Something has come to my attention of late, and I need to get it off my chest. Here it is: a kitchen can be too nice for my liking. Maybe that’s not as weird a fact as I think it is, but I’ve always had a bit of a thing (some might say an obsession) for kitchens being just so – I need the gas stove, the well-designed storage solutions, the attractively finished countertops, the cleanable corners.
What I don’t need, I’ve realised, is things like imported tap-ware, antique-style handles and movable island benchtops. Those types of features, to me, are just overkill. I guess I’ve always been a bit of a functionalist – like, someone who doesn’t have much time for aesthetic details that don’t pull their weight in terms of serving the purpose overall design.
Modern kitchen design, to its credit, does seem to be generally on board with this perspective. I mean, we’ve definitely seen more user-friendly kitchens emerging over the last thirty years or so, right? People don’t want poky little galley kitchens anymore – they want lots of workspace and efficient appliances that do what’s needed without trying to be all things to all kitchen users (leave that in the 1960s).
Why am on about all this? Well, basically, I’m looking into getting a kitchen facelift. Melbourne renovation companies are certainly not in short supply, and a lot of them look to be very good at what they do. I’m just wary of being sucked into buying a whole lot of features that I don’t actually want or need.
You know, it’s really not that I don’t care how things look. It’s more a case of not wanting to succumb to trends. There’s a distinct difference between what’s in fashion and what’s deeply pleasing on an aesthetic level. In my book, true beauty in home interiors comes down to functionality being elegantly blended into the environment in a way that makes so much sense you barely even notice it.