The guest chefs combine flavours, textures and colours in new and unexpected ways. Their dishes are plated with a presentation that makes their food new and exciting. Over time many of these dishes will filter down into mainstream everyday cooking and become part of our diet. Think of how meat and three vegetables have now been transformed into the interesting and flavoursome foods we eat every day. East-West influences, Italian-inspired and French-based foods are now even available in sachets to make our food more interesting. All these food styles come from the cutting edge chefs of years ago.
The same can be said with cutting edge building and house design. Cutting edge design arranges rooms and spaces in new and exciting ways. These new ideas create a sense of how these spaces can be used or experienced. Over time these cutting edge designs become mainstream and part of the vocabulary of our architecture.
There are many examples of how our houses have changed over the last 40 years. These new adaptations have now become part of the standard client wish-list:
- The addition of an unsuited bathroom and walk-in robe 1970s
- Inclusion of a Family Room as a separate space 1970-80s
- Double lock up garage 1980s
- 4 bedrooms as standard 1990s
- Study as a dedicated space 1990s
- Properly planned outdoor living (not just a verandah) 2000s
- Combined kitchen, dining and living space 2000s
- Multi-purpose room (MPR) / Media Room – late 2000s
Think of the kitchen and how this has changed over time. From the small utilitarian room in the 50s and 60s that may have had a cutting edge (at the time) server hatch to the dining area, to a room that opened to the new family room space in the 70s and 80s. Now, the kitchen, living and dining rooms are all one combined space, and the kitchen is designed as a piece of furniture. The kitchen is seen as so integral to the design of our main living spaces that a separate butler’s pantry or scullery space is becoming the norm where messy kitchen prep can be performed leaving the main kitchen clean and spotless.
Our houses are constantly evolving. Just as the MasterChef dishes may well become part of our everyday cuisine, house changes have been spurred on from earlier cutting edge designs. What will our houses look like in another 40 years? Only time and design will tell!