Industrial style kitchens
Functionality and design: a stainless-steel bond
Don't let the name fool you: an industrial kitchen is the furthest you can imagine from anonymity and standardisation. As long as it is correctly designed, it becomes an elegant, high-tech and very functional space, combining some characteristics of professional kitchens with personalised touches. This trend never seems to get old, since it has continued to be one of the main options since the '70s, when the United States landed in Europe.
The inspiration came directly from the old warehouses used for industrial production or for storage and it is often the chosen option for both fashionable restaurants and private homes, provided they have large spaces. But what are the essential components for an industrial kitchen? Walls with exposed brick and reclaimed wood surfaces, ventilation and lighting in steel or copper, concrete elements and large windows are just some of these. The important thing is to get an urban atmosphere that is also warm and welcoming.
1. Walls and floors
An industrial look provides for an extensive use of cement and exposed bricks, which add a little warmth in a space that is predominantly inhabited by metal. You can freely vary the colour palette, with care to balance the tones: the choice of neutral colours allows you to soften the environment and make it more elegant, while brighter colours, such as black, blue and rust, give an additional push in terms of originality and character. The floor must convey a feeling of solidity and strength: you can choose between large wooden planks or prefer a more rustic style, or even rough concrete to further emphasise the metropolitan effect. A recent trend is the inclusion of blackboard surfaces directly on the wall: practical and at the same time fun.
2. Great contrasts among materials
It is the fusion of different materials that makes an explicitly industrial kitchen. Metal has got to be the main player. Shelving, cabinets and hobs, but also hoods and - why not - metal stools or chairs, from stainless steel to cast iron. The new KitchenAid Black Steel collection is a softer alternative to traditional model. A brushed metal of the black stainless is together with chrome details and satin-textured handles making an elegant addition to any kitchen. You can match it with the naturalness of the wood, which immediately gives warmth to the whole environment. A large solid wood top, both for the workbench and the table, is most definitely the right choice. Woods such as cherry or walnut converse easily with an industrial kitchen, and their colour deepens as the years go by.
3. All exposed
A distinctive element of industrial kitchens is having crockery, utensils and various other equipment exposed. If you have space in fact, using open shelving is a great way to furnish the kitchen that could otherwise be too aseptic. Everything must be within reach in an industrial kitchen and above all tidiness has to reign: jars with salt, sugar and pasta, or spices, coffee and tea, without forgetting a stainless steel bar to hang all the necessary cookware. Of course, there have to be the classic taps used in the best restaurants around the world.
4. Old fashion lighting
Strictly suspended, predominantly very large. The choice of lighting for industrial kitchens is dictated mainly by the large space, but also by the style you want to recreate. The choice can therefore alternate between large metal chandeliers or the use of traditional Edison light bulbs kept in sight which perhaps today are a suitable halfway between old warehouses and a residential environment.
5. Large professional appliances
One of the advantages of the industrial style kitchen is being able to obtain a welcoming and stylish environment using components borrowed from the professional world: double door refrigerators, oven columns and other small and large specific appliances that allow you to improve your kitchen performance. This is the case of KitchenAid Chef Touch, a system that combines three different professional components (blast chiller, vacuum machine and steam oven) for a performance worthy of a restaurant. A large working surface allows adding another advanced system such as Chef Sign, which allows you to perform up to 5 different cooking methods with precision and safety.
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