Many clients have pined for a variety of diverse work stations or zones within their new kitchen layouts that accommodate a particular culinary fetish. We are frequently asked to design situations for coffee, espresso, wine/mixed drinks, baking, sous vide…and, at an ever increasing clip, smoothies.
With more and more families seeking healthier, yet tasty, meal options that can be prepared quickly, smoothies have become an apropos solution for any daily meal. But is it worth dedicating a portion of the kitchen for it? Well, that is for each homeowner to determine, but many of our clients have found it to be a cleverly functional use of space!
Set up properly, all family members can create smoothie mayhem within a contained footprint, making cleanup a breeze. With a smart layout one can create a blended drink masterpiece involving protein powders, ice, frozen berries, nuts, dates, water, milk, yogurt, seeds, bananas & other fruits…along with cups, containers, spatulas, spoons, sink, blender, sponges/paper towels, knives, trash can and whatever else strikes the fancy of a smoothie-maniac…all in one area of the kitchen! This means no feeling the need for a skateboard to get from the freezer to the blender to the refrigerator to the sink to the blender to the pantry back to the blender to the smoothie cups to the sink to the compost container back to the sink and then the pantry to put stuff away…leaving a spectacular messy trail of carnage to deal with.
Typical elements of a stellar smoothie station?
- Refrigerator & Freezer – For fruits, frozen items, yogurt, milks, etc. There are many formats of under-counter options here. A compact and attractive appliance choice is a double or single refrigerator/freezer drawer. These drawers can have cabinet fronts to blend in and generally come in various widths between 24” and 36”. If the station is near the main refrigerator/freezer then that may be sufficient.
- Appliance Garage – where the blender and other counter appliances rest atop the counter, plugged in, but behind a cabinet door. Need to assure there are at least two outlets in the wall in the rear of the garage.
- Sink – Usually prep sink size (18×18) rather than much smaller bar sinks. The prep sink is large enough for washing the blender jar and rinsing other items without getting water everywhere! Also works great when one has helpers in the kitchen that need access to water…making a salad, cleaning a chicken, etc. However, his area doesn’t necessarily need its own sink…just having a sink nearby can do the trick.
- Cabinet drawers (combo of shallow and deep) for blending accoutrements, knives, scissors, spatulas, spoons, dates, seeds, protein powders, etc. Can also handle bananas, smoothie containers and even breads and cereals, if one wishes to make this section a full breakfast station.
- Open Shelving/Closed Upper Cabinets – Housing smoothie containers, dish ware, cups, vitamins, protein powders, cereals, dates, small additives (such as stevia or vitamin C powder), nots, etc. Also, hooks for bananas can be attached to the underside of shelving and cabinetry.
- Trash/Compost – Small double or single bin pull-out in base cabinets. Can also design to be near main kitchen trash/recycle pull-outs.
- Good access to sponges, dish towels, paper towels and soaps.
- NATURAL LIGHT! This is critical! Most often it is far more beneficial to have a window in this area with less upper storage. To draw people in for daily use it needs to appear and feel like an oasis! If it is void of natural light then it WILL become a dead zone.
Smoothie (and other type) stations can even have differing colors, finishes, tile, counter top and cabinet style for visual interest even when connected to, or within, the kitchen proper.
Can a smoothie station also double as a coffee bar and triple as a breakfast buffet? Absolutely! It is imperative to determine the special culinary activities homeowners naturally do, and would do if a space allowed for it. The details are important…what are the elements of each activity that need storage as well as space to utilize?
So how does all this get fitfully placed, highly functional and aesthetically pleasing, within a petite footprint, and yet also maintain a copacetic relationship with adjacent work zones? AHA! That is where we come in!
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