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Dirty kitchen designs


Dirty Kitchen: The Ultimate Layout for Serious Home Chefs

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Open floor plans are becoming increasingly popular. They improve the traffic flow around a home’s living spaces, make it easier to entertain and socialize, and can help families feel a sense of togetherness, even when in separate rooms.

However, there are some drawbacks to having an open floor plan. Meal prep and cooking take place in the kitchen, and keeping all the associated messes hidden from guests is very difficult. Enter the dirty kitchen. Dirty kitchens keep the main kitchen clean and provide a separate space for cooking and food prep. While they aren’t for everyone, and may not be feasible to work into every existing floor plan, adding a dirty kitchen to a home may be the ideal solution for serious home chefs or individuals who entertain with a catering staff regularly.

RELATED: 7 Kitchen Layout Ideas to Consider Before You Renovate

What Is a Dirty Kitchen?

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A dirty kitchen is a secondary kitchen in a home that is used to cook, prepare catering and meals for guests, clean dishes, and more. Basically, the dirty kitchen takes over all the heavy-lifting tasks that can make a kitchen look cluttered or dirty. Having a dirty kitchen allows the home’s primary kitchen to stay neat, tidy, and in the ideal condition for entertaining guests.

Also known as a caterer’s kitchen, back kitchen, or scullery kitchen, a dirty kitchen includes all the major appliances found in the main kitchen, such as a refrigerator, stove, microwave, and dishwasher. It can also provide additional storage space for small appliances or specialized cooking equipment.

Dirty kitchens aren’t for everyone, though. Not all home floor plans offer enough space to accommodate a second kitchen, and many individuals don’t do the type of cooking or entertaining that would warrant the investment of money and space to such a cause. For home chefs or those who regularly entertain and want to show off a clean home and pristine modern kitchen, however, a dirty kitchen offers an ideal solution.

Uses for a Dirty Kitchen

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There are several dirty kitchen designs and layout options to consider. The ideal layout will vary based on how you plan to use the space. Below are several uses for a dirty kitchen.

Food Prep Space

One way to use your dirty kitchen is for preparing food. Whether you’re engaging in a week’s worth of meal prep for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners or chopping up lots of vegetables for a stew, a prep kitchen can provide you with ample space to complete tasks such as these while still keeping the main kitchen clean.

Entertaining With Caterers

Dirty kitchens are a welcome addition to homes that frequently hire caterers. They give the caterers a space to lay out and prepare the various courses that they will be serving to your guests. Without a dirty kitchen, the only alternative is to have the caterers work in the main kitchen, which can add chaos to the gathering and take away from the overall ambiance and image you’re trying to project.

Small Appliance and Cookware Storage

We all have so many cooking gadgets and small appliances these days that they can take over a kitchen. You’ll gain extra storage space when you add a dirty kitchen to your home that can be used to free up room in the primary kitchen. This can help keep your counters from looking cluttered with too many gadgets and tools. It could also provide you with more flexibility to use your cabinets to showcase china or glassware.

Keeping Odors Out of Living Spaces

Some foods give off strong odors as they’re cooking. Kitchen odors can migrate to nearby living spaces, such as the dining room or living room. This can put a damper on entertaining and cause people to feel less comfortable in your home. Using a dirty kitchen—which is often more removed from the main living areas of a home—can help minimize these cooking odors.

Cleaning Dishes

After enjoying a meal, whether with a few family members or a large group of guests, there is always a huge pile of dishes to clean. With a dirty kitchen, you don’t need to worry about an unsightly mess taking over your kitchen sink and kitchen counters. Rather, the mess can be moved out of sight and taken care of after the guests have left.

Building a Dirty Kitchen

Photo: istockphoto.com

As you plan your ideal prep kitchen layout, there are a number of features you’ll want to integrate into your design. Use the dirty kitchen ideas below to help ensure that your dirty kitchen functions as you desire.

RELATED: The Best Kitchen Design Software to Create Your Dream Kitchen

The dirty kitchen is the new trend for serious entertainers

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(Image credit: Blakes London)

Ever thought it would be great to have an ‘extra’ kitchen space where all the cooking takes place so your main kitchen stays clean and stylish? Essentially, that’s a 'dirty kitchen' – and, for anyone with enough space, it’s becoming a sought-after kitchen design element.

With our homes becoming a hub for everything from work to entertaining, a dirty kitchen – also known as a back kitchen – is designated for prep and actual cooking, so the main kitchen can be a stylish space to congregate and socialize. 

See: Kitchen ideas – decor and decorating ideas for all kitchens 

Many modern homes now have open-plan kitchen and living areas, so everybody gathers together in that area; having a dirty kitchen out back means guests or family members don't have to hover around the chopping board or dirty pots and pans.

And, if you're very serious about entertaining, a dirty kitchen is the perfect space for caterers to work their magic in private while guests enjoy a serene and seamless 'clean kitchen'.

What is the difference between a kitchen and a dirty kitchen? 

(Image credit: Martin Moore)

Annie Ebenston, Lead Designer, Blakes London , says: 'Blakes is seeing a trend for homes to feature not one kitchen but two: the first kitchen is a dirty kitchen and the second one a clean one. The dirty/clean kitchen is a kitchen split into two, where one kitchen is for cooking and for "dirt", and then the other one is for the family to hang around.

'The reason being most of the time is spent in the kitchen by some families. It is a common trend in South Africa and Australia to have a clean and dirty kitchen.'

(Image credit: Future/Paul Raeside)

'There are two important things to bear in mind when planning a back kitchen,' says Richard Moore, design director, Martin Moore .  'Firstly, the aim is to keep unnecessary clutter and mess out of the main kitchen/living zones and the other is that the space must be highly functional.   

'Designing for purpose is the key to both considerations. Work out exactly how you will use the room and what you will be storing in it and plan it all out from there, with a generous sink, room for must-have appliances and plenty of dedicated storage.  

'A combination of cupboards, deep and shallow drawers and open shelving is usually the best way to use every inch of available space.'

(Image credit: Future / Jonathan Gooch)

Top dirty kitchen design tip? 'Choosing furniture from the same collection for both the back kitchen and the main kitchen can help create an elegant, unified scheme whilst hand painted cabinetry can help add vibrancy, definition and character to the space,' he advises.

Ruth Doherty is an experienced digital writer and editor specializing in interiors, travel and lifestyle. With 20 years of writing for national sites under her belt, she’s worked for the likes of Livingetc.com, Standard, Ideal Home, Stylist and Marie Claire as well as Homes & Gardens.

The 10 dirtiest places in the kitchen that you never get your hands on

There is always someone in the kitchen. The center of attraction is a refrigerator, a cabinet with snacks, a hot kettle and just idle curiosity. It is because of this cross-country ability that dust and dirt most often accumulate in the kitchen. This is if you do not take into account regular cooking, temperature changes, humidity, food leftovers, splashes and other joys of life. And even if you clean every day, I bet there are places where a mop and a napkin have not been for at least a month? It's just that everyone always forgets about them.

1 Handles and touch pads

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Instagram @juloxyy

Every household appliance has a control panel and handles. This is a lot of small, inconvenient for cleaning protruding parts. Grease and dirt like to accumulate on them most often. Get a small brush or use a new toothbrush, remove plaque from this panel. Logically, if you do this right after you finish cooking, the job will be easier.

2 Sink

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Instagram @bintabuheh

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Even if you clean your sink once a day, it's not enough. You need to clean here every time after you have washed the dishes, cleaned the vegetables or poured out the old tea. Otherwise, you are threatened with an unpleasant smell, a horde of germs and just an unaesthetic appearance. In addition to the sink, clean and drain - good, you can do this less often.

3 Refrigerator

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Instagram @my_sweet_little_home

And this is not just about the outer surface. The handle and the area around it need regular cleaning, but there is something else that is often overlooked even by experienced housewives. This is the space inside the refrigerator. It is important to wash it often for several reasons. Vegetables keep best if not washed. Imagine how many bacteria and germs they bring inside the refrigerator. Yes, some of them will die in the cold, but the other part will remain and move to the rest of the containers and products that you store inside. That is why it is important not to save on storage containers and regularly wipe all surfaces.

4 Small household appliances

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Instagram @alessia_bonito_oliva

Due to their size, these items do not attract much attention and often remain unwashed. A blender handle, coffee maker bowl or juicer should be disassembled daily, cleaned and thoroughly dried after. If you leave moisture inside the device, pack it in a box in this form and put it in a box, then it is likely that an unpleasant smell will appear inside - it is left by bacteria and fungus.

5 Salt and pepper shaker

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Instagram @jamjustyna

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Rarely does anyone wash their hands when picking up a salt and pepper shaker to spice up a dish on the stove. Inside, too, there are plaque and pieces of adhering salt. If you want perfectly clean accessories, then wipe them with a damp cloth after each cooking and wash them regularly with warm water to remove spice residues.

6 Textile

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Instagram @cantinho.rj

In the kitchen, textiles suffer the most. It is logical to choose the least easily soiled and complex fabrics, but nevertheless, it is better to wash, for example, curtains, more often. Even a small spot is a reason to change the kit for a new one, because in the end, all these small and imperceptible at first glance spots spoil the overall impression of the interior.

7 Space between cabinets

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Instagram @hiermitmir

The eternal problem of all furniture that is not close to the wall is gaps. Dust accumulates in them, grease, dirt, some small debris settles. If you can’t move the cabinets, look in the store for a narrow, long brush that you can reach the very wall and clean out this gap. In extreme cases, you can put a rag on the handle of the mop and carry out wet cleaning like this.

8 Furniture fronts

Instagram @esti.em

Instagram @esti.em

Surprisingly, it is a fact: stains and streaks often remain on the facades. It would seem that this surface is always in sight, there is easy access to it. But, as you know, if you want to hide something, put it in a prominent place. For a long time, the view becomes blurred, and not the most obvious pollution on the facades of the kitchen merges with the interior. But your guests will definitely notice them. Therefore, wipe the facades as often as the countertop, even if you do not see frank dirt on them.

9 Interior and top surfaces of cabinets

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Another place where cleaning is rarely done is inside cabinets. Meanwhile, dust often accumulates there, crumbs and other food debris join it. All this is important to clean at least once a week. It's not just about aesthetics - it's more pleasant to store food and utensils in a clean closet. But there is another important nuance - among the crumbs and the remnants of sweets, flour bugs often start up, which spoil the food and generally bring a lot of trouble.

10 Hood

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The hood, especially if it is open, gives a lot of trouble to its owners. This is one of the dirtiest places in the kitchen after the stove. It's all about the location - grease and dirt from the stove are deposited on the grate and other surfaces of the hood. To keep it clean, try to clean it immediately after cooking, or arm yourself with a powerful grease remover.

Material prepared

Elena Perlova

For those who don't like cleaning: 6 kitchen hacks that will hide dirt

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03/26/2020

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Choosing matte finishes, dark grout and patterned tiles - these simple ways can really help make the kitchen visually cleaner, even if you haven't done any cleaning.

Designer: Irina Fakhrutdinova. Photo: Mikhail Stepanov

When creating a design project for a future kitchen, you can focus not only on your taste and fashion trends. A certain color scheme and competent selection of materials can reduce the frequency and time of cleaning. The following tips will help you enjoy a clean and well-maintained kitchen long after your renovation.

1 Say no to glossy surfaces

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Mirror coatings look spectacular, but only on pictures or shop windows. In reality, all splashes on them will be noticeable. In addition, they cannot be wiped with a damp cloth - stains will remain. After touching with your fingers, you will have to erase the prints. If your goal in life is not polishing glossy fronts in the kitchen, you should look at other options.

2 Make an apron from a large tile with a small pattern

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First of all, it is worth considering the space around the “dirty” cooking and washing areas. The best solution for an apron is to choose a large-format matte tile with a small pattern. A multi-colored pattern on a light background will help to mask various spots, and a rough surface will hide all kinds of splashes and stains. As for the size: the larger, the easier it is to wash.

3 Use dark grout

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Instagram @corner_kuhni

Light-colored grout becomes dirty over time, spots may appear on it. Dark colors will save you from such problems. When choosing a light tile, a contrasting grout will emphasize the design of the tile and give it volume.

4 Install the stone countertop

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White will show all spots, black will show endless dust. Ideally, choose a countertop with numerous splashes of dark and light colors. The best choice is materials under the stone. Dreaming of wood? Be prepared for meticulous care and cleaning after each use.

5 Free up your work surface with smart design and railings

The tabletop, on which nothing stands, is easy to wipe off dust and food residues, and there is no need to look for a place for kitchen utensils or cooking on it. Visually, the kitchen looks much cleaner. How to achieve this? First, you need to identify all the kitchen gadgets that you use at least once a week. And the second step is to find a place for them in your future headset, from where you can easily get the right thing and clean it up after use. So you free the surface from the toaster, kettle and other appliances.

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Instagram @mishekovna

Roof rails will help save space from small things. Choose from several hanging structures for them that will suit your needs. For example, drying for dishes or a stand for detergents. Use a variety of small containers for spices, oils and mug hooks. There are even special hanging flower pots for sale. Artificial or living - they will help create coziness in your kitchen.

6 Select a light hob

Pixabay

Regardless of the frequency of cooking, you have to wash the stove after almost every time. But if you're away on vacation, for the weekend, or you're having a cook crisis and haven't been to the stove for a while, should you clean it? If it is dark in color, the answer is yes. After all, dust accumulated on it during this period. And here the advantage is behind the light hobs. Dust is not so noticeable on them and stains are not visible after wet cleaning.

For some, the visual component is important, while for others, the practical one. Someone is ready to do the cleaning every day, and someone once a week is quite enough. Think first of all about your comfort and cook with pleasure.

Prepared by

Lyubov Dubinina

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