Green kitchens

New age living Futuristic, eco-friendly, bright, colourful and deliberated to meet a cleaner and a greener lifestyle is what world’s trendiest kitchens are all about, writes Simran Chhibber 

From compact kitchen designs to lavishly spread ones, from sleek aluminium kitchens to traditional rustic ones, there is something for everyone. Futuristic kitchens bring in a whole bunch of clutter-free and elegant design solutions. Cleverly designed kitchen storage with buttery smooth roll out drawers, effortless pull out cabinets and greasy finger touch slide in doors are a few options for keeping the kitchen stuff out of sight but close by. This high-tech cabinetry adorned with state-of-the-art hardware lends a chic look to the kitchen design.

LED sensor lights illuminate the plentiful neatly hidden storage space every time you open a cabinet. These long-lasting LEDs can be used as ‘accent’ lighting for floating kitchen shelves, for accentuating the translucency of glass countertops and backsplashes and can also be used as task lighting for drawers and dark nooks and corners.

Touch- and proximity-activated faucets, apart from being stylish and sassy, prove to be efficient, convenient, hygienic and do away with unnecessary water consumption. These are especially a brilliant alternative for people with agility and mobility concerns.

Stainless steel, marble and granite are the most popular choices when it comes to kitchen counters in modern homes. Also, with its great eco-friendly characteristics, an engineered quartz counter top comes in every imaginable colour and stands out for it tough, sturdy and non-porous qualities. Salvaged wood, bio-glass and bamboo are a few more eco-friendly alternatives that can be looked at if one wishes to go green without compromising on the smart and elegant look of the kitchen.

Be it the materials used to design a kitchen, the appliances that bedeck it or your general kitchen using habits, you can go green everywhere.

Using terrazzo, recycled glass or indigenous stone countertops and backsplashes can be an excellent option. For flooring, one may consider using bamboo or eucalyptus wood rather than using conventional hardwood like teak because something like teak would mature in double the time as compared to a bamboo or eucalyptus. Likewise, one may think about kitchen cabinets too. Bamboo is naturally water resistant, anti-bacterial, and a highly durable material and eucalyptus too is highly renewable, durable and an affordable option.

With rising awareness about greener living options, householders are looking at appliances that are eco-friendly, efficient and use lesser electricity and water. Going in for a star rated electrical appliance is definitely a decision you will not regret. Magnetic induction cook tops score as many points on energy efficiency as traditional gas cooking. Some good habits such as unplugging appliances like microwaves and kettles, covering pots and pans while heating and cooking, avoiding unnecessary opening of fridge and microwave doors can bring down the electrical bills substantially.

Some minor lifestyle changes like using cloth towels and cleaning cloths instead of paper towels, going in for organic food and produce, replacing plastic containers with glass jars or non-toxic containers and planting your own mini kitchen garden can be sure steps towards a greener way of living.