/6 min read
Specifying a Kitchen That Lasts
In short
A kitchen dates through its layout and its hardware rather than its colour, so the durable decisions are the working triangle, the storage heights and the extraction. The piece explains why ventilation and duct routing belong at structural stage rather than at fit-out, and why bespoke carpentry — a long-lead item measured in months — is the most common single cause of an otherwise well-run project missing its handover date.
In this article
Topics
- Interiors
- Process
Layout outlives finish
The distance between the sink, the hob and the fridge, and whether two people can work without colliding, is what determines whether a kitchen is used properly. Everything visible is easier to change later than any of that.
The long-lead problem
Bespoke carpentry has a manufacturing lead time measured in months. Specifying it late is the most common reason an otherwise well-run project misses its handover date.
Running carpentry through the group means it arrives on the same programme as the building works rather than eight weeks after them.
Ventilation is not an accessory
In this climate, and with the way most families here actually cook, extraction capacity and duct routing should be settled at structural stage. Retrofitting a proper duct run through a finished ceiling is miserable work.
Key takeaways
- Layout, ventilation and storage heights outlive every finish decision.
- Carpentry is long-lead. Late specification is the classic cause of a late handover.
- Settle duct routing at structural stage, not at fit-out.
On this site
First published in the KAPA Journal, written with KAPA Design Collective, the practice that designs and builds our residences.
Published by TMB Development at tmbdevelopment.com/journal/specifying-a-kitchen-that-lasts. Quoting a passage with a link back is welcome; republishing it is not — see the terms.
