A guide to the modern kitchen in all its glory

From medieval open fires with metal cauldrons hanging above them to modern modular kitchens, our food preparation areas have evolved with time and the advancement of technology. 

And it is not only the heavy-duty appliances like chimneys, dishwashers or modern gas stoves that made the difference, designing a kitchen requires more than a series of equipment and appliances.  

We spoke to Architect Ador Yousuf, who said, "The modern modular kitchen follows a number of manufacturing logic. Earlier, the kitchen used to be the end of the project space. But now, sometimes living spaces are built around it." 

Architects and designers emphasise on the various flows and different work areas that a kitchen must incorporate to function properly.  

We visited the capital's kitchen accessories and appliances market to find out how it is performing and what kinds of products are available. 

According to the business owners, as consumers' buying capacities have improved with the emerging economy of the country, they are investing more into luxury products. 

Currently, there are eight to nine foreign companies, like- Haffle, Teka, Rijco, Media, Grohe, Bosch, Cotto and Nuomi - that have their products in the market. 

And for local companies - RAK, Tilottoma, Akij, Square, Grandeur - these are the popular ones, but mainly for kitchen fittings. 

Although these stores sell cabinets, people still prefer to custom make them, as the business owners informed us.  

Modern modular kitchen and its components

The term 'modular' defines the layout of the kitchen that is based on the cabinet modules. 

Modular kitchens are practical and have become popular in the cosmopolitan apartments. 

What is the difference between a modular kitchen and a traditional one? 

Farhan Kabir Rony, deputy manager of Tilottoma Bangla Group explained, "Modular kitchen is the future of kitchen designing as it is the most sustainable opinion." 

He added, "If you spend lakhs on a traditional kitchen where everything is fixed to the main structure, you can not move it. But with a modular kitchen, you can disintegrate the entire structure and move the parts around."

The area of a kitchen is divided into different modules based on functionality and use. 

Generally, a kitchen has five such parts: 1. The pantry area, for food storage and refrigeration, 2. Storage area for utensils and other appliances, 3. The sink area, for cleaning, 4. Preparation area, for cutting and other preparations and 5. The cooking area with stoves and ovens. 

How you design and curate these spaces depend on the area of your kitchen space. 

As Ador Yousuf said, there should be a triangular work area among the sink, preparation and cooking area as this is the most efficient way to move and work inside the space. 

And keeping that triangle in consideration, there are mostly three types of modular kitchens - I or linear-shaped, L-shaped and U-shaped. 

For a modular kitchen, you can find ready-made cabinets available in the market.  

Abdur Rashid has a kitchen accessories market in the capital's Banglamotor area. He informed us that these cabinet modules can be custom-made according to the height and width of the kitchen and the price is fixed per square inch. 

But brands like My kitchen by Tilottoma offer a full set of custom-made modular kitchens, which may cost between Tk4 lakh and Tk15 lakh. 

These kitchen sets mainly hold four units - top, base, middle and bottom units. 

The top section is for the storage of utensils and food. The base section incorporates the most important parts - burner or stove, sink and taps, the cutting and preparation area, etc. 

While the middle section has the hood or chimney and the dish racks, the bottom section has the oven, wastebasket and more storage. Apart from these, it also has tall units and drawers.  

As the base unit is the most used part of the kitchen, this part is made with water-proof elements like water-proof plywood, acrylic and granite boards. 

The burner or stove, hood or chimney and sink are the three basic things for a kitchen, which are also the most used ones. A stove or burner can cost from Tk8,000 to Tk1.5 lakh. 

Depending on the brand and quality, a sink may cost you between Tk1,000 and Tk20,000. For a hood or chimney, you may have to spend Tk15,000 to Tk25,000.