5 Kitchen Design Ideas For The Tropics

The kitchen has become one of the main showpieces of a home. We always look for new kitchen design ideas to make our home pop for our guests and ourselves.

The days when kitchens were strictly utilitarian seem to have dwindled.

A large part of our décor budget goes towards the kitchen design to acquire the right countertops, backsplash tile and cabinet doors.

These important decisions need care and consideration, as they can make or break your kitchen design. It requires plenty of discussion with your designer, tile and countertop suppliers and not to mention countless hours of research on Pinterest.

However, before you get to that stage, you should consider if your kitchen design meets your functional requirements. The tropics come with a few peculiarities when designing a comfortable kitchen, but these general ideas are good for a kitchen anywhere.

I cook every day. Cooking has never been something that I enjoyed much. However, it is less of a joy now. This is because the kitchen in my house is deficient in many ways.

Your kitchen must be a joy to work in when preparing delicious meals and decadent baked goods.

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When considering various ideas for your new kitchen design, here are a few things to consider even before you get to the decision of granite vs quartz.

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1. Ample Natural Ventilation

Proper natural ventilation is a must in any well-designed tropical home. This is even more important in a kitchen since cooking and baking can generate a lot of heat.

My kitchen gets insanely hot when I cook. The awning windows do not offer nearly enough ventilation. It doesn’t help that one of the two windows is west facing with no sun shading. Therefore, when I am cooking dinner in the afternoon, the heat from the sun blazes through, forcing me to keep the curtain closed.

I am often forced to open the door. However, this can let flies in since it does not have an insect screen like the windows.

Ensure you allow for enough natural ventilation by providing adequate windows with large ventilation openings.

It is also not uncommon for a kitchen to have fewer or smaller windows. This is so we can maximize our wall cabinet storage. Though storage is critical, try to find a balance with ventilation opening ideas with your kitchen design.

Also, some kitchen appliances such as refrigerators, deep freezers and even slow cookers can generate considerable heat throughout the night.

It would be great if a vent for hot air to escape could be provided. This could be at the roof level or awning vents above the windows that always remain open. Jalousie windows would also be an excellent solution to provide adequate ventilation throughout the day.

2. High Ceilings

High ceilings can help to keep the hot air away from you when working in the kitchen.

Along with high ceilings, you should also consider incorporating the stack effect. You can do this by having vents near the ceiling for the hot air to escape. This prevents it from building up and finding its way down to where you are.

Louvres are also good in these types of situations since jalousies can stay open and provide protection from the rain.

In my kitchen, hot air rises to the low ceiling and stays there since there is nowhere for it to go.

It eventually escapes through the window or door, but it assists in creating a hot kitchen while cooking or baking.

3. Open Plan Design

An open plan layout is a popular feature in a modern, tropical home.

My house is not an open plan design. The kitchen is its own room, separated from the living and dining rooms. This assists with trapping the hot air in that space.

Photo: Grant Pitcher | Tinderwood by Metropole Architects

Open plan designs allow the hot air to spread over a larger area and eventually escape somewhere. This may create warmer rooms but will decrease the sauna effect in the kitchen.

4. Big, But Not Too Big

We often think that the bigger, the better. A large kitchen means you will have a ton of storage and counter space.

Having lots of counter space is great for prepping and making those eighteen dishes for Christmas dinner. However, you don’t always need that much counter space.

You do not want to have too little space either. Find the right amount for what will be comfortable for you. Twelve to fourteen feet of useable linear counter space will probably be more than enough.

Storage is also a major part of wanting a big kitchen. You want a lot of storage to accommodate various things like food, pots and utensils.

Vertical storage or walk-in-pantries may be a great way of super sizing your kitchen storage.

However, though it is great to have lots of counter space and storage, you do not want a kitchen that is so big that you need to take too many steps getting from one point to the other.

The kitchen at my house is small. There isn’t a lot of storage and even less counter space. However, the distance between the sink and the counter is almost six feet apart. Sure, it is only three steps, but making those three steps back and forth feels far, especially for a small kitchen.

I once read that a chef said that the ideal situation for cooking was to be able to access all they need while keeping one foot in the same spot on the floor. Perhaps this may be the other extreme for your kitchen but consider the travel distance when looking at kitchen design ideas. You will not want to make those extra steps in a warm or hot kitchen.

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5. Kitchen Garden

Though not a primary functional part of your kitchen, I think having a kitchen garden is a great addition to your tropical home. In the tropics, we can grow most plants and herbs all year.

I recently started a small kitchen garden. By no stretch of the imagination do I have a green thumb. However, I could successfully grow a few of the things I planted. Some, unfortunately, didn’t make it.

It is so gratifying each time I step out of my kitchen door into the garden to cut the few sprigs of rosemary, marjoram and green onions to add to the day’s meal.

It does not need to be a large area. Just enough space for a few pots that receive plenty of sunlight. It should be easily accessible from your kitchen as well.

Once you get past the issues of competing with pests, it can be rewarding. I would recommend it to anyone.

Conclusion

The kitchen is a special part of any home. It can sometimes be the design décor centrepiece of the house. However, when exploring your kitchen design ideas, ensure it fits your needs and comfort. Creating a cool kitchen is critical when building a house in the tropics.

Kitchens can get extremely hot so provide an opportunity for ample natural ventilation. Have high ceilings where possible and avenues for hot air to escape.

Open plans generally are good for your tropical home and allow air to flow through and out of your kitchen.

Provide plenty of counter space and storage. However, do not let it get too big that you must take too many steps just to move around.

Finally, consider access to a kitchen garden when planning your design. This can be a great additional touch to your cooking experience.

Create your kitchen to be a comfort in a hot, tropical climate and joy for you and your family.

Featured Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay