Kitchens 'should primarily be used for cooking'

Those planning a new kitchen design should remember that its primary function is for cooking food, according to one expert.

Homeowners have been increasingly looking to make their kitchens more versatile in recent years, to the extent when they can often rival living rooms as a place for relaxing.

However, Henrietta Thompson, interiors editor of Wallpaper magazine, explained in an interview with the Independent that the main role of the kitchen remains intact.

"Kitchens are for cooking in," she told the newspaper, going on to add: "A lot of designers forget this, because today a kitchen is also the hub of the home."

Ms Thompson also suggested that kitchens should have plenty of storage space, while also being hygienic, adaptable and "a pleasure to be in and a pleasure to use".

A number of experts have noted the trend of the kitchen becoming more of a space for socialising than seen in previous years.

For example, some kitchens now have TVs and island units to accommodate families who want to spend significant amounts of time in the room.