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The latest issue of 15-501 Magazine features an article by Mary Liebhold, CKD titled "Kitchens 101, Back to the Basics" . Read the article below. KITCHENS 101 - BACK TO THE BASICS
While
style, color and form take center stage as the first impression, many of those
magazine cover kitchens have serious flaws. Stunning good looks have trumped function at times and
the preparation of a meal could be frustrating and more time consuming than it
should be.
I believe that above
all, a kitchen should be designed for the cook or cooks at work and play in
this all-important room.
Granted,
not everyone is a chef or even has desires to be one, but anyone can appreciate
the convenience of a well-laid-out kitchen, if only to get the popcorn from the
cabinet to the microwave or the smoothie ingredients to the blender.
Taking the time to analyze traffic
patterns, storage need, family and personal preference should be the first step
in a kitchen plan. As kitchens are
less frequently an out-of-sight, dead end room, traffic patterns are
critical.
No doorway, interior or exterior,
should interfere with an appliance or a person in front of the appliance. Look
at the swing of all room doors and appliance doors. Many plans are drawn
without the door swings shown. A
clear floor area of 60 inches on the inside of the door and 18 inches beyond the knob side
would be ideal. The 60 inches can be
reduced to 48 inches on the push side of the door.
Work
centers and their spacing are most critical element of the design. Appliances
should be chosen early in the planning process as the configuration of the
door swing, control placement and overall size is predetermined by the
manufacturer.
Refrigerators are
big - literally and figuratively. Many plans show a space for the homeowner to
insert a refrigerator/freezer. A
standard slide in unit may measure up to 34 inches deep. That is well past the
cabinetry and can impede traffic. Even the newer cabinet depth units have several inches of door
thickness and handle to consider.
If a side-by-side unit is preferred, be aware that, with a couple of
custom exceptions, the refrigerator door is always hinged on the right. If that
unit is at the left end of the kitchen counters, all of the landing area is
behind the door, making unloading groceries, grabbing a quick glass of juice or
finding a spot to return a dish to the fridge a bit more challenging. Many top and bottom model have
reversible door but not all do. Even the built in models may need to be ordered
with the correct swing.
When
planning the space for a range or cooktop, consider the aisle ways for ease of
use. Try bending to oven or stooping for a pan under the cooktop. Measure how
far your body extends from the counter edge. A narrow aisle could hamper those
movements.
A minimum of 42 inches between appliances and countertops in a one cook
kitchen and 48 inches in a two cook household is a good guideline. A walkway without functional equipment
should be a minimum of 36 inches wide, but increase that to 45 inches if there is seating
involved, i.e. chairs on the back of an island.
All too often an island is squeezed into an existing
kitchen. While some extra counterspace may be gained, the island may become an
obstacle to circumvented. Leaving some breathing room, space to turn with a hot
dish, room to bend, reach and turn is critical to a safe environment.
There
are guidelines for every part of the kitchen published by the National Kitchen
and Bath Association and a Certified Kitchen Designer with experience can help
avoid some common errors. Personal
habits and goals for the space make every room unique, while still allowing for
a well thought out plan.
In the
words of Julia Child: "You want to be able to find and stash everything
easily."
Bon appétit! |
