WELLNESS IN YOUR KITCHEN

How do you feel when you are in your Kitchen? Do you feel calm, relaxed and motivated? Or do you feel anxious, frustrated and maybe even depressed? The way our environment is designed (and maintained) directly effects our well-being, whether we realize it or not.

Before we get into this article I have a challenge for you. Try this experiment, if you feel anxious when you wake up or go-to bed, look around your bedroom and see if there is any clutter. If there is, take the time to clean it all up. Put the clothes away, dust off the dressers, make your bed (yes, even if you’re just about to lay in it for the night) and see how you feel. More importantly, see how you feel when you wake up to that uncluttered space. There is a ton of research that shows that our outer environment directly effects our inner wellness. Over stimulation is a huge factor in the growing numbers of people with anxiety and stress. Although a clean bedroom or a clean Kitchen won’t cure everything it will certainly help improve your personal wellness!
 
There are a number of ways to incorporate wellness into your Kitchen design.  Below we are going to share 5 things to consider when designing your Kitchen. Some of these items are more for new-build or renovation projects, but a couple can be retrofitted into your existing space. ​
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1. Open Shelving
We are seeing more and more open shelving in Kitchen plans these days. Although they look pretty in pictures on photo day, they aren’t always conducive to a relaxing environment. If you pay attention to the projects we post, you will notice that “trend” isn’t very visible in our personal client designs. The main reason is because we ask the appropriate questions to our clients to help them look past the initial design idea to really think about how that translates into actual practice for their day to day life. Usually, with a bit of conversation, the clients realize they don’t want to “keep the shelving perfect” and that they don’t want to increase the “clutter” in their Kitchen. That is a key aspect of Wellness Design in the Kitchen. The more visual stimuli there is in the space, the more anxiety and stress it creates. Sometimes without us even being aware of it. If you love the idea of open shelving and really want it in your design just be mindful about what you place on those shelves and how you place those items. Stacking, colour-blocking and “white space” will all play a role in reducing your anxiety level in the space.
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​2. Composting
Many of us know the importance of composting but we choose not to do it because of: the odor it creates, the fruit flies it attracts, the critters it invites, and not to mention the work involved in doing the entire process from scratch. However, none of that is an issue anymore as there are services and appliances that can eliminate the disadvantages and really “do the work for you”. 

​There are quite a few appliances available on the market that will recycle your food waste for you and make fertilizer that you can use out in your garden. There are versions that you build in to your cabinetry or appliances that sit on your counter. There are pros and cons of each type so discuss these with your Kitchen designer or Appliance specialist prior to purchasing.

If you want to outsource the work of the composting, look for local businesses that offer this service. For our Windsor and Essex- County friends you can contact Dane at Greener Bins and he will pick up your waste and return with fertilizer for you to use. It’s that easy. If that’s the route you want to take, consider incorporating a composting bin, similar to the one pictured above by Rev-A-Shelf into your Kitchen design. These are designed to eliminate the odor and the fruit flies in your kitchen. If this is something that is a lifestyle that you’ve incorporated into your daily habits, consider having a hole cut into your countertop above the composting bin, so you can scrape the waste right off of your countertop and directly into the bin. (We recommend you only do this if it’s already part of your lifestyle and not something you’re hoping to start doing.)
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3. Natural Materials and Colours
White kitchens are very popular and if done right are a timeless design choice. However, there has been a large shift away from the stark look of pure white kitchens toward incorporating more of the soothing colours of nature. There’s been a shift back to the natural look of wood in Kitchens and an increase in coloured cabinetry in hues pulled from nature such as greens, blues and earth tones. You’ll notice even in the “White Kitchens” we create for our clients, they incorporate these natural elements to calm the space. Whether that’s adding colour to part of the cabinetry or using earth tones in the backsplash and countertops, we are always mindful of how our clients will “feel” every day inside their Kitchen. 

Many clients come to us asking for an all-white kitchen like they see on Instagram or Pinterest but after looking at all of their options, few decide to actually go that route and are grateful once they are inside their Kitchens daily!
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4. Refrigeration
As more and more people are focusing on creating healthy lifestyles with their food choices, it makes sense that Kitchen design should be supporting these lifestyle changes. This is why the flex drawers with humidity control in certain refrigeration appliances is key. It’s just that, a flex drawer that can adapt to your changing needs. Another thing to consider, if the space in your kitchen allows, is to add refrigeration (and freezer) drawers to your cabinetry layout, similar to this unit pictured here by Jenn-Air. This is extremely useful if you tend to have an excess of fresh produce in your kitchen, as this allows you to store it closer to your sink (or prep sink) for easy access. Depending on the brand you choose, you could purchase drawers with a dual temp option so you could store produce in one drawer and fresh juice and drinks in the other drawer. The options are endless, but the key here is to keep healthy foods as easy to access as possible to help facilitate healthier eating lifestyles.

5. Outdoor Kitchens
Creating outdoor Kitchen spaces for both cooking and eating is growing in popularity, as grilling allows you to spend more time in the fresh outdoor air and helps you connect with nature which is a natural way of decreasing stress in the body. We will do a post in the future about ways to grill outside even “off-season” to really maximize that space and your exposure to the great outdoors.
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We hope you found this article useful and informative. If so, please share it with friends and family that you feel will benefit too. Next week we will share 5 more tips to help incorporate wellness into your Kitchen! Stay tuned!
In the meantime, make it a happy and healthy day! 
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