Wet Kitchen & Dry Kitchen: Their Uses And Differences

Sharing is caring!

A kitchen is a place which can provide comfort and warmth. When properly designed, it extends this warmth to the rest of the house. Designing a kitchen is not an easy task. Sometimes, just the colour is enough to affect its ambience. 

Nowadays, a lot of house owners are designing their homes to incorporate both wet and dry kitchen designs. To ensure that the sizes, placement, and décor of both kitchen areas are appropriate, lots of aspects should be taken into consideration before designing them. 

This article will serve as a guide on the most effective way to design your kitchen while incorporating wet and dry kitchen design.

Wet Kitchen Design

What is a wet kitchen and what does its design entail? Essentially, a wet kitchen is a practical kitchen which is used for heavy cooking activities for full meals. As it is used for heavy-duty activities, it usually requires more cleaning than the dry kitchen. The wet kitchen is used to store the usual kitchen items and appliances such as utensils, food spices, dishwashing liquids, stove, and others. When designing a wet kitchen, proper air circulation is a factor that should be carefully considered. Ventilation systems such as windows and a ventilating fan should be installed for adequate airflow and to reduce odours from the kitchen.

Dry Kitchen Design

Moving on to the dry kitchen, the dry kitchen is created as an extension of the living room or dining area. Unlike the wet kitchen, only minimal or simpler activities are carried out in the dry kitchen. Simple and light activities are performed in the dry kitchen like making snacks, having breakfast, baking, and cutting vegetables and fruits. It mostly consists of a tap and sink for simple cleaning, and may also contain items such as a toaster, chopping board and baking equipment. Since it is not used for heavy cooking, it normally does not require a separate ventilation system.

Characteristics of a Wet Kitchen

Ventilation

The wet kitchen deals with heavy-duty cooking which produces heat, smoke and various odours that can be dispersed throughout the house. Installing proper ventilation systems in the wet kitchen aids to curb these problems and prevent any fumes from being discharged into other areas of the house.

Convenience

You can move easily from the wet kitchen area to the dry kitchen area, as it is normally designed in an easy-to-access manner. As a result, kitchen activities are also more efficiently organised since the equipment and products are classified in each area according to their use.

Easily cluttered

The wet kitchen typically gets disorganised faster due to all the activities that take place in the limited space. All the cooking, boiling and frying leaves dirty pots, utensils and also some stains in the kitchen. Wet kitchens require constant cleaning and maintenance, which can be a hassle.

Moisture

Moisture easily gathers in the wet kitchen from the constant contact with water, leaking sink pipes, sweating of concrete floors from the humid air during warm weather and the release of steam from various cooking activities. This can cause an unprecedented growth of mould and mildew. 

Heat

Cooking involves a lot of heat. This leads to an increase in temperature and moisture trapped in the isolated area of the wet kitchen making it feel humid and stuffy. 

Characteristics of a Dry Kitchen

Comfortable space

The dry kitchen does not get heavily affected by odors or grease as much as the wet kitchen, resulting in a more comfortable space that requires minimal upkeep. This is also the reason why some families use dry kitchens as a place to bond with their guests.

Versatility

The dry kitchen can serve various purposes. Its counter can be used to serve breakfast, light meals or to serve drinks and snacks.

Easy care

The dry kitchen does not get dirty as easily as the wet kitchen, as only light activities take place there. Consequently, a dry kitchen will be less stressful to maintain compared to a wet kitchen since cleaning will take less time and effort.

Design

The dry kitchen is considered an extension of the living room or dining area. Therefore, it is important to plan out the design and decor for the dry kitchen to be cohesive with the rest of the house. This includes finding the most suitable, durable and high-quality materials for the cabinet design, the countertop and the walls.

Size

Although the dry kitchen is placed beside the wet kitchen, their layouts are different. Some dry kitchens are usually smaller in size compared to wet kitchens.  This may be an inconvenience since a minimal space leaves little room for various activities.

The Purpose of Incorporating Wet and Dry Kitchen Design

It is not uncommon for homes to not have separate wet and dry kitchens due to the owner’s lifestyle and preferences. However, having both a dry kitchen and a wet kitchen in your home can benefit you in many ways. 

Spacious and well-organised

For landed properties, it is common for owners to renovate in order to create an extended area dedicated to wet kitchens. Hence, both wet and dry kitchen activities can be carried out in a more spacious manner.

Lifestyle

Depending on your lifestyle, the integration of wet and dry kitchen areas in your home may be the best choice for you. If you tend to cook a lot, it would be best to have two separate spaces for the wet kitchen and the dry kitchen. As your cooking usually involves a lot of heat and fumes, which in turn leads to a lot of mess, you will appreciate having both kitchens. This allows you to keep the smoke, fumes and odours away from the other areas of the home. Also, if you enjoy having guests over, you can use the dry kitchen as a space to serve drinks while chatting with them.

Aesthetics

Incorporating both the wet and dry kitchen in your home gives you the creative freedom to decorate and furnish your dry kitchen with high-quality materials, considering that it may extend into your dining room or living room. This means you can set up a countertop and furnish the walls to fit the decor in the dining area. This helps to give your home an elevated look.

Tips for integrating wet and dry kitchens

Proper Partitioning

The wet kitchen should be properly separated from the dry kitchen with a partition wall or kitchen divider. Also, installing a hinged door made of plywood or a sliding door made of glass is advisable.

Accessibility

The wet and dry kitchens should be constructed in close proximity to each other, as this will ensure easy movement from one to the other. Both of these kitchens share various kitchen appliances which should preferably be readily available and easily accessible.

Maintenance

The wet kitchen involves a lot of cooking, which necessitates more cleaning. As a preventative measure, the floors should be made with materials that are easy to clean, such as ceramic and porcelain. As dry kitchens usually do not require much cooking, it is possible to use materials that are less maintenance-intensive for furnitures such as the counter, chairs, and cabinets.

Proper Aeration

As a result of all the activities carried out in the wet kitchen, such as frying, cooking, cleaning, sauteing and boiling, high levels of heat and moisture are generated. This moisture seeps into various areas of the wet kitchen, making it susceptible to mildew and mould. For this reason, a natural ventilation system such as a window should be installed to circulate the air in the kitchen. Also, additional ventilation systems such as ventilating fans should be installed to combat the cooking odours, smoke and fumes which are emitted in the kitchen. 

Strategic Placement

The wet kitchen should be strategically placed so that it is in a space which is preferably not visible from the other areas of the house. In addition, the dry kitchen should be accessible directly from the dining area and its design should complement the aesthetics of the living room and dining room.

How to Equip both a Wet and Dry Kitchen

The wet and dry kitchens serve different purposes in the home. Hence, they will contain different equipment and appliances. If you are wondering what items are usually placed in both of these kitchens, the following will provide some insight.

The wet kitchen usually has most of the kitchen items and appliances needed in the house since it deals with the main cooking. Some of them include; stoves, utensils, cooking spices, plates, pots, sinks and knives.

The dry kitchen does not need to be equipped with as many items as the wet kitchen, because it is used for light cooking, baking, serving drinks and having chats with friends and family. The items that are usually placed in a dry kitchen include; a toaster, coffee machine, sink, baking equipment, chopping board and knives.

Summary

Separating wet and dry kitchens in your home design is a good idea. As a result, you will be able to use the space effectively in many ways. The separation of wet and dry kitchens is advantageous in a number of ways, however, it is not necessary for every lifestyle. Individuals who cook minimal dishes may not see the purpose of having a wet kitchen as just a dry kitchen would easily serve their needs. This also applies to those who eat out regularly. Individuals who cook often in their homes, enjoy intimate spaces for their friends and family and require huge spaces to perform various tasks may find it better to have both a wet and dry kitchen in their homes. 

Before deciding on whether to have both a wet and dry kitchen in your home, you should also consider your budget as well as your needs now and in the future. Hopefully, this article enables you to weigh the benefits, and decide if it will work for you.