A kitchen as a hub of activity

In the 8th episode of "Home idea with IKEA" it is all about a kitchen that is so much more than just a kitchen. In this centre of group apartments and workshop premises, kitchen is a place for eating and for cooking and also for celebrating together, socialising and at times learning new skills together. The one who invited IKEA team was Olga, who works with teaching the principles of healthy eating to the inhabitants.

The premises
The existing interior is purely practical which is not to say functional. There is a spacious kitchen unit but without an oven and a stove. Olga says that it has always been a make-do, food was prepared at somebody's apartment and brought back in the common space or recipes were used that do not require stove or oven.

Finding the right inspiration
To get going, IKEA Interior Designer Olga brings Olga from the centre to farmer's market to meet food blogger Anna Panna. Anna Panna was originally known for her baking talent but now she has taken a more holistic approach and tells her followers more about how to reduce the intake of sugar and how to ensure that the body gets all the vital nutrients. Together with both Olgas she explores the colourful world of fruit and vegetables.

Moodboard
After the inspirating meeting Olga is invited to IKEA to capture some of the inspiration in a moodboard. IKEA Designer suggests using different colours instead of just shades of one main colour. Olga's favourite colour green harmonises well with grey and wooden nuances. Accents can be chosen in metal, but kept moderate as most colour in kitchen is always brought by fruits, vegetables and other foods.

Everyday sustainability in kitchen
This kitchen unit has everything needed for everyday life, for spending time together and for learning. The mobile lightweight kitchen island can be put away in the corner when not needed and pulled out for workshops. Tables have wheels for easy combining and re-combining. Sustainability is becoming a vital part of our everyday lives and IKEA Designer has added some sustainable solutions to this kitchen. She reminds that one of the cornerstones of sustainability at home is recycling and recycling starts with sorting the waste. IVAR combinations are great for SORTERA bins that can be labelled to be used for different kinds of waste.
 

Setting the atmosphere
As this room tends to become a bit crowded when everybody comes in, the setup had to be light and airy so as not to play the main role. Designer Olga has solved this by keeping the lower part closed and adding some open shelves and decorations at the upper part. Cabinets are a great way to hide away things that create clutter, but open shelves are the best way to display something nice or to keep the most often used things close at hand.

This room is about being together and being together means being with quite a lot of people. Mobile tables on wheels are a great solution for coming together, but a lot of people means also a lot of things, so storage solutions are also something to think about. Here, IKEA Designer has used IVAR combinations that can be adjusted and personalised according to individual wishes. Open shelves, closed cabinets and a lot of space: the possibilities are endless!
 

"The lower part of this kitchen is made up by closed cabinets, but the upper part consists of open shelves and some rails with hooks. Open shelves create airy impression and some things that are used often can be put there for easy access. The absence of wall cabinets is also a possibility to use the wall for other purposes, e. g. some rails with hooks for storage or some pots with herbs."