and around an aquarium can create additional options and focal points for the lighting within the kitchen. Spot lights both submersible and non-submersible can create dramatic effects within and around the display. Strip lights to create back lit plinths and fascia’s can also work well for creating a desired atmosphere within the space.

Controlling the times in which different light sources are on within and around your aquarium can enable you to create the right lighting at the right time and social setting. This can all be controlled using remotes and timers or even via your home automation/AV system.  

You can make your kitchen aquarium as simple or as complex as you wish. Obviously with greater complexity to your system comes the benefits of less time spent maintaining the tank, however this comes at a cost. I always advise my clients to design their systems to be future proof so if they wish to add or upgrade certain features to their system they are not restricted by the absence of key features like a dedicated power and water supply.  

Ultimately your kitchen aquarium will redefine your space and how use it! As a feature it will allow you to enjoy spending more time in that space socialising and talking amongst family members and friends. The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home so why not give that heart some TLC, courtesy of Mother Nature.  

With special thanks to author of this guest post Aquarium expert Akil Gordon-Beckford (BSC) 

www.aquafront.co.uk