The evolution of kitchen appliances in an ageless environment

The “new” retirement would wisely be called “non-retirement,” a decades-long, active, involved life extension. The home will be the headquarters during this exciting stage of life, and the kitchen will be the command center. From non-traditional home styles to universal designs, the kitchen will be the first truly age-free space.

Kitchen-Centered Home

The retirement age is steadily falling and even people in their twenties and thirties anxiously contemplate their move into the phase of life that used to mean the end of everything that mattered. Not so in the 21st century; Retirement can bring new freedoms, lucrative ventures, broader horizons, personal fulfillment, and global connections—all while sitting at the kitchen table sipping morning coffee. Kitchens will continue to come in all shapes, sizes, and price ranges. They will always be loved as much for their flaws as for their charm and convenience. Housing styles and development patterns that isolate residents and create urban sprawl will be replaced by designs and plans that are environmentally sound and people-friendly. A trend will shift couples and single homeowners toward new compact, eco-friendly homes and away from energy-hungry monster houses. These reduced residences will not only be smaller, but smarter. For example, some homeowners may concentrate food production in the kitchen through hydroponic or soilless cultivation in glassed-in expanses that double as dining rooms. Kitchen-focused multi-unit housing will become more common with home-like variations including:

• grouped houses built around central patios that function as common areas for outdoor dining and vegetable gardens,
• co-housing communities that integrate separate family units with common areas for recreation and eating to strengthen community connections, and
• Mixed-style high-rise units with private living rooms radiating from central kitchens and living areas to offer affordable and stylish living.

Our first age free environments

Too often, thoughts about the future focus on how technology will change our lives, ignoring one important fact: we are going to change too. All aspects of life will be affected as the demographic revolution represented by nearly 10 million Baby Boomers moves through life. Kitchens will be our first age-free spaces as they transform into multi-use, multi-generational work and entertainment spaces where safety and functionality are paramount for users of all sizes, shapes and abilities. Children and grandchildren, parents and grandparents, able-bodied people, and people with disabilities should feel comfortable socializing, cooking, and eating at these activity centers. Age-Free environments have flexibility designed in. An emerging concept that will soon become commonplace, Universal Design emphasizes removing all barriers to functionality and enjoyment for all. These Age-Free features range from wide aisles, lever door handles and height-adjustable counters to ergonomic design with visual cues applied to everything from control knobs to furniture. All of which furnish a kitchen that allows the joy of cooking to be the focal point.

Voice-activated appliances with robotic features for repetitive tasks like cleaning and maintaining equipment will be among the future innovations that save time, effort, and money. Comfort will be ensured by advances in products and materials embedded in computer chips, such as chameleon-like wall surfaces that change color as required to suit mood and weather, and heated floors that recognize the walker and they automatically adjust the room temperature to suit that person’s pre-programmed preferences.

Room for improvement

Homeowners and renters will continue to strive to strike a personal balance between affordability and luxury in their homes. Not all families or communities will have access to the same levels of technology and design sophistication; there will still be room for improvement. Here are some enhancements that may be available to you:

• Grocery shopping will go from being a time-consuming physical task to an automatic electronic task. Appliances that continuously monitor freshness and inventory levels will automatically place orders with grocery stores and food distributors to ensure you never run out.
• Bulk ordering and cooperative arrangements for the purchase of food and other goods will reduce costs and support essential local infrastructure within subdivisions, condominium complexes and neighborhoods.
• Systems and equipment will have backup capacity to protect food during power outages and failures. Some kitchens may be designed to function as a safe, independent living environment in times of natural disasters, pandemics, or interruptions in municipal services.
• Your fridge, through its wireless connection to the health monitor you’ll be wearing, can keep track of calories, salt, or other health concerns for you and make suggestions or issue warnings when you open the door. Particularly outside of urban areas, online medical services will reinforce the connection between nutrition and wellness by using the kitchen as a health center. No aspect of the home and living will see as many changes as the multipurpose kitchen in the decades to come. Since the origins of the word “kitchen” relate only to cooking, these evolving spaces may eventually even earn a new name.