If you’ve been here before, you know I am not a fan of interior design trends. If you’re new…you should know that I am not a fan of interior design trends! And we have another on our hands: the dirty kitchen trend. 

 

At first glance, dirty kitchens seem like a practical way to hide away messes from your dinner party guests and keep the main kitchen clean. But is this layout actually doing more harm than good? 

 

It’s time to reveal the dirty truth. 

 

What is the Dirty Kitchen Trend? 

The dirty kitchen is a smaller kitchen located off the main kitchen. It is tucked away and hidden from sight, allowing homeowners to make messes freely as they cook and stash dishes away during dinner parties. Essentially, the dirty kitchen is a room for prep while the guest kitchen is for hosting. The actual functions of the kitchen take place behind the scenes while the trophy kitchen is kept clean and staged for entertaining, so all can gather around the (surely oversized) island. 

The Messy Problem Dirty Kitchens Make

I would rather host a dinner party in my guest bathroom than a guest kitchen! While dirty kitchens appear to make entertaining easier, what they actually do is redirect our events to a utility room. Sure, the main kitchen is clean and spotless, but why would you want to make conversation between a sink and a toaster oven? Who wants to be reminded of the labor of cooking when you could sit at the table for a meal or share a bottle of wine on a chaise lounge? If you want a utilitarian experience, invite your guests to the dirty kitchen to start with, and at least have them help clean. 

 

Folks devote so much square footage to the labor of feeding ourselves. And then, they devote even more to ensure the kitchen appears unused. To me, it’s a shame and a missed opportunity to make better use of our homes.  

 

The “Closed Kitchen” Alternative

The dirty kitchen should be the only kitchen. It’s time we ended the cult of the utilitarian home, devoting all of our space to cooking, cleaning, and chores. Instead, we should focus on reinvigorating the luxurious parts of our homes — the living room, dining room, study, game room, and den. 

 

Luckily, there is a movement in support of the closed kitchen layout. While a dirty kitchen layout walls off one section of the kitchen, a closed kitchen plan walls off the entire thing. This allows for a more practical workspace in a smaller footprint, so you can make room for the areas of the home that matter.   

I’m happy to see folks are adding walls back to their homes in the name of better function and creating separate spaces for better living. After all, interior design affects our mood. I’d rather not worry about flinching when someone turns on the garbage disposal next to my reading chair! 

 

Benefits of Closed Kitchen Layouts

I have long been opposed to open-plan layouts in homes, especially when the kitchen is placed at the center of all the living spaces and can be seen from every vantage point. No one wants to be reminded of the dirty dishes in the sink after a fabulous dinner. My horror of all horrors is having to march to the sink and load the dishwasher while being mournfully watched by my guests. I shudder at the thought of it. 

Instead, I have the privilege of closing the bifold door to my kitchen and retiring to the living room for more conversation and fun — forgetting about any cleanup and leaving it for well after the festivities. All this is afforded by my home’s 70s closed-plan galley kitchen. It gives me permission to have a messy house, which is honestly a luxury.  

Reasons for the Shift Back to Closed Layouts

Here are just a few of the benefits of having a closed-plan galley kitchen like mine: 

 

Increased Function: Closed kitchens have walls not only to hide away mess but to provide more room for cabinetry and storage. 

 

Separate Spaces for Separate Tasks: There’s no reason to confine all of our interests and tasks to one room. Closed plans allow for distinct spaces to play and work. 

 

Permission to Be Messy: Closed kitchens contain the smells, spills, and sounds of cooking, allowing you to get the job done without disturbing the whole house. Plus, there’s no pressure to clean up because you can simply shut the door. 

 

Rejection of Utilitarian Theater: Folks are rejecting the idea of putting our household utilitarian spaces on display. It’s time to treat chores as a means to an end rather than the central pillar of home life. 

 

Embrace of Old-Fashioned Luxury: Closed-plan kitchens are a luxury, because they give you more space in your home to actually enjoy living. 

All in Favor of Closing the Kitchen?

I am clearly not a domestic goddess. I bake for the joy of it. I cook almost never. I clean and pick up only to the extent required to live comfortably. If given the opportunity, I’d order in every night. Or better yet, hire a chef and staff to handle all the labor of cooking and cleaning the kitchen. For now, my best alternative is to ignore the messes of the kitchen and focus on spending time with my guests around the dining room table, not the kitchen sink. 

 

I am not an expert in the kitchen. But I am an expert on how to live. And the best way to enjoy your home is to close the kitchen. After all, the elegance and comfort of a home are stolen when you can smell your leftovers for hours after dinner because the odors have been absorbed by the sofa upholstery.

Defined spaces for separate tasks and occasions used to be a luxury only for the rich. I say we take a page from their book and create libraries, sitting rooms, music rooms, dining rooms, and breakfast rooms — all walled off from the tiring chores contained in the kitchen. 

 

Having some of these separated spaces in my home gives my family opportunities to watch our shows, find a quiet place to read, and come together to talk about our days at the table. And I can enjoy these occasions even more by shutting the bifold door to my kitchen and forgetting about the mess for a while. It’s not going anywhere, so why obsess over it? 

 

At the end of the night, the kitchen is closed.