Photo by Alise O'Brien
Everything happens in the kitchen. Life happens in the kitchen,” says chef, food critic, and TV personality Andrew Zimmern. That’s true of family life and of dinner parties. As guests spend more time chatting around the kitchen island, hosts feel pressured to keep the kitchen clean.
That’s why some homeowners are turning to “dirty kitchens” for their dirty work. These spaces, sometimes also called caterer’s kitchens or scullery kitchens, are fully equipped secondary kitchens where the real work of food prep, cooking, and cleanup is carried out. Although each kitchen is personalized for its intended use, a dirty kitchen typically includes a sink, a dishwasher, refrigeration, cooking appliances, and storage.
“Now that floor plans have become so open, the kitchen is usually right off the family space. [Our clients] don’t want people gathering over dirty pots and pans,” says designer Wendy Kuhn of Karr Bick Kitchen & Bath, who recently designed a dirty kitchen for a Central West End home. “You’ve got your main kitchen that is your showpiece and then the other kitchen where the homeowners or caterers can be working behind the scenes.”
For home cooks, a dirty kitchen can be a place to keep specialized equipment, such as that needed for sous-vide cooking. Kuhn says Karr Bick has designed these secondary spaces for butchers and bakers who want to really get their hands—and kitchens—dirty.
Homeowners who are serious about entertaining but don’t want to do all the meal prep themselves can design the space with their caterer in mind. These kitchens are generally more utilitarian, with stainless steel countertops and open shelving for easy access, says Chris Paul, a designer for Alspaugh Kitchen & Bath.
Kelly Johnson, principal designer and owner of Kelly Johnson Design, says dirty kitchens (like the one she designed above) are currently “coming on strong for a small percentage of the market.”
But although a client may initially have one on the wish list, Johnson notes that it’s often cut due to space and budget constraints. Depending on how elaborate one is, a dirty kitchen can cost almost as much as the main kitchen, and it takes up valuable first-floor space.
“You’ve got to really be a serious cook or a serious entertainer to make that investment, which is why I don’t think it will turn into a mainstream thing like a home theater or a home gym or a wine cellar,” Johnson says.
Still, some homeowners in the area are adding them, especially to new construction projects. It’s more difficult, though not impossible, to add one to an existing structure.
Kuhn was able to turn an old office in the Central West End home into a dirty kitchen, and it’s still one of her favorite projects.
“The main kitchen is beautiful, stunning, traditional,” Kuhn says, “but when I turn the corner and see that pop of green and the island and light fixtures [in the dirty kitchen], wow. … They can be stunning spaces that you enjoy being in.”
