Open Kitchen Design for Indian Homes: What Works

Open kitchens are now standard in many new Bangalore apartments. Builders in Whitefield, Sarjapur Road and North Bangalore hand over 2 and 3 BHK flats with the kitchen opening straight onto the dining area, because it makes a compact flat feel larger and lets whoever is cooking stay part of the household.

The worry is always the same: Indian cooking. Tempering, deep frying and a pressure cooker going three times before breakfast produce smoke, smell and noise that a European-style open kitchen was never designed for.

An open kitchen can work very well in an Indian home. It needs a stronger chimney, a clear plan for storage and, in many homes, a way to close it off when needed. Here is how to plan one.

Fully open, semi-open or closable

A fully open kitchen has no wall or door between the kitchen and the dining or living area. It feels the most spacious and suits households that cook lightly or have a separate utility for heavy cooking.

A semi-open kitchen has a half wall, a breakfast counter or a glass panel that separates the cooking zone from the living area while keeping the view through. It is the most common choice in Indian homes because it contains splatter and some smell.

A closable kitchen has a sliding glass partition or folding door that stays open most of the day and closes when the tadka goes in or guests arrive. It gives the most flexibility and costs more.

If you cook Indian food every day, start with semi-open or closable. You can always leave a sliding partition open.

The chimney decides whether it works

An open kitchen needs a better chimney than a closed one, because smoke that escapes the hood spreads into the living room instead of staying in a closed room.

Choose a ducted chimney that vents outside, not a recirculating one. Recirculating models filter grease but not smell or heat.

For Indian cooking, look for a suction capacity of about 1,200 to 1,400 cubic metres per hour, and a hood at least as wide as the hob. Mount it 26 to 30 inches above the hob, and keep the duct short with few bends. Every bend reduces how well it pulls.

Run the chimney every time you cook, and for a few minutes after. It is the single habit that makes an open kitchen livable.

Wet and dry kitchens

Many Indian homes split the kitchen in two. The dry kitchen, open to the dining area, holds the fridge, the microwave, a coffee machine and the counter for light cooking and serving. The wet kitchen, closed off or in the utility area, holds the main hob, the sink for heavy washing and the grinder.

This works especially well in larger flats and independent houses where there is a utility space next to the kitchen. The open part stays clean and quiet, and the heavy cooking happens behind a door.

Breakfast counters and islands

A breakfast counter along the open side of the kitchen gives a place to eat quick meals, keeps children close while you cook and blocks the view of the hob from the sofa. Make it 12 to 18 inches deep for eating, at a height of 36 to 42 inches with bar stools.

A full island needs at least 3.5 feet of clear walkway on all sides, which most apartment kitchens cannot spare. A peninsula, a counter attached to one wall, gives most of the benefit in less space.

Storage and clutter

In an open kitchen, everything on the counter is on display. Plan more closed storage than you would for a closed kitchen: tall units for groceries, an appliance garage with a shutter for the toaster and mixer, and drawers rather than open shelves for daily items.

Keep open shelving to a short run for things you like to see, such as glass jars or a few plants.

Choose shutters and counters that work with the living room. A kitchen in the same wood tone as the TV unit, or in a colour drawn from the sofa, makes the space read as one room.

Noise, light and flooring

Mixers, grinders and pressure cookers are loud. A glass partition cuts the noise more than you might expect. Placing the mixer away from the open side helps too.

Lighting should switch separately in the kitchen and the dining area, so the kitchen can go dark when you sit down to eat.

Use one floor finish through the kitchen and dining area for an open look, but make sure it is easy to clean. Matte vitrified tiles with a light texture handle spills well.

What an open kitchen costs in Bangalore

The kitchen itself costs the same as any modular kitchen: about Rs 1,400 to Rs 2,000 per running foot with laminate shutters and Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,600 with acrylic or PU.

The open kitchen extras are where the budget changes. A breakfast counter costs about Rs 30,000 to Rs 80,000. A sliding glass partition with an aluminium frame costs about Rs 25,000 to Rs 70,000 depending on width and glass. A good ducted chimney costs Rs 15,000 to Rs 45,000. Converting a closed kitchen to an open one by removing a non-structural wall costs Rs 25,000 to Rs 60,000 including repairs to the floor and ceiling.