O level Notes : Food Technology Design - Kitchen - Kitchen surfaces, ventilation, lighting and colour schemes

With the kitchen being the integral part of the home it is essential that you choose the right surface covering that will effectively serve its intended purpose.

Work surfaces

The work surface of any kitchen needs to be stylish, tough and practical to use. Therefore, it must possess the following characteristics:

• durable against impact,
• resistant to heat,
• not absorbent,
• easy to clean or maintain,
• attractive and stylish,
• dirt resistant,
• stain proof.

Suitable work surface covering includes:

• granite for example quartz and marble,
• solid wood,
• corian,
• glass,
• stainless steel,
• mistral,
• laminates,
• concrete worktops.

Floor surface

Kitchen floor is a major design statement. The floor you choose affects every other element of your kitchen design. Fortunately, there is a wide range of choices. Kitchen floors have got to endure lot of foot traffic, shrug spills and, stains and look good while doing that.

Kitchen floors must have the following characteristics:

• attractive,
• easy to clean,
• warm to the feet,
• slip resistant,
• non-absorbent or moisture resistant,
• stain proof,
• quiet to step on,
• resilient,
• avoid loose mats as this may result in falls.

Suitable floor coverings include:

• porcelain tiles,
• ceramic tiles,
• hardwood,
• cork,
• linoleum,
• vinyl tiles,
• quarry tiles.

Wall surface

Wall surface help you to add a touch of personal style in your kitchen. Kitchen wall coverings should be:

• smooth and even so that they do not trap dust.
• resistant to grease, food particles and water,
• attractive,
• light in colour,
• easy to clean.

Suitable wall coverings include:

• oil painted plater,
• stone wall covering,
• corian,
• glas,
• laminate for example plastic-coated paper,
• porcelain tiles,
• ceramic tiles,
• stainless steel sheeting.

Ceiling surface

Plain white painting gives light to the kitchen. Non-stick or poly-styrene tiles are easier to manage.Ceiling surfaces should be anti-flake to avoid droppings which may spoil food.

Ventilation

It is essential that kitchen waste products such as moisture, heat, grease and fumes be removed or extracted from the air, otherwise condensation, excessive heat and stale air will prevail. Ventilation is usually provided by doors and large open windows but, probably the best method is by cooker hoods and extractor fans. Poor ventilation can cause stress and contribute to unsafe working environment. Adequate and efficient ventilation system should achieve the following:

• remove cooking fumes at the source,
• remove excess hot air and introduce incoming cool clean air so that a comfortable environment is achieved,
• ensure that air movement in the kitchen does not cause discomfort,
• be easy to clean avoiding the building up of fat residues and blocked air inlets which lead to loss of efficiency and increase risk of fire,
• be quiet and vibration free.

Consider the following factors when choosing a kitchen ventilation system

• Workload of the kitchen.
• Amount, type and power of cooking equipment used.
• Layout and shape of the kitchen.
• Number of staff working in the kitchen
• Energy efficiency.
• Need for easy cleaning and maintenance.

Windows

Open windows are the simplest form of ventilation, however, they cause the loss of heat, creates droughts which carry grease laden steam and odours to other parts of the house. Louvre windows provide good and better ventilation as compared to ordinary windows and can be opened at various angles without creating excessive droughts.

Cooker hoods

A cooker hood is basically a fan enclosed in a canopy installed directly above the stove. It is designed to remove odours, heat and steam that can develop when cooking. The air that is removed is released outside the home, but some cooker hoods have a

filtration system that will clean and recirculate the air back into the kitchen. Cooker hoods help create a clean and comfortable environment by reducing the effects of unpleasant odours and stuffiness. It also provides light over the cooking area. Cooker hood suck away excess heat produced by stoves through the vent which helps to keep the kitchen cool. It also keeps the air clean by removing toxic pollutants and gases from the air in the kitchen.

Lighting

Cooker hood above the cooking area

Adequate lighting makes working in the kitchen safe and comfortable. Kitchen windows must be large enough to provide daylight. More light can be provided in the kitchen by making use of glass walls and glass doors. Narrow windows tucked between cabinets and shelves also bring natural light.

Artificial light must be well placed to give enough light over all main working areas. Work surface lighting must be by strip lights fixed underside of wall cupboards or shelves above the work surfaces. Lights on cooker hoods provide light over the cooker. Dining areas may be lit by low-hung pedant fittings or cylindrical 'down light' mounted on ceilings.

Make use of fluorescent lighting because it provides bright and direct lights. These are available in the form of tubes, which are fitted close to the ceiling. Led light are best as they are economical on energy. If ordinary bulbs are used, they should be at least 100 watts and can be fitted with a glass globe cover that does not shade any light. Glass walls also provide plenty of day light in the kitchen.

Colour schemes

Kitchen with glass walls

A colour scheme is a logical combination of colours on the colour wheel. Colour has a dramatic effect on the look and feel of the kitchen, and its ability to influence one's mood. Although kitchen colour schemes are a matter of personal taste, colour scheme chosen should provide a light, cheerful background. The following points must be taken into consideration when choosing a kitchen colour scheme;

• If the kitchen receives a lot of sunlight, a bright white colour scheme may end up being hard on eyes so mix up with warm neutral colours like grey, beige, black, ivory or taupe.
• Choose a colour scheme you will love now and in years to come.
• Kitchen colour scheme should tone well with the rest of the house.
• Consider the effect of colours and then choose the ones that help achieve the desired effect. Warm, intense and light colours make the kitchen appear bigger and they brighten the kitchen. Reds, oranges and yellows, tans and browns are examples of warm colours.
• Cool subdued and dark colours make the kitchen appear smaller. Cool colours include blues, greens, grey, white and violets.
• Colour combinations can be varied among the floor, cabinetry, equipment, counter tops, lighting and ventilations fixtures.
• Blues and  greys;  these  colours  are  timeless  and  have  been  around  for generations.

Colour schemes that can be used in the kitchen include the monochromatic colour scheme, analogous colour scheme and complementary or contrast colour scheme.

Monochromatic colour scheme

Monochromatic colour scheme is very modern for any space. It refers to a colour scheme based on variations of a single colour by altering the saturation and brightness of the base colour. Let's assume that blue is chosen as the main colour to be used in a kitchen. By adding black to the colour a darker shade of blue is created. If white is added  to  a  lighter  blue  tint  is  created. Any  colour  can  be  used  to  create  the monochromatic colour scheme. In simple terms monochromatic colour scheme is when two or more shades or tints of one colour are used, for example light blue and dark blue can be used in the kitchen.

Complementary or contrasting colour schemes

Colours opposite each other on the colour wheel are considered complementary or contrasting. For example, blue–orange, yellow–purple violet, red–green are contrasting colours. These colour combinations create a vibrant look. However, care must be taken to avoid over use of the contrasting colours as this may result in a messy or jarring effect.

Analogous colour schemes

Analogous means a grouping of three colours together that sit beside each other on the colour wheel. Analogous uses colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel. They usually match well and create serene and comfortable designs. Analogous colour schemes are often found in nature and are interesting, harmonious and pleasing to the eye.

When deciding on the colour scheme of this genre first choose your main mother colour and then choose two or three even colours on either sides of it for example:

-     red, red-orange and red-violet.

-     Yellow, yellow-orange and orange.

-     Green, green blue, blue.