Kitchen with peninsula designed for a smart and energy efficient home

Working on a house is a never ending process, and the house itself reflects the lifestyle of the owner. As people evolve, so does the house in which they live. → Andrei D.

Andrei D. is one of our very happy customers with the new kitchen.

He is a construction engineer, and industrial construction designer, specializing in roads and bridges. This year he is proudly completing his first residential project – the construction and interior design of his own house – after living in an apartment for a lifetime.

He started the house project with a sketch and a list of wishes and needs, as he would approach any project in the professional field. With the help of a team of collaborators, the architect, structural engineer, and construction team, he managed to complete the works on his house in about 4 years (2015-2019).

The funds were not quite unlimited to build everything very quickly, but the time invested was worth it for the experience and knowledge he gained. During the pandemic, he arranged the interior, but all deliveries and works were delayed by at least a few months, so the project was extended.

Andrei wanted a smart home, a home that employs modern technologies for automation as well as energy and thermal efficiency. He collaborates closely with specialists from several fields of interest because he knows that he has something to learn from them, and thus he can bring his plans as close to reality as possible.

Presently, the house is perfectly habitable, and comfortable, everything is almost complete. He lives with his wife, and after completing the more difficult first stages, the house became a couple’s project, a pleasant activity. For 2022 he planned the exterior works – parking lot, automation of exterior doors, and lawn maintenance.

How did the kitchen project go?

I arrived at MyKitchen Studio on the recommendation of Claudiu Vârlan, the architect I worked with for the house. Andrei Gângă from MyKitchen redesigned my kitchen on the spot, although I had other plans for the layout. At first, I thought of an island in the middle of the room, but Andrei proposed the idea of ​​a side peninsula and I liked it instantly because I got more space.

The peninsula is much more practical because it opens the space and keeps this control desk very functional for kitchen activities. From the center of the room, the sink, the oven and the refrigerator form the triangle of efficiency which is very important in the design of kitchens. We don’t prepare big meals, but when we entertain guests, we eat in the dining room, so the kitchen itself is very practical, designed for quick access and snacks on the peninsula, everything is handy, but hidden in its place.

As an engineer, a very technical man, I am very satisfied with the kitchen for practical reasons, for the functionality and quality of the furniture, including the assembly services, the team worked to the millimeter.

The kitchen with the side peninsula

★ Click pe foto pentru zoom.

I wanted finishes in neutral tones so I can exercise my personal creativity with the space. All kitchens with modern and intelligent design are beautiful, all materials are impressive, but when we talk about functionality plus aesthetics, the quality standard is much higher, yet also the prices, but after all, we are talking about investments in things we’re meant to enjoy for 10-20 years.

→ Andrei D.

What have you learned from the construction of your own house?

I understood a lot of things in practice that I could not have learned from theory. If you connect with the latest market trends in smart living, the new technologies bring so many advantages.

I learned how heat pumps work for the heating system, how to install the solar panel system, or how to connect the automation. You have to do a lot of research on the internet, then talk to various suppliers, talk to people in the industry, and also to people who have installed similar systems at home.

Automation is pure magic.

My KNX automation system can connect to any house functionality that is activated with an On / Off feature. We connected practical issues – operating the lights, operating the interior-exterior blinds, and heat control. If you connect all your home systems into one control, it may be cheaper than buying individual automated systems. I considered this factor of a scalable infrastructure for the automation from the design phase.

Photovoltaic panels for energy independence

Installing photovoltaic panels makes you energy independent, and with the new laws for prosumers, at the end of the day, my energy costs will be zero. Basically, you invest in the beginning to lower your future costs, and the balance will be in your favor if you implement everything correctly. In terms of investment costs, everything is relative, it depends on the type of technology and personal goals, but before any purchase, I recommend a thorough documentation.

Fotografie

Dragoș Lăpădatu