The best part of the home

Kitchens and appliances are the most used and best part of the home. We cook in the kitchen of course, but as any home chef will tell you, it is also where everyone wants to be.  And why not? This is where the action is. Banging pots, sizzling food, great aromas, cold beer and good conversation. It’s all taking place in the kitchen. The kitchen is also an area that most reflects the sum of man’s technological evolution at any given time. I understand that there have been more patents taken out for cooking tools than any other type of invention. And the kitchen

is where we put those gadgets to work for real and practical purposes. After all, if it can’t be used to improve our love life or make a better meal, what good is it? My client’s kitchen pictured above has just about everything anyone could ever want to make a better meal. Good lighting, huge preparation counters, appliance garages to hide the toasters in, natural light, huge cooktop and oven, wine cooler, refrigerator with glass doors and on and on. Why would anyone not want to plant themselves on one those bar stools and just hang out?

Categories

In order to more easily keep track of the things in your home, this manual defines the working equipment into three categories: Equipment, large appliances and small appliances or tools.

Equipment is built into the infrastructure and connected to it with ducting, piping and hard wired electricity. Specific examples are the hot water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, central vacuums, boilers, disposers, garage door openers, electrical panels and transformers.  Equipment works in the background to keep your home warm, comfortable and safe. But the homeowner does not interact with it on a regular basis except through switches and thermostats. Equipment has to work reliably but is not normally required to be a fashion statement for the home.

Large appliances are self-contained mechanical devices. We humans interact with all the time in order to get things cooked, cleaned or stored. Appliances are both seen and used. So they have become more and more user friendly, aesthetically pleasing and even fashion statements. Examples of appliances are, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, ovens, cooktops, dishwashers, ice makers, wine coolers and ranges. Appliances are used all the time and tend wear out faster than equipment. Since they are self contained, they can be readily unplugged and replaced.

Small appliances are the portable and hand tools of the house. Toasters, blenders, mixers, coffee makers etc.