Like lots of people my age (I’m 66), I’ve become an avid pickleball player. I’ve mostly hung up my cleats, stored my skis and put away the equipment for the more rigorous sports I used to play. However, the enjoyment I find playing pickleball is not less than those other sports.
As many have noticed, kitchen design is another passion of mine. Reflecting on my two favorite things made me realize that they have a lot in common.
Kitchen Designed by Paul in Fabuwood Nexus
Whether it’s laughing at unusual points or marveling at impressive returns, the fast moving Pickleball games provide players with a strong sense of satisfaction. Working with customers and creating a particularly well designed kitchen, one that will bring the homeowners enjoyment for decades, provides a similar sense of satisfaction for everyone involved. I review our kitchen designs several times every week and often marvel at some of our designers ideas, and feel happiness and satisfaction thinking about our customers in the kitchens we have produced for them.
Both my passions involve kitchens?!
One interesting coincidence between my two passions is that the No Volley Zone in Pickleball is called “The Kitchen”.
Surprisingly, learning the rules of pickleball takes a long time. A thorough understanding of USA Pickleball Rulebook – USA Pickleball distinguishes experienced players from newer ones, and that understanding does not come easily!
Learning the rules of kitchen design is also difficult – actually more so. Some kitchen designers never master the rules – and that leads to problematic kitchens that can even ruin a home. There also isn’t a single link I can refer you to. Thinking that you know the rules when you don’t, or stubbornly disregarding them by “thinking outside the box”, is what often defines both bad kitchen designers. And poor pickleball players.
If you haven’t seen Pickleball watch some highlights below:
Once you understand the rules, the MOST important part of Pickleball is the strategy. Knowing where to be on the court and what types of shots are appropriate for each situation is key. It is just as important as shot making ability.
Once a kitchen designer understands the extensive and important rules, creativity and spatial relations skills are the most important parts of creating a great kitchen design that both pleases the homeowner and adds value to their house.
Whether it’s a great kitchen design or mastering Pickleball, experts are required! In Pickleball, when to stay out of The No Volley Zone – known as the kitchen, is one of the fist rules you learn. As my Krinsky Tennis Center Pickleball instructor Frank Green taught me and noted “I now spend more time out of ‘The Kitchen’ than in it.”
