What's Cooking in Multifamily Kitchen Design
by Jill Meier, Associate AIA
Throughout the Southwest, the demand for alternatives to single family housing remains strong. A variety of prospective buyers and renters recognize the value of multifamily options versus traditional single family living. With more emphasis on this market, architects and builders would be wise to invest some time in the most important room of any home: the kitchen.
Today's consumers are more educated than ever before. Thanks to the impact of HGTV and home magazines, they enter the multifamily housing market with specific perceptions about what they expect from their kitchens. The challenge of doing more with less square footage and the appeal of urban loft-style living and contemporary interior finishes are redefining the traditional multifamily kitchen. Design trends are clear, and effectively translating trends into built product will increase appeal for renters and buyers alike.
Functional Floor Plans and Open Layouts
Although new floor plan layouts abound, kitchens will likely remain interior spaces for several reasons. First, interior walls have no windows to impede cabinet placement. Second, view orientations from the kitchen can extend across countertops and through living spaces, connecting residents to the outdoors via windows and sliding doors. This arrangement significantly increases natural light within the home.
This interior placement in smaller units frequently requires residents to enter near the kitchen, so designs should allow for social congregation and traffic with ample room to get through the door carrying grocery bags. Opening the outside seating area of a kitchen island toward the door creates a "foyer" adjacent to the kitchen. In larger units, formalized foyers can be used to separate the entry and kitchen while adding some single family appeal.
In the past, cost and space efficiency led to linear, galley-style kitchens. Today, buyers demand great room layouts with more connection to the living area. Plan adjustments can provide this relationship with L-shaped layouts incorporating an island or peninsula countertop with cabinetry below. In fact, even a half-galley (one full wall of cabinetry with an island) creates a more appealing, loft-like space. Although a partial wall of upper cabinetry is sacrificed, the benefits more than make up for the lost storage. Many renters and buyers don't require much storage space, and their decisions are based more on entertaining and fashion than on practical issues.
For a big wow factor, consider angled walls to provide more space?or at least the illusion of space. In tight layouts, rectangular configurations keep costs down, but angles will make a huge impact. To remain cost-conscious, consider detaching a wall or island of cabinetry to avoid expensive counter and cabinet joints. If angles are impossible, be sure to remain focused on the work triangle, and consider adding a sink to the island to allow food preparation while watching TV and entertaining.
Get Real about Potential Buyers
When designing smaller units, keep prospective buyers in mind. Young grads and new couples may be moving into their own place for the first time, so they have unique needs. Primarily, since new multifamily residents may not own a lot of furniture, floor plans can provide furniture-style built-ins that greatly increase the appeal and livability of small spaces.
The single family phenomenon of the disappearing dining room translates more distinctly as the "disappearing dining table" in multifamily units. The new generation of young residents may not even own a table, or they may want to avoid losing valuable square footage to a table when they'll eat the majority of their meals from the sofa in the living room. To accommodate this lifestyle, kitchen designs can provide built-in eating areas.
Eating areas in the past consisted of high, bar-style counters separating the kitchen from the rest of the unit. They were generally too high and shallow to be practical. Today, floor plans must go above and beyond, including functional eating areas in a variety of locations. For example, peninsula counter extensions can end in a larger circular cutout, lowered six inches to accommodate standard chairs. The resulting "table" saves space and creates an extra food preparation area. During meals, it lives and feels exactly like a dining table, effectively removing the dining experience from the living area in a very pleasant way.
The popularity of islands also offers an alternative to the dining table. Oversized islands with extended countertops provide an excellent place to dine, especially when entertaining. A raised bar at one end of the island adds a sculptural component and helps break up the expanse of countertop on very large islands.
Since built-in eating areas decrease the amount of cabinet space, designs should compensate in other areas. Add a walled-in closet between the front door and the kitchen, or plan for a vertical pantry cabinet with lots of shelving. This configuration makes up for lost storage beneath islands and eating counters, increases spatial definition, and provides visual interest.
These cabinet-style pantries can be used to form unique niche spaces. Although kitchen desks were once popular, today's technology-savvy consumers are more likely to work from laptops in front of the TV. Charging stations accommodate technological "accessories" such as routers, printers, modems and chargers. A floor to ceiling pantry can separate a small section of counter from the wet areas of the kitchen. Add additional electrical, phone and cable outlets.
Multifamily Home, Single Family Appeal
Single family interior finish trends have found their way into multifamily kitchens. Lower square footages and fewer cabinets result in cost savings that can be reallocated to higher quality finishes. For example, builders are opting for maple or cherry cabinetry with furniture-style doors and hardware. Depending on price point, cabinets may be topped with granite countertops for a custom feel or high-quality laminates can achieve the attraction of granite without the price.
Particularly in the Southwest, multifamily kitchens are following single family flooring trends. Some mid-level to upper-level units are introducing wood flooring in both for-rent and for-sale products. While wood floors are not yet the norm, they enhance the loft-like look of multifamily spaces, provide warmth and give any Southwestern home a unique edge in the market. For finishing touches, upgraded appliances such as gas ranges, and custom lighting such as decorative island pendants are luxuries that add custom, single family appeal to any kitchen.
When multifamily residences can achieve single family appeal with a contemporary or urban feel, buyers will take notice. Recent market conditions have made single family homeownership difficult for many potential buyers. New multifamily designs with enhanced kitchens can provide the quality living spaces they need and fill a crucial gap. Special features such as creative floor plans, built-in eating areas and quality finishes will help any multifamily unit stand out among the competition and capitalize on this unique market.
Jill Meier, Associate AIA and Senior Designer for BSB Design, has over 12 years of experience at nearly every level of product design?from drafting to Senior Designer and Project Manager. Her experience in product design and project management includes a wide range of single family and multifamily residential solutions and government projects. Headquartered in Des Moines, IA, BSB Design operates 15 offices coast to coast, including Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas.
Dave Copenhaver
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