Kitchen Design Wellness Trends : According to LiLu
Kitchen Design Wellness Trends- According to LiLu
Cooking At Home is a Healthy Habit
A few weeks ago we wrote about the reason Wellness at Home Matters. We followed it up last week with Kitchen Design with Wellness in Mind. And now we are talking about current trends and new appliances can create a wellness kitchen design that is a step above. The kitchen is one of the rooms in your home that most impacts your wellness. It's where you can both nourish your body and connect with your family.
Quartzite Counter Tops
Quartzite is gaining popularity as a counter top material for several reasons. One is that it is a natural stone with the unique patterns, depth, sparkle and irregularities of stone. Using natural materials keeps us in touch with nature which is a goal of the biophilic trend we will talk more about. Being in touch with nature supports our wellness.
Quartzite is also a hard, dense material that is not water or acid soluble. The ease of maintenance means there is less stress associated with the upkeep of your home or worrying about being careful while you cook, which can definitely dampen the joy of cooking. It does need to be sealed once every couple of years. The sealing process is very simple. Like spraying a cleaner and using a cloth to spread it over the counter surface.
Quartzite has the beauty of marble and the low maintenance qualities of granite making it a top choice for many homeowners.
Gardening in Your Kitchen
Imagine having fresh herbs, micro greens, and lettuce always available in your home every single day. This new appliance, by Natufia, is focused on the wellness trend in your kitchen. It takes hydroponic technology being used in large scale farming operations and scales it down to the size of a small refrigerator. The watering and light systems are fully automated making it effortless gardening.
This appliance allows you to grow up to 64 plants at one time, including micro greens, lettuce, flowers and herbs. It can be operated remotely from your smart phone. Freshly harvested veggies and greens have more nutrients than food that has traveled a great distance to your home. In Minnesota, we have such a short growing season, I would love having this in our kitchen!
Glass Refrigerators
Studies have shown that people will consume the food that is most visible.
Think a bit of the psychology behind the layout at your local grocery store. Manufacturers pay extra to have their products on the shelf at eye level. Why? Because shoppers are more likely to grab the foods, they see easily without bending or searching. These products might be more expensive or have more additives but the simple convenience of being easy to see shapes many consumers behavior.
Use this same principal in your kitchen to support healthy habits. Keep the most healthful choices at eye level and visible where they are easily seen and easily grabbed.
This can take the simple form of the fruit bowl on the counter. Because of the wellness kitchen trend glass-front refrigerators in various price points are now available. You can control the temperature and humidity for optimal storage of fresh fruits and veggies via iPad, and they can be seen and chosen first by your family.
Steam Cooking
Steam cooking has gained popularity as the wellness trend has become a stronger focus for more of us. Steam cooking isn’t new. In fact, it’s one of the oldest forms of cooking and steam pits have been found that date to the Stone age in Japan. You might be most familiar with steaming vegetables using a saucepan and a steaming basket. But today there are appliances that allow you to steam much more than vegetables.
A steam oven is faster than conventional ovens. Food retains more nutrients when steamed and often has superior taste and texture. You can steam meat, fish, vegetables, rice, bread, pasta, really anything you can think of. Cookies and cakes may need to be finished in a conventional oven to get a golden color.
The part I liked best about a steam oven when I attended a demonstration was that you perfectly cook leftovers and they were moist and tasty. I predict that there would be less food waste in any home that added a steam oven.
14 March, 2020 at 7:01 am
So topical when we’re all stuck at home right now and trying to stay healthy.
Lots of good thing a to try now and be open to when we renovate. Thanks so much for great info!
14 March, 2020 at 7:42 am
Thank you for the great ideas. I’m not 100% sure how I feel about the glass refrigerator (and I totally get the reasoning behind it), I do love the idea of an indoor garden!
14 March, 2020 at 12:03 pm
You would have to keep your refrigerator organized which might mean it’s not a fit for everyone!
14 March, 2020 at 10:59 am
I LOVE the idea of a kitchen gardening appliance! What a tremendous boon that will be – I sincerely hope this is a trend that keeps its forward momentum. It has SO many benefits from both a sustainability and wellness standpoint!
14 March, 2020 at 11:04 am
Wonderful – and it’s so true for me that the food I see is what I eat which is why I never use the crisper drawers for veggies because I forget all about them.
14 March, 2020 at 11:18 am
Such great information, hank you for this timely article!
14 March, 2020 at 11:49 am
The glass front refrigerator for home is such a great idea. Not only making the food inside look more inviting, but it stops the standing there with the door open and closing it without taking anything.
14 March, 2020 at 12:02 pm
I hadn’t thought of the door open phenomena being solved! Great point
14 March, 2020 at 5:08 pm
Wow, I love the idea of an appliance to do hydroponic gardening!! Also steam cooking Great ideas!!
15 March, 2020 at 3:39 pm
Awesome post! I love the idea of the glass doors to see what healthy foods are there. My husband recently bought lettuce for salad, and then he kept forgetting about it.
15 March, 2020 at 4:02 pm
Wonderful post!! Love the Natufia kitchen gardening. Brilliant idea!! About to embark on a kitchen remodel, so your post and helpful suggestions are perfect timing!
27 March, 2021 at 3:02 pm
Gosh, I just love that quartzite countertop. I have my eye on that for my kitchen reno in my dream file, but the steam cooker looks worth considering too!