Is a Kitchen Designed for Wellness the Key to a Healthier You?
Rethinking our cooking and dining spaces can change the way we consume and connect, wellness design advocates say
Little changes in the kitchen can get your new year off to a healthier start. But for a more dramatic transformation — of your space and your lifestyle — some design pros are envisioning and working toward kitchens in the coming years that serve up wellness as their main course.
Start With a Natural Vibe
If a healthier overall lifestyle is the goal, setting up a space using sustainable, nontoxic materials and practices may be a logical first step. Experts recommend focusing on cabinetry, bonding agents, paint and other materials with few or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or other noxious chemicals; incorporating sufficient ventilation into the design for fresh air; and keeping other potential pollutants, such as chemical odors and even jarring sounds, to a minimum. Natural or recycled materials such as wood, stone and glass are often environmentally friendlier.
“With these basics taken care of, we can go on to create a kitchen space that welcomes us and is deeply nurturing,” says green architect Paula Baker-Laporte of EcoNest in Oregon.
Making these kinds of environmentally conscious choices has grown more common in recent years and will only get easier, pros say.
“When, 25 years ago, I first started to work with special-needs clients who had multiple chemical sensitivities, heathy cabinetry, counters, flooring, wall finishes, ventilation and appliances were all a special challenge because the general public and suppliers did not understand about the toxic aspects of common building products,” Baker-Laporte says. “Now it is much easier to design a kitchen for health, and there are some wonderful products that are readily available.”
Advocates advise homeowners and pros to do their research since some products and brands frame themselves as more eco-friendly than they actually are. A product may advertise using recycled material, for example, but leave out a disclaimer about the toxicity of bonding agents used, says Vera Iconica designer Blair Costello.
Find a green building home professional near you
If a healthier overall lifestyle is the goal, setting up a space using sustainable, nontoxic materials and practices may be a logical first step. Experts recommend focusing on cabinetry, bonding agents, paint and other materials with few or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or other noxious chemicals; incorporating sufficient ventilation into the design for fresh air; and keeping other potential pollutants, such as chemical odors and even jarring sounds, to a minimum. Natural or recycled materials such as wood, stone and glass are often environmentally friendlier.
“With these basics taken care of, we can go on to create a kitchen space that welcomes us and is deeply nurturing,” says green architect Paula Baker-Laporte of EcoNest in Oregon.
Making these kinds of environmentally conscious choices has grown more common in recent years and will only get easier, pros say.
“When, 25 years ago, I first started to work with special-needs clients who had multiple chemical sensitivities, heathy cabinetry, counters, flooring, wall finishes, ventilation and appliances were all a special challenge because the general public and suppliers did not understand about the toxic aspects of common building products,” Baker-Laporte says. “Now it is much easier to design a kitchen for health, and there are some wonderful products that are readily available.”
Advocates advise homeowners and pros to do their research since some products and brands frame themselves as more eco-friendly than they actually are. A product may advertise using recycled material, for example, but leave out a disclaimer about the toxicity of bonding agents used, says Vera Iconica designer Blair Costello.
Find a green building home professional near you
The Fresher, the Better
Conventional modern kitchens tend to be full of food wrapped in trash-clogging packaging, as well as excess food destined for the garbage. Kitchens designed for wellness would instead emphasize simple, fresh-grown and fresh-stored ingredients, whether they come from adjacent veggie gardens or indoor herb planters, that minimize waste.
This might mean a kitchen with easy access to an outdoor garden or climate-controlled storage cabinets, potentially with watering features, so food retains its nutrients and stays fresh. (The Vera Iconica team also strategically places windows and doors to connect kitchens with nature and natural light and boost homeowner moods.) Something like a built-in composter could put food waste to good use, while indoor plantings could add a dose of healthy oxygen to the kitchen air.
Shop for indoor herb gardens on Houzz
Conventional modern kitchens tend to be full of food wrapped in trash-clogging packaging, as well as excess food destined for the garbage. Kitchens designed for wellness would instead emphasize simple, fresh-grown and fresh-stored ingredients, whether they come from adjacent veggie gardens or indoor herb planters, that minimize waste.
This might mean a kitchen with easy access to an outdoor garden or climate-controlled storage cabinets, potentially with watering features, so food retains its nutrients and stays fresh. (The Vera Iconica team also strategically places windows and doors to connect kitchens with nature and natural light and boost homeowner moods.) Something like a built-in composter could put food waste to good use, while indoor plantings could add a dose of healthy oxygen to the kitchen air.
Shop for indoor herb gardens on Houzz
Embrace Minimalism
In keeping with the pared-down waste and consumption theme, Schreibeis Smith and others say that simplifying other aspects of the kitchen can further boost the room’s healthy impact on its users. Streamlining appliances or even sharing them with friends or family when needed can clear up counter space and encourage less complicated food prep. As delivery services offering premeasured fresh foods continue to grow and as other tasks become automated, pros anticipate that could also lead to less food being needlessly tossed. Even ridding the space of unnecessary noises can create a more calming, pleasant environment.
“Kitchens are often a source of noise pollution — loud dishwashers, refrigerator motors, sound-reflective surfaces, noisy sink basins,” Baker-Laporte says. “Paying attention to all of these, one can create a kitchen that is acoustically peaceful and where the main sounds are conversation and cooking food.”
In keeping with the pared-down waste and consumption theme, Schreibeis Smith and others say that simplifying other aspects of the kitchen can further boost the room’s healthy impact on its users. Streamlining appliances or even sharing them with friends or family when needed can clear up counter space and encourage less complicated food prep. As delivery services offering premeasured fresh foods continue to grow and as other tasks become automated, pros anticipate that could also lead to less food being needlessly tossed. Even ridding the space of unnecessary noises can create a more calming, pleasant environment.
“Kitchens are often a source of noise pollution — loud dishwashers, refrigerator motors, sound-reflective surfaces, noisy sink basins,” Baker-Laporte says. “Paying attention to all of these, one can create a kitchen that is acoustically peaceful and where the main sounds are conversation and cooking food.”
In Sight, in Mind
Part of the problem Schreibeis Smith and her team see with traditional kitchens is the way they can keep food hidden and often forgotten. Large, deep refrigerators and opaque cabinets allow (usually preserved) food to sit or go bad, untouched, for months or even years. Instead, wellness-minded kitchens would prioritize fresh food storage that is easily visible.
Part of the problem Schreibeis Smith and her team see with traditional kitchens is the way they can keep food hidden and often forgotten. Large, deep refrigerators and opaque cabinets allow (usually preserved) food to sit or go bad, untouched, for months or even years. Instead, wellness-minded kitchens would prioritize fresh food storage that is easily visible.
Those features might include open shelves, shallow glass-front fridges and cabinets, and bulk goods stored in glass containers and displayed where people can’t miss them.
“Incorporating convenient, beautiful ways to store and dispense bulk goods encourages people to eat more whole foods over highly processed, packaged foods, thereby reducing the amount of trash sent to landfills,” Schreibeis Smith says.
Style Your Open Shelving Like a Pro
“Incorporating convenient, beautiful ways to store and dispense bulk goods encourages people to eat more whole foods over highly processed, packaged foods, thereby reducing the amount of trash sent to landfills,” Schreibeis Smith says.
Style Your Open Shelving Like a Pro
Keep Things Social and Accessible
The kitchen’s role as the heart of the home is central to a wellness-centric approach. Design choices that play up the social aspects of cooking and dining are ideal. Roomy islands with plenty of seating, open-concept kitchens that flow into other living spaces, and multiple prep and cooking surfaces that allow for preparing meals together are thought to encourage a more communal experience in the kitchen. To take that shared experience an inclusive step further, pros like accessible designer Anne Kellett of California design firm A Kinder Space say that incorporating tenets of universal design ensures the space will be accommodating for more people longer.
“Wellness is enhanced when the users’ and cooks’ ages, heights and abilities are incorporated into the planning process,” Kellett says.
See more kitchen island inspiration photos
The kitchen’s role as the heart of the home is central to a wellness-centric approach. Design choices that play up the social aspects of cooking and dining are ideal. Roomy islands with plenty of seating, open-concept kitchens that flow into other living spaces, and multiple prep and cooking surfaces that allow for preparing meals together are thought to encourage a more communal experience in the kitchen. To take that shared experience an inclusive step further, pros like accessible designer Anne Kellett of California design firm A Kinder Space say that incorporating tenets of universal design ensures the space will be accommodating for more people longer.
“Wellness is enhanced when the users’ and cooks’ ages, heights and abilities are incorporated into the planning process,” Kellett says.
See more kitchen island inspiration photos
Planning should also take the homeowners’ lifestyle, as well as the changes they’ll realistically make to it, into account. A few crucial upgrades could make a big difference.
“Take time to imagine your ideal ritual in this space, one that inspires the lifestyle you aspire to live,” Schreibeis Smith says. “Leave it to your qualified design professional to employ their intuition and expertise to ensure the layout, functionality, amenities and aesthetics have been thoughtfully considered to empower your well-being.”
Tell us: How do you promote wellness into your kitchen? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments.
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“Take time to imagine your ideal ritual in this space, one that inspires the lifestyle you aspire to live,” Schreibeis Smith says. “Leave it to your qualified design professional to employ their intuition and expertise to ensure the layout, functionality, amenities and aesthetics have been thoughtfully considered to empower your well-being.”
Tell us: How do you promote wellness into your kitchen? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments.
More on Houzz
12 Ways to Set Up Your Kitchen for Healthy Eating
See more kitchen design ideas
Find a kitchen designer near you
Shop for kitchen products
“The layout of a kitchen and the details of how it functions can foster multigenerational engagement, improve the convenience of preparing nutrient-rich, dynamic dishes, and transform our relationship with food by affecting our purchasing, preparation and consumption habits,” Schreibeis Smith says.
As homeowners incorporate more kitchen features that reflect a commitment to eco-friendliness, health and wellness, Schreibeis Smith and others see holistic health-centric kitchens as the next big design movement. Here are a few elements for homeowners and the pros they work with to consider when rethinking their kitchens from a wellness perspective.