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Smart kitchens are no longer just for the modern home, they are also an asset for forward-thinking workspaces. Technology is not only influencing the devices we use but the spaces we live and work within.
Just as when we’re at home, we now want a kitchen space at work that can cater to our needs, and provide us with the tools and technology to eat well.
We’ve seen this ourselves at Billi UK, as our Billi Taps have been installed in head offices including Parkeray, Ocado, Booking.com, and the Bloomberg building.
Providing a smart kitchen that can support employee wellbeing is at the top of the agenda for many organisations. And it’s a growing trend.
To understand our new obsession with smart kitchens you have to look back in history.
The first boom in kitchen technology began in the 1950s. Dishwashers came into production and refrigerated taps became a novel product.
As there was much more time spent in the kitchen cooking for families, technology was moving fast to support home-makers in reducing their time and speeding up their cooking.
When the microwave was invented and fast-food became part of popular culture, our love for the kitchen waned. And so too did technology. People no longer wanted to spend hours in the kitchen they wanted convenience and everything to be done fast.
Now, in our modern society, our love of food and cooking has emerged once again. Many have put this down to a number of influencing factors. Including a rise in TV cookery programs, a wider range of food available and the social food culture.
Once again, we want to spend more time in the kitchen. But, as we live such busy lives, we also want cooking to be fun and easy.
With this pressure on kitchens to now be a working space for a modern cook, it’s no wonder technology is now part of our homes and workplaces.
The beauty of the smart kitchen is that it provides the sense of a work-life balance.
The design and functionality of your workplace kitchen is just as well thought out as your home kitchen.
It’s true that the lines are now blurred between what a workspace and a home space truly is.
After all, with big tech giants such as Google and Facebook investing in workplaces that provide everything that is needed for life and work, it’s hard to draw a line.
A smart kitchen in the workplace provides us with a space where we feel we can create a healthy lunch and take a break from our desks.
Another overlooked benefit of a communal smart kitchen is the fact it enables people to meet.
Due to the layout of large offices, many different departments may not know each other. Their roles and the office mean meeting would not be possible without a shared space.
This can help people to collaborate and create an improved feeling of belonging at work.
Technology in our kitchens is nothing new. But the advancements that are happening now, are only the tip of a smart kitchen iceberg.
At present we might watch a live cooking demo on YouTube, use our Billi Tap to get instant boiling water, and use a food processor to blend ingredients.
From microwaves and fridges that can be controlled by your smartphone to digital ovens that can be set and left to cook your dinner. Technology is changing the way we cook and create meals in the kitchen.
The future for smart kitchens however is far more vast. There are predictions that our fridges will order food before we even know it’s about to run out. Incubators where we can grow our own food without getting our hands dirty, and appliances with built-in smart technology so we don’t need our phone to scroll through social media.
If you think the evolution of smart kitchens has only just begun, be amazed at what is yet to come.