Any good kitchen designer worth their salt
will probably have studied the subject at design school. It’s an art as well as
a technical achievement to create the very best kitchen.
This applies to domestic as well as
commercial installations and in both cases, experience counts. A badly designed
kitchen that doesn’t flow can be difficult to work in and with many
temperamental professional chefs this will be a big problem.
An essential part these days of becoming a
professional kitchen or bathroom designer involves a high level of being versed
in CAD. Very precise fitting is particularly important in a commercial kitchen
where it is essential to ensure an easy clean environment.
To study restaurant kitchen design involves an
ability to first sketch an appropriate layout of all equipment for a designated
area. This is then repeated on CAD software in a 2D and 3D perspective.
An appreciation of good lighting is also an
important part of any design. All work surfaces should be well lit and this
doesn’t work if a worker in the prep area has a light behind casting shadows on
the work top.
Many restaurants are open at night and even
in the day there is often very little daylight in most kitchens. This is
because they are usually tucked away out of the sight of the diner.
The amount of equipment in a commercial
kitchen is far greater than in a domestic one. And because of the heavy use it
is always far more expensive compared with domestic appliances.
For this reason the equipment is often
leased and maintained by the supplier. It’s a depressing fact that a new
restaurant is one of the biggest new business failings possible. Around eighty
to ninety percent fail before two years are up.
It’s hard to balance the books with
something as unreliable as customer numbers. And cash flow is another problem
as it can take a couple of years before the owner can even think about taking a
salary.
But when it all comes successfully
together, it can be an extremely satisfying profession.
