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European Kitchen History

Evolution of European Kitchen Design!

European Kitchen History

The History of European Kitchens!

The kitchens are an indispensable component of the home.

Today’s European Kitchens follow the “Less is More” principle!

The European Kitchens are designed to be sleek and minimalist in design. Their unique style represents everything with a tasteful combination of efficiency and spotless elegance.

But do you know that the history of its evolutions is more fascinating!

Yes! The European Kitchen styles that you find attractive and trending these days were not the same.

Historically, the kitchen spaces were not luxurious and eye captivating like today’s kitchen styles.

The ancient European Kitchen designs often displayed an unadorned yet straightforward style featuring a little hardware, flat surfaces, and unattractive appearances.

The ancient kitchen styles were not a place where people wanted to spend their time; instead, they were messy and dark spaces with a lot of noise and smell. They were prone to catch fine, uncomfortable, and not-so-appealing places.

Over the decade, European kitchen designs have experienced ample technological advancements.

Have you ever wondered why today’s kitchen designs look the way they do?

Let us get acquainted with the way events transpired to transform traditional European kitchen styles into luxurious European Kitchens.

A Kitchen Design is not only what it looks like or feels like!

An efficient kitchen design is how it works!!

Kitchen Development in Europe

From the Stone-Age to a Contemporary Kitchen

Ancient World – New Stone Age Kitchens Designs!

During the Stone Age, the kitchens were situated in the inner courtyards for joint use. The first evident structures of a kitchen were found back in 8350 BC. 

The stone age kitchens included simple clay furnaces, fireplaces, and clay pots. People used clay pots to cook the food, store food and other essential items in the kitchens. 

The Ancient World- Roman Empire Kitchens!

The Roman Empire European Kitchens were designed with a raised shelf, various kitchen utensils, built-in clay ovens, and pot racks for pans and pots.  

During the Roman Empire, affluent Romans had a well-furnished kitchen incorporated in the building, while the ordinary people had large public kitchens.  

Medieval Times- The Middle Ages Kitchens!

Medieval Times European Kitchens were designed dark and smoky, with no chimneys within the design. 

Instead of chimneys, there used to be a hole in the roof through which some smoke could escape as the kitchens were not affected by the architectural advancements.

Medieval times- Late Middle Ages Kitchens!

With the advancements in the Late Middle Ages, kitchen designs with chimneys came into the picture. The traditional stoves shifted from the center of the room to a wall, and kitchens were moved to a separate room.  

During the late Middle Ages, the kitchen and cooking areas were for the servants, and lower-class homes had no separate kitchens.  

Modern Era: The Advancement in the European Kitchen Style!

The Modern Era European Kitchen designs were a complete change of style. This modern era advancement included the Renaissance, Baroque, & Rococo styles blended well within the kitchen design. 

This era introduced the table stoves, separate space for ovens, washbasin, and exclusively manufactured kitchen furniture. In 1735, the wood-burning kitchen stove was developed.  

Modern Era: The 19th Century Kitchen Designs!

The 19th Century was a complete change for the European style kitchens where the kitchens became the focal point of civic life.  

During this phase, the cooking became more complex and scientifically innovative with various materials and individual cooking utensils for specific purposes.  

The most significant element in the 19th-century kitchens was the fire stove addition wherein big kitchen spaces separate areas were allocated for performing different activities in the room. 

The Early 1900s

The Early 1900s brought Ergonomics to the kitchen. One of the biggest milestones attained in kitchen designs came in 1920 was the introduction of small and efficient kitchens by Margarethe Schutte-Lihotzky.  

This small kitchen was crafted with the objective to reduce the time spent within the kitchen space by improving its layout where everything was within arm’s reach while making the design ergonomic and efficient.  

With a few technological advancements, the idea of a fitted kitchen was introduced during the 1930s and 1940s. In these fitted kitchens the fitted cabinetry and kitchen appliances helped create a beautiful yet functional kitchen design while making the workflow space easier to use.  

The 1960s and beyond

During the 1960s, societal changes impacted the kitchen style. This period brought a renewed interest in cooking with fetishizing utensils and entertainment. The kitchen space during this phase became the source of refining the culinary crafts, displaying the elegantly designed cookware and serving.  

And by the 1980s the idea of a completely open kitchen setup came into effect.  

And during the 1990s the oak kitchen cabinets, white kitchens, brass lighting fixtures, black granite worktops, hunter green paint, black and white tiles, and ivy wall designs came into trend.  

The kitchen décor varied greatly during this era but the L-shaped kitchen working area was the most common layout.  

The 21st Century: The Kitchens of today!

With the 21st century, the kitchens of today brought several trending changes in the European Kitchen designs.  

The kitchen spaces that were meant for cooking only were not restricted to cooking only. 

The kitchen spaces become the most valued room in the homes. The kitchens of today are a perfect blend of beauty and functioning.  

This era brought a lot of cool colors, cabinet space, beautiful kitchen worktops in various materials, and large islands. As an outcome, the kitchens of today are more streamlined, appliances seamlessly integrated into the walls and kitchen cabinet doors without handles.  

The Modern Era
European Style Kitchens of 20th Century

Rationalizations and Frankfurt Kitchen

During the rationalization phase, the kitchen work process optimization was the top priority. 

With the Taylorism ideas spilled over the domestic kitchen spaces, the Frankfurt kitchen was a great milestone in kitchen architecture. 

Purposefully, the Frankfurt Kitchen was constructed to fulfill the essential factors including the reduction in costs, upgrading the kitchen appliances to reduce the cooking time, and cutting down the building costs with decently equipped kitchens. 

Urbanizations and Industrialization

Urbanization has transformed European Kitchen Designs completely. 

The introduction of gas distribution pipes and construction of built water was done into homes during this phase. 

The use of appropriate electricity began within the kitchen and became an alternative to gas and started substituting the latter. The idea of an open and separate kitchen with a complete range of kitchen appliances came into existence. 

The 19th Century Kitchens

During the 19th century kitchens, there was a complete focus on kitchen planning. 

This appropriate planning phase played a major role in cost reduction through mass production and unit construction. 

The standardized measures were followed well by the appliance producers. 

Munich Kitchen

The Munich kitchen was first introduced during the 20th century and was first realized by Hanna Lov in Munich.  

During this kitchen design the workplace functionality, efficiency, and several other design factors were taken into consideration. 

This European Kitchen Design was correlative to Frankfurt Kitchen designed with perfect integration of traditional living space. 

Eurocucina
Current Kitchen Trends: 2012

Country House & Marble

Island

Curves

Minimal & White

Bi-Colour & Retro

Natural Shades & Wood

Trend Report
Current Kitchen Trends: 2013

Mediterranean

Architecture

Modern Country House

Stone/Granite

Handles

Design

Eurocucina
Current Kitchen Trends: 2014

Modular + Flexible

Space + Island

Compact + Cosmopolitan

Reduced

Revealing + Concealing

White & Pale

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