Are Kitchens in Kolkata Different from Other Cities?

Ambarish Kumar Srivastava, Principal Architect, Planarch speaks about kitchen design in Kolkata for Bengalis and non-Bengalis

It is a well-known fact that kitchen design is heavily influenced by culture, food habits and the lifestyle of the user. But is it drastic enough to give a completely different outlook to kitchen design between different cities in India?

Are kitchens in Kolkata different from other cities?

Throwing light on this aspect, Ambarish Kumar Srivastava, Principal Architect, Planarch opines, “Having designed kitchens for Bengali as well as non-Bengali clients, I have noticed that the cooking systems remain the same. More than ethnicity, the differences are driven by the consumption of the food – vegetarian vs non-vegetarian. The size of the kitchen in the city varies from 80 sq ft to 200 sq ft. But irrespective of size, the pattern of Indian cooking is common for everyone. It’s not something like cuisine in Kolkata is very different from other parts of the country.”

Trends in the compact kitchen

A lot of modern-day family wants built-in appliances and modular kitchens. But the challenge is the space constraint. “The layout is generally an L-shaped or a parallel counter kitchen. Kitchens in Bungalows are relatively bigger as you can dedicate a larger area to the kitchen and can even incorporate an island in the kitchen. There you have some wriggle room but in these compact kitchens, you have to be very precise with the selection of appliances and materials. With all those gadgetries eating away the counter space, providing a dedicated prep zone becomes a challenge,” adds Srivastava.

[Edited Excerpts from a Round Table Discussion on ‘The Art of Kitchen Design: A Fusion of Culture, Cuisine & Lifestyle?’ held on November 4, 2022, at ITC Royal Bengal, Kolkata as part of Crompton presents Kitchens Unplugged powered by Kitchen Ideas]