Function and form with Häfele

WHY FUNCTION IS AS IMPORTANT AS FORM

Function is often overlooked by customers when planning their kitchen, but it is key to its long-term usability and longevity. Adeline Baker, Category Manager at Häfele UK, discusses how installers can support the process and help consumers make the most of every square metre.

While style and aesthetics will always be at the forefront when planning a kitchen, as anyone who has inherited a kitchen where there’s no room for tall glasses or the drawers aren’t deep enough for a ladle will tell you, function does matter.

In fact, when we asked people who had recently renovated their kitchen what they would do differently next time, 79% said functionality and usability would be a higher priority and 85% said they would be willing to spend more on their kitchen if it meant they would have extra storage.

'When we asked people who had recently renovated their kitchen what they would do differently next time, 79% said functionality and usability would be a higher priority and 85% said they would be willing to spend more on their kitchen if it meant they would have extra storage.'

Clever cabinetry

Installers can help consumers create a kitchen they will love long-term by supporting the design process and that all begins, especially if completely remodelling, with cabinetry selection.

More traditional cabinetry such as base and wall units are the natural go-to, but to really make the most of a space, installers should be presenting additional ideas such as larder-style units.

Before recommending a larder it’s important to think about the environment the storage is going into to ensure the user has the right system for their needs and will be able to access items within it as easily as possible.

Pull out larders, which bring a layered basket system out to the user from a cupboard, are great for slim gaps in between other cupboards. In a galley kitchen, however, these designs can cause a challenge due to a lack of space, so here a swing-out larder, which pulls a set of stacked drawers toward the homeowner, with the door of the larder swinging out to lean against the cupboard next to it, might be best to use instead.

For either system to perform at its best, installers need to consider the whole kitchen space and layout. For example, it isn’t recommended to put swing out systems which open to 160 degrees next to any appliances, in case they get damaged by the continuous opening of the door. This is especially true for items like fridges and ovens, which have protruding handles. Pull out larders, meanwhile, generally require more space directly in front of the unit. As well as the 500mm needed to bring the system out of the cupboard, you’ll also need to allow an additional 400mm-500mm to allow the homeowner to easily move around it. 

As well as helping customers maximise space with cabinetry layout, installers can assist further by recommending individual kitchen components that help to give those extra centimetres of functional space.

Installers should be looking for areas of dead space and be proposing solutions that make them usable and practical for the homeowner. Not many people remember the space above or below kitchen cabinets to create storage for instance, but it’s vital to do so to harness every bit of square footage.

To maximise head height cabinetry, for instance, the Häfele Free range includes a variety of hinge types, including electronic ones for real ease and function, alongside slimline fittings that eliminate the need for large cover caps to maximise storage space.

Alongside better-favoured wirework options for corners, installers can also recommend innovative products such as the Ninka Qanto. This handy device rises to give vertical storage and has a smooth ABS lifting mechanism. There’s also automatic LED lighting for the middle and lower trays as they rise and descend and the latest model can be used with an integrated worktop.

Think multifunctional

The requirements of a functional kitchen space are also evolving, largely driven by the rise in home working. Although, on the face of it, this trend seems to have little bearing on kitchen design, for many would-be office workers, kitchen and dining spaces have housed temporary desks for the past 22 months. In a Häfele UK survey of 2,000 consumers, we found that 31% of people said they regularly work at their dining table and one in ten use kitchen worktops for work.

When you then factor in that 40% of respondents plan to create a dedicated office space and one in five will reconfigure an existing room to achieve this setup, kitchens and dining rooms will likely be the spaces transformed into these new working from home areas.

Sliding and pocket door gear systems are the perfect way to create clever workspaces within kitchen and dining areas. Using sliding door or pocket door systems, installers can craft an office space in a kitchen/dining area that homeowners can open when they need it, but hide it away in bespoke cabinetry at 5.30 pm. Sliding and pocket door systems also have an added spacesaving bonus as they take up around 1270 mm less operating space per door versus a traditional hung door. 

Lighting has always been critical to the functional kitchen but as kitchens have become more multi-purpose, it has taken on even greater significance.

When we’re using our kitchen for a variety of reasons, whether cooking, entertaining or working at home, it’s essential to have a lighting scheme and complementary technology which can create the perfect conditions for every room, mood or activity.

While lighting alone illuminates a space, combining different lighting techniques – in a practice called layering – can help you achieve more for your customers. Accent lighting highlights specific features within a room for example, while spotlights focus the eyes on a specific area, highlighting interesting objects or acting as pathfinders. Task lighting, often in strip form, is ideal for food preparation areas, can be incorporated into drawers to make finding objects easier or if a kitchen is used as a home office, integrated into work areas too.

To help installers who are new to lighting design but keen to add it to their offer, Häfele provides a free Lighting Design Service. Simply submit plans to Häfele’s team of designers, who will, in turn, create bespoke lighting layouts on their behalf. This service can also be combined with Häfele to Order meaning installers will get bespoke cut LED lighting in line with their plan, which can then be assembled, packaged, labelled and delivered ready to site for easy and quick installation.

By working with product manufacturers and harnessing the power of their spacemaximising solutions, there are myriad ways for installers to add value to the consumer’s kitchen and create highly functional, usable spaces that truly make the most of every square metre.

www.hafele.co.uk