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Show WOMAN'S WORLD Kitchen Should Be Functional; May Be Decorative New Dinnerware By Ertta Haley RANDMOTHER'S kitchen with ' its cheerful, homey atmosphere, ' its genuine liveability and roomy i space for family dining is not so I much a thing of the past as one (might imagine. These features are being incorporated into many of the new kitchens now being built. Most of us have seen the era when the kitchen was a place for 'the chores of getting meals together, and not too adequately at that! Then jCame the streamlining phase when kitchens shrunk in size as time and jlabor saving devices wer installed. jNow the cycle is about to complete (itself, for the kitchen is going to be' the center of some family activity j again, say the experts who have studied trends. The fact that the term "decorating" "decorat-ing" is being applied more and more to kitchens is highly indicative indica-tive of the trend. Kitchens are no longer streamlined rooms of white and shiny chrome. Fabrics, wallpapers wall-papers and plastics as well as the use of colorful tiles and different woods such as knotty pine are being be-ing used extensively in the newer kitchens. If you're planning on doing even minor remodeling of this, which is called the most important room in the house, keep in mind the trend, as new treatments may have a def-jinite def-jinite bearing on other work done in the kitchen at a future date. Efficiency is, of course, the first thing for which to strive in an out- en from there without walking? This space, according to experts should give a minimum width of 15 inches. Anyone who has stood over a range stirring, mixing and cooking knows that counter space is needed next to the range or within reach without stepping. This space counter width should be a minimum of 24 inches. Mixing and food preparation centers cen-ters need at least a 36 inch width top. This allows for enough places to stand ingredients to be used, as well as for equipment and for actual ac-tual working. When the above widths are used, especially when the top is provided by a cabinet, there is usually sufficient suffi-cient storage space beneath the top to hold most of the necessary equipment equip-ment for the activity required. Arrangement of Kitchen Should Be Sensible There is much controversy on just exactly how kitchens should be arranged, ar-ranged, but time and motion studies do reveal that a right-handed person per-son works from right to left. A good way is to place refrigerator at the right of the kitchen and adjacent to it, the food preparation area. This is then followed by the sink, the range and the serving area. Dinnerware may be stored either in the sink or dining area, but if possible, it should be easily accessible accessi-ble to both. Single isolated units, those which don't follow in the sequence, are satisfactory if they are complete. Otherwise, one sees how many steps may be used to bring items to an isolated unit. It is more important to have each unit complete in itself than to have a sequence of the work centers. Choice of Decoration Varies Widely There is so much available in wall, floor and fabric coverings that one may decorate one's kitchen to her own taste. However, since so much variety is available, the choice is sometimes difficult to make! Kitchens should be in keeping with the type of home you have, so that the whole house shows a unity of theme. Some of the newest trends in kitchen wall covering show the use of wood paneling, real brick and real stonework. All of these coverings are practical practi-cal because they don't show soil readily. Heavy finishes are frowned upon since they require lots of care and upkeep. It's smarter, too, to keep as much of the natural finish as all the coverings are lovely. When using pattern in a kitchen, select the pattern first as colors to be used with it depend upon those in the pattern. Give Kitchens Some Refreshing Touches Some of the most casual details seen in kitchens are the result of careful and painstaking planning. For example, there was the kitchen which took its color theme from a set of antique china with an amethyst ame-thyst pattern. Soft blue walls, eggplant egg-plant linoleum and violet toile wallpaper wall-paper was used, and everyone exclaimed, ex-claimed, "The kitchen matches your grandmother's china!" The new trend for plants in the kitchen is to mass them in one location loca-tion rather than have them in small separate units. Place these near a snack bar, for examrle and get the full effect. Golden poppies and bine lupines lu-pines are featured on this New California earthenware pattern wreathing so effectively on a modern coupe-shape plate. The coupe plate has slightly curving edges instead of the conventional convention-al rim, thus making a roomier plate. A bold-pattern such as this is displayed best on plain background like gray linen. Candles Can-dles are firmly held with florist's flo-rist's clay and fruit is gently arranged ar-ranged around them for an attractive at-tractive centerpiece. In changing the kitchen to eliminate elimi-nate these faults, the plan is plain. Another feature is that certain work areas like mixing, cooking and washing dishes should have sufficient suffi-cient space in their various areas to hold ample equipment for their various activities so that steps may be saved and energy conserved. Equipment should be chosen with an eye to what is needed in each family. A large family with many having meals at home will naturally natural-ly need a range with more burners than a smaller family. Counter Space Is Essential Anyone who has ever done a minimum amount of work in a kitchen kitch-en will realize the necessity of having hav-ing counter or table space adjacent to the major appliances. When the rat HOT). Give kitchen homelike charm ... dated kitchen, but streamlining with an eye toward appealing colors and arrangements is an important part of the whole goal. Correct Outstanding Faults in Remodeling Detailed analyses have been made on many older homes with special studies of the kitchen. These have resulted in a general impression which has a great deal of firm foundation: foun-dation: that older kitchens in general gen-eral are poorly planned. Poor arrangement is one of the first and foremost faults. The others include insufficient counter space, storage space, inconveniently placed equipment, traffic through the various working areas, little window space, badly placed doors and too many doors. Another item which cannot be seen on house plans is a common one: upper cabinets are so high above base cabinets that the average aver-age woman can often reach only the first shelf and never more than two of them without resorting to a stool or a ladder. with new color and pattern. kitchen does not already have this, cabinets and table are readily available avail-able in assorted sizes to provide it. The refrigerator door, for example, exam-ple, should have a counter space on the side to which it opens, otherwise, other-wise, where would one put food tak- |