Kitchen gains social area status; discover projects – 06/23/2023 – Market

The pandemic has transformed the way families interact with their homes and, in particular, the kitchen.

The room is no longer just a space for preparing meals and has become an environment integrated into the social area.

In response to this trend, the real estate market is increasing its bet on projects with fewer walls, valuing large and open kitchens. Integrating this space with the dining room was a solution to optimize space in compact apartments. Currently, this junction is also a wish for luxury real estate.

According to specialists, the connection reflects the change in lifestyle and the new demands of customers in São Paulo, Rio and Belo Horizonte.

At Casa Alto de Pinheiros, in the west zone of São Paulo, the 327 m² apartments have four suites, a gourmet balcony and a kitchen whose total integrated area reaches 50 m² — larger than a compact property in the same region. The price of a unit in the development starts at R$ 9 million.

“After the pandemic, consumption behavior in the real estate market underwent transformations. We saw our customers looking for larger units, which suited current needs”, says João Paulo Laffront dos Santos, director of Incorporation at Even.

“The home office and more spacious private living spaces were very positive points in our projects. The large kitchen and the greater number of bedrooms per unit make this list.”

Fernando Nabuco, marketing manager at Avanço Realizações Imobiliárias, agrees that integrated kitchens and gourmet areas are differentials in projects of the highest standard, “being a decisive point in the acquisition of the property”.

“The idea is that the kitchen is no longer a service area as in older projects,” he says.

Nabuco is based on the sale of Playa Exclusive Residences units, located in Barra da Tijuca (west zone of Rio). Of the 14 houses in the development, only two will be delivered without the option of an integrated kitchen. The units cost from BRL 20,252 per m².

At Iluminato, in Botafogo (south zone of Rio), the first column to be sold was the one with the kitchen island plan option, 100% integrated into the living room, according to Thiago Balassiano, from Balassiano Engenharia. The venture has units whose square meter costs R$ 17,000.

“Another example is Vista Ipanema, a high-end project that Balassiano Engenharia and Opportunity Imobiliário are launching. island, precisely because of this cultural change in the public.”

Tegra Incorporadora also took the concept to its Claris Casa & Clube project, also in Ipanema. The 99 houses —with four floors and areas ranging from 318 m² to 580 m²— will have the kitchen on the ground floor, intended for social interaction.

“What delimits this environment is an island-shaped bench, in front of the dining room and right next to the gourmet space and a green backyard, where the resident can install even a swimming pool”, says João Mendes, development director and business of the company.

SIG Engenharia is another company that offers customers the option of integrating the kitchen with other environments. “The percentage of option for this type of plant has been great”, says director Fernanda Grimberg.

“We believe that this is due to the dynamics of the modern family, with residents increasingly assuming the role of cooking. By opening the kitchen to the living room environment, we create an integration that conveys the perception of larger spaces, even without the real increase in square footage,” he says.

The expansion of the living area does not mean an increase in the size of the property. The industry is optimizing floor plans and construction methods to appeal to consumers.

In economic products, the solution found to meet this demand for larger and more usable kitchens penalizes the service area, which has its space reduced or is replaced by collective laundry in the common area of ​​the buildings.

“In a 34 m² apartment, there is a washing and drying point and a worktop, which can also be used for the kitchen. The space is open and the dining room ends up on the veranda”, explains Renée Garófalo Silveira, director of Incorporation of Plano & Plano.

In properties with a larger floor area, plans include a pantry and cellar at the additional exit and a coffee table.

“Especially in large cities, apartments and private spaces are decreasing in size. Thus, we see a trend towards integrated, open kitchens, a fact that was more common in smaller properties, but which is now extended to all types”, says Renata Tavares , marketing manager at Canopus.

For Renato Mauro Filho, CEO of REM, the demand for spacious kitchens varies according to location. “On the east side [de São Paulo], for example, consumers want bigger kitchens. It’s the way of life for the locals,” she says.

In the west zone of São Paulo, the construction company reserved 9.72 m² for the kitchen of the 184 m² apartments at Marcco. In its development in Mooca (east zone), a property measuring 160 m² will be designed with a kitchen measuring 12.33 m². The difference in the value of the square meter between the two regions is R$ 1 thousand.