By Pat Allin

The "farmhouse kitchen" concept has nothing to do with country style. In the farmhouse kitchen, kitchen work and family activity are integrated in one room. The idea is that you take care of yourself by cooking as well as by eating. It is the idea of the communal hearth and the family all gathered around the big kitchen table.

This is a very old concept, and we evolved from this type of kitchen to the totally separate kitchen and dining room, which had the effect of isolating the cook from the rest of the family. Cooking was considered a chore while eating was a pleasure. Cooking smells and messes needed to be kept out of the eating area.

Today's high construction costs have forced builders to come up with ways to keep the price of a house as low as possible. One way is to share space. Thus, the dining room became the dining "L", and then disappeared altogether into the "great room". The great room was promoted as a way for two-income families to turn meal preparation into a family social hour and is not very different from the original farmhouse kitchen concept.

While the isolated kitchen is now considered a serious inconvenience, the kitchen/family room combination is not for everyone. Many people are finding that the noise from the kids' favorite television show is not conducive to winding down for the adults. Who wants to fix a nice meal with all that distraction? Who can watch television with all the clatter of pots and pans? Whether you are planning a new home or remodeling an old one, think about your family's way of life.

If you believe that communal eating is a way of binding the family together and enjoy a lively atmosphere, consider a version of the farmhouse kitchen. Create an inviting atmosphere where everyone can be comfortable, eat leisurely, and feel together. Here are some ways to do this.

Make the kitchen bigger than usual-large enough to hold a big table and chairs. Choose warm colors and make the room bright and sunny by having windows on two sides of the room. Surround the walls with lots of shelves for collections of pots, dishes, bottles, or jars of jam. Put some soft chairs or a sofa nearby or build in seats with big cushions against one wall where people can relax after a meal or chat while preparation is going on.

If, on the other hand, you already have a great room and find there is too much togetherness, here are a few suggestions. Raise the counter between the food prep area and the dining area, or add upper cabinets to act as a screen to obscure the view of dirty dishes. Be sure not to come so close to the counter that you must bend down to talk to people on the other side.

Your idea for making the kitchen the heart of the home may be different, and that's okay, after you have considered all the options.

Published in The Monitor, Montrose, CO. Copyright © 2005 by Pat Allin