Rural Kitchen Design: A Case Study

Abstract

Kitchen is the heart of a house. Since major part of time is spent in kitchen compared to other areas in the house, it needs to be designed with utmost care. Attention needs to be paid to the type of kitchen, work areas in kitchen i.e., preparation area, sink and cooking area. Storage facilities, openings and ventilation must be adequate so that home maker can do cooking with less strain. With this background, the present study has been conducted through case study method to evaluate the kitchen design in rural areas. The study was conducted in Dabliguda, Maheswaram Mandal in Telangana state. Observations were made in 10 kitchens to understand the existing kitchen conditions. It was found that all the kitchens were placed in the right direction i.e., east. Kitchen sizes also met with the standard specifications as minimum size was 90 sq. ft. and maximum size being more than 150 sq. ft. against 45 sq. ft. as the standard size. But the drawbacks observed in the rural kitchens were lack of adequate ventilation, absence of work triangle as only two working spaces are provided in most of the kitchens and very deep storage shelves. The study implies that rural families need to be educated about importance of implementing design standards for better health, comfort, convenience and to improve work efficiency.