Kitchen Evolution Through The Years
Kitchens, the heart of the home, but what is it we all want in the kitchen design of our dreams?
On average the size of the kitchen in newly built homes is 13.4 square meters; back in the sixties its was over 15 square meters. However when we update our homes, the room/space that gets extended the most is the kitchen area itself. Some 40% of all extensions are to the rear of the property and are single-storey. More often than not this includes increasing the floor area of the kitchen itself or by adding a dining area, play area for younger family members and now also trending is the home office space.
What Increases the Value Of A House
The single factor of increasing square footage to any property is pretty much guaranteed to raise the overall property price. Usually single story extensions involve the design of a new kitchen area along with more open plan living. Ensure that you spend time looking at designs and past work of the builders, of course if you have only a small garden this needs balancing. Even though people value and pay premiums for floor space people also like their outdoor space as well.
What People Buy For The Kitchens
We spend over a billion every quarter on major domestic appliances in the UK, mostly comprising of dishwashers, washing machines and tumble dryers. Now 98% of homes own a washing machine, but surprisingly only 58% households own a tumble dryer. It seems the other 42% prefer to dry their washing outside or on the radiators. The least owned large domestic appliance is the dishwasher with just under 50% of households owning one. The kitchen sink is still the preferred method for cleaning dirty dishes.
Large Kitchen Appliances
The dishwasher is still regarded as a little luxury, however other factors such as space in the kitchen is also a reason not to purchase one. Way back in 1994/95 only a mere 18% of households actually owned a dishwasher. They were first around in the 1950s and back then it was only the wealthy that could actually afford them.
Small Kitchen Appliances
We spend on average around 500 million pounds on small kitchen appliances in the UK a quarter (e.g toasters, coffee makers, food processors, and other table-top or counter-top electric goods). However, this sum soars to over 800 million pounds in the 4th quarter each year, all the extra spend is for small domestic appliances for Christmas gifts. Here’s your toaster, Merry Christmas!
Glassware and tableware, utensils consumption
It seems because of the recent Covid Lockdowns that the spend on these items have gone staggeringly high. The first quarter of 2020 we were spending just over 2 billion pounds on these items in the UK. It seems that we all have spent a little more on our home luxuries as we are spending so much time indoors.
If you are looking for a new kitchen design in Norwich or the surrounding areas in East Anglia, we would love you to consider us here at Newrooms! Here you can take a look at some of the beautiful kitchens we have designed and installed in the past.