INTERIOR DESIGN MUSINGS: COMMENSALITY & CULTURE
‘we bake the bread, we break the bread, we share the bread’
No this is not a piece with religious undertones!
These musings one day will become part of a much larger piece of writing. But for today let’s talk about how the concept of commensality plays an integral part in the role of the interior, the design within this interior and especially the kitchen design and dining spaces.
Your home should reflect the people that live within it and the ones that bring life to the interior and the bones of the building. We like to view the home from a holistic point of view. Something that generates overall wellbeing for the people that live there.
An environment to create comfort you never want to leave, spaces crafted to match your lifestyle. Beautiful spaces that make your home your own haven, a place that provides food for your soul and beauty for the eyes.
So, where do you start?
Some of the first questions we ask a client when embarking on their kitchen designs are:
- what is your dream and vision of how the kitchen design will be used?
- how would you like your kitchen design to reflect the people that live here and use this space?
- how would you like your kitchen to grow over time as your needs vary and change?
We design for longevity, the investment you make in your kitchen design should last a lifetime.
Commensality: the practice of eating together.
One of the most important spaces within a home is the kitchen. The heart of the home, a phrase that’s been used repeatedly but is so true. It is within this space that many of our daily rituals take place;
- brewing coffee
- washing hands (we’ve done this A LOT over the last two years)
- doing homework around the dining table
- teaching kids to measure and bake, and to not chop their fingers off
- pouring wine and cracking beers
- clinking the cans and bottles into the recycling
- composting tea leaves
- rolling out pizza dough
- making the Sunday roast - peeling potatoes, stirring gravy
- chatting around the breakfast bar
- eating toast at the bench
- writing the shopping list
- getting out the playdough
- making a platter, I could go on and on…and on.
Kitchens are for everyone.
The kitchen is no longer viewed as a space where one person (the female
A good interior designer always asks questions of your lifestyle.
We get on board with your vision and ideas, and we ask you the questions you may not have asked yourself. What are the important things that impact the way you live in your space?
- living alone
- large and busy family
- family pets
- entertain often
- enjoy cooking, or
- freezer meals in the microwave
- coffee consumption
- do you need a wine fridge (yes!)
- how many ovens do you need
- composting and recycling
- eat at the dining table
- al fresco dining
- grow your own vegetables
- how often do you shop
- does your kitchen need to be a multifunctional space
- how would you like your kitchen to connect to the rest of your living spaces?
At the end of the day, what’s better than being at home with yourself or your people, the smell of coffee and hot cross buns, (or whatever floats your boat!) Being in a beautiful space, expertly crafted exactly how you imagined it. Splitting those buns, seeing the steam rise and lathering them in butter……...mmmmmmm.
