The modular way

Gone are the days when food was prepared only in the kitchen and guests had a gala time snacking and chatting away on the couch set up in the living room. Now, it is the kitchen that is garnering a lot of attention, as it has emerged from being a utilitarian space to a room to entertain and engage guests. And that’s precisely where modular kitchens come into the picture.

“These well-built customised kitchens are a treat for the eye and ideal for daily use. It is time-consuming to call a carpenter and keep a check on the quality of materials used for carpentry. With a modular kitchen in place, one just needs to select the configuration as per the available space of the kitchen and get a beautifully-designed imported kitchen within 12-15 weeks,” says Rana Pratap Singh, MD, Miele India.

Be it a smaller apartment or a villa, there is space for more in these customised kitchens. “Modular kitchen comes with a lot of discipline. There is maximum utilisation of space as every corner of the kitchen is made use of,” says AK Batra, director of Häcker, German-made modular kitchen in India.

The basic qualities that consumers look for in a modular kitchen are versatility and consistency. Payal Karumbiah, director, CC India (Veneta Cucine, Villa Veneta and Vesta), says, “People also look for modules that are easy to maintain. Modular kitchens are one-stop shop product since one doesn’t have to depend on a carpenter or a plumber to build a kitchen anymore. Labour reach is equally difficult as the sector is very unorganised. It is also easy for architects to design a product, as they are aware of what they are getting into.”

The cost of a built-in luxury kitchen ranges between ₹100,000 and ₹10,000,000. “In the modular space, you can’t really put a fixed price. The price point is driven by factors such as available space, models, the kind of materials that go into the making of the modular kitchen, what types of finish the customer opts for, etc. A combination of all this and other additional features contribute to the overall amount one spends on the modular kitchen,” adds Karumbiah.

A kitchen is not just about utensils and cooking appliances anymore, people are looking for something beyond that and are keen to show off the ultra modern accessories such as a barbeque grill or a Japanese Teppanyaki grill, wine conditioner and more. “Coffee machines and wine conditioners are in demand and they have moved to the living room connecting people to appliances,” says Singh. “Contemporary design is very much in demand now, which is a mix of modern and traditional aspects. These kitchens are designed keeping in mind the Indian consumer’s requirement. There are lot of requests from customers for broader storage systems so internal accessories become very important. Another thing that is trending is the dry kitchen and wet kitchen. Dry kitchen is where you store all your products and the latter is where all your cleaning and washing takes place,” explains Karumbiah.

With time constraints, there is a demand for built-in kitchens. People are seen spending more on bathrooms and kitchens, adding a touch of luxury in every possible manner, adds Singh. “With time, people want to graduate to the next level. It is not just the business-class, who are opting for high-end kitchens, but all those who are frequently travelling and are keen to save time and spend more are opting for customised kitchens,” says Singh.