In recent years, larders have become more popular and are seen as an integral part of a kitchen design. With the kitchen now the heart of the home more than ever before and people focussing on home cooking and entertaining, it needs to be a space that inspires and works around you and your cooking habits.

Larders were originally a way of extending the shelf life of food by placing it on a cooler north facing wall and ventilating it top and bottom. However, when refrigerators became more available in the 60’s wall units became the place to put your cans and dried goods. But things have now changed and as people spend more time cooking, the larder has become the ultimate storage solution that keeps all ingredients on hand and at the right temperature.

A well designed larder allows for everything to have a place and be accessible at all times. Nowadays it’s not unusual to have large quantities of different herbs, spices, oils etc. that often get lost at the back of cupboards. However with racks on the back of doors, adjustable deep shelves, internal accessories for storage, generous tall doors allowing plenty of access and a clear view of what you have, a larder is the perfect solution.

It is also no longer something reserved for traditional kitchens. Today contemporary kitchens are perfectly designed to cater for a larder, hidden behind sleek full height units.

Putting thought into your food storage system is important when planning your kitchen design. Having your larder next to your fridge is often a good choice, meaning that all of your food storage is in one area of the kitchen which works not only for practicality, increasing the effectiveness of the kitchen work triangle, but will also create a seamless appearance. With everything all on one wall, the remaining kitchen space is freed up from wall units, allowing a more streamlined, less cluttered and overall more contemporary look and feel.

Ultimately a kitchen should be designed around you and the way you cook but there is no denying that a well-stocked larder is an inspiration to cook!