Comfy kitchens cook up interest in Jakarta

Comfy kitchens cook up interest in Jakarta

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Big changes appear to be underway in the rarefied world of
Indonesian kitchen design.

Gone are the dark days when the kitchen was a dim and
threatening dungeon where the sweating housemaid was virtually
chained to the stove and cockroaches ruled the roost.

Now, for the well-heeled Jakarta glitterati, at any rate, the
kitchen has become a place where guests and close friends mingle
for parties and other de rigueur social gatherings in the home.

"The market here follows the trends in interior design in
Europe and North America. First, they concentrate on the
bedrooms, followed by the living room, the bathroom and later the
kitchen," said Dennis Rahardja, a manager with Indonesia's sole
agent for three top-of-the-range kitchen appliance brands.

"The high-end market for kitchens in Indonesia is not as
strong as that for bathrooms at the moment. But the demand for
kitchens is growing healthily," he said.

He explained that in Europe and the United States the kitchen
had long been regarded as an important area in the house, and
people in Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand were following the
trend.

Dirk Lohmann, Southeast Asia brand manager for German kitchen
cabinet provider Nobilia, said that in Europe the "kitchen trend"
had become established some 10 years ago.

"We are not saying that people regard kitchens as being of the
same importance as the living room. That would be going too far,
although we would be really happy if it happened. But kitchens
are now no longer only for preparing food," Lohmann said.

No indeed! The kitchen is now the place where the family
gathers to eat simple meals like breakfast while chatting, or
bickering, in a more convivial atmosphere than that offered by a
formal dining area.

"While I was in the States, the kitchen was the area where we
gathered for parties involving friends. I could cook while my
friends sat around me, chatting," said Cynthia Hambali, the owner
of a shabu-shabu restaurant in Central Jakarta.

"I could participate in the conversation as the kitchen area
was not separate. Later after enjoying our meal, my friends could
do the dishes," she added slyly.

Cynthia said that some houses in the States even had computers
in the kitchen for recipes.

However, even those who do not like cooking, or getting their
hands even the slightest bit dirty, now also want to have a
comfortable kitchen.

"Here in Jakarta, some of my clients request a sophisticated
design for their kitchens at home but they, er, don't use them
often," admitted Rudy Dodo, an interior designer for Trivium
Design.

He said that the younger generation now preferred well-
designed open kitchens rather than separate or closed kitchens.
This was in marked contrast to the older generation.

Separately, Dennis said that many of the customers who came to
his showroom in the Jakarta Design Center in Central Jakarta
wanted their kitchens to be synchronized with the overall design
of the house, particularly in the case of open kitchens.

"It would be awkward if the design left the kitchen looking
austere while the other rooms looked grand," he said. He also
admitted that despite their apparent interest in kitchens, many
of his customers wouldn't set hand to stove if they were
starving.

Nevertheless, their new-found interest in kitchens means that
Jakarta's moneyed classes are often more than willing to shell
out hundreds of millions of rupiah for a well-designed ensemble.

For example, a set of high-quality but middle-end kitchen
cabinets will cost at least Rp 10 million per meter in length.

This does not include the necessary kitchen fittings and
appliances, like microwave, dishwasher, sink and stove.

"The most expensive brand of appliances is Gaggenau from
Germany. We haven't sought the franchise for this brand as their
prices are too high for the market here," Dennis said.

His company is the sole agent for the Franco-German firm, De
Dietrich, German firm Franke and French firm Brandt.

"De Dietrich is the most expensive of the three. The average
cost for a set of De Dietrich appliances can reach Rp 100
million, while a set of Franke appliances costs up to Rp 80
million and a Brandt, whose competitors are, for example, Bosch
and the high-end line from Ariston, can reach up to Rp 60
million," Dennis explained.

The habit of hiring live-in maids in Indonesia has created
welcome extra work for kitchen designers.

"People who have enough money usually make two kitchens -- one
is a dry kitchen for them and another is a wet kitchen for the
maids to work in," Dennis said.

"But, those with tighter budgets who can only afford one
kitchen, well, they can use it together with the maid. Such an
arrangement normally calls for some design modifications," he
said.

For example, the kitchen would usually be located near the
maid's room and would probably have two entrances -- one for the
family and another for the maid.

But whatever design people choose, relaxing in a comfortable
kitchen is definitely the way to go.