Changes

Kitchens have been important spaces within houses since prehistoric periods. However, their design remained relatively static until relatively recentlyin the last two centuries. Few changes occurredbefore 1800, where major changes included moving cooking spaces away from homes for more affluent homes while other homes tried to minimize the smoke that came from cooking. Moving kitchens away from the home made them less of a social space and more of a work space, while later technology, such as stoves that moved smoke away from the home, allowed kitchens to become more of a social spaceonce again. Additions of gas and water brought in also allowed kitchens to be both functional and social spaces. New demands of work and industrial change meant there was less time for workers, leading to kitchens becoming more work spaces in the mid-20th century. It was the development of even cleaner kitchens , such as the use of extractor fans, that opened the kitchen back up as a social and working space.