It’s a mistake to suppose that any room, however small and unpleasantly situated, is good enough’ for a kitchen. This is the room where housekeepers pass a great portion of their time, and it should be one of the brightest and most convenient rooms in the house ; for upon the results of no other office rely so seriously the health and comfort of the family as upon those involved in this ‘household workshop’.
Every kitchen should have windows on 2 sides of the room, and the sun should have free entrance through them ; the windows should open from the top to allow a total change of air, for light and unpolluted air are among the chief necessities to fulfillment in all departments of the household. Good drainage should additionally be provided, and the ventilation of the kitchen should be even more carefully attended to than that of a sleeping room. The ventilation of the kitchen should be so ample as to thoroughly remove all gases and odours, which, together with steam from boiling and other cooking processes, generally attack and render to some degree unhealthful each other portion of the house.
There should be ample space for tables, chairs, range, sink, and cupboards, yet the room should not be so large as to need too many steps. Undeniably a lot of the distaste for, and neglect of housework, so often deplored, arises from unpleasant environment. If the kitchen were light, airy, and clean, and the implements bright and clean, the work of compounding those articles of food which grace the table and satisfy the appetite will be a nice task.
It is desirable, from a sanitary perspective, which the kitchen floor is made impervious to moisture; therefore, concrete or tile floors are a lot better than wooden floors. Cleanliness is the great desideratum, and this may be best attained by having all woodwork in and about the kitchen coated with polish; substances which cause stain and grease spots, do not penetrate the wood when polished, and can be easily removed with a humid fabric.
The elements of beauty shouldn’t be low in the kitchen. Pictures and fancy articles are inappropriate; but one or two pots of easily cultivated flowers on the window ledge or organized upon brackets about the window in winter, and a window box organized as a jardiniere, with vines and blooming plants in summer, will greatly brighten the room, and therefore function to lighten the task of those whose daily labor confines them to the precincts of the kitchen.
The furniture for a kitchen shouldn’t becumbersome, and will be so made and dressed as to be easily cleaned. There should be lots of cupboards, and each for the sake of order, should be dedicated to a special purpose. Cupboards with sliding doors are much superior to closets. They need to be placed upon casters in order to be easily moved, as they, are thus not only more acceptable, but admit of cleanliness that is more thorough.
Cupboards used for the storage of food should be well ventilated; otherwise, they furnish choice conditions for the development of mold and germs. Portable cupboards might be ventilated by means of openings in the top, and doors covered with extremely fine wire gauze that will admit the air but keep out flies and dust.
For ordinary kitchen uses, tiny tables of appropriate height on easy-rolling casters, and with zinc tops, are the handiest and most easily kept clean. It is quite as well that they be made without drawers, which are too inclined to become receptacles for a heterogeneous mass of rubbish. If desirable to have some handy place for keeping articles that are often required for use, an arrangement like that represented in the attendant cut may be made at very small cost. It could be also an advantage to order tiny shelves about and above the range, on which may be kept various articles necessary for cooking purposes.
One of the most essential articles of furnishing for a well-appointed kitchen, is a sink; however , a sink must be correctly constructed and well cared for, or it is likely to become a source of significant danger to the condition of the inmates of the household. The sink should feasible stand proud of the wall, in order to permit free access to all sides of it for the sake of cleanliness. The pipes and fixtures should be selected and placed by a competent plumber.
Tags: kitchen chairs, kitchen cupboards, kitchen range, kitchen sink, kitchen tables