Kitchen Design Revisited

In 1949, the "work triangle" was big news in kitchen design, according to efficiency standards from the University of Illinois Small Homes Council. The council's research had found many women resembled TV mom June Cleaver: professional homemakers who prepared most meals alone and from scratch.

Times have changed. Now the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) says most women work outside the home. When they cook, they're helped by family members and frozen or take-out foods. As households evolve, does the work triangle still work?

Work Triangle
Imagine lines between a sink, range and refrigerator, and then back to the sink. In the resulting triangle, if each leg measures less than 4 feet, the area will feel cramped. If it's more than 9 feet, the cook will walk more. For peak efficiency, traditional guidelines say, the three legs should total about 26 feet.

Today's designers of custom kitchens believe no single layout suits every household or kitchen. "When somebody is re-doing their kitchen, they want a kitchen that fits them … a space that is efficient yet personalized," says Janice Pattee, a certified custom kitchens designer with Indianapolis-based Janice Pattee Design.

"Basic design principles are a great baseline," adds Sarah Reep, director of design for Middlefield, Ohio-based KraftMaid Cabinetry, "but it's also important to understand a consumer's priorities. Don't assume you know what they need."

Idea Sharing
When working with clients on a custom kitchen design, Ken Foster of Camden, Maine-based B4 & After Renovation Design emphasizes communication with his clients. "I ask them: ‘Show me pictures, write me a story of how you'd like to live here,'" he says.

Some questions to ask homeowners are:

• Do two or more cooks work at once?
• Do you entertain frequently?
• Is your kitchen used for homework, laundry or bill-paying?
• Could you use a place to eat?
• Do you buy groceries in bulk?
• Are you right- or left-handed?

As you route function from storage and preparation to serving and cleanup, you'll find modern appliances often bottleneck the classic triangle. For example, where do you put a microwave oven, used by about 90 percent of families daily? Think work centers.

Work Center
Work centers are places to do a task using the necessary supplies, appliance and storage. For safety and efficiency, see NKBA Kitchen Planning Guidelines.

• The cleanup center is busy before and after meals, for rinsing vegetables and general cleanup as well as washing dishes and cookware. Allow space on one side to stack dirty dishes and on the other side to dry them. Position the dishwasher nearby for convenience and plumbing savings. Homeowners also can store tableware, cleaning gear and food containers here.

• The prep/mixing center should sit between the refrigerator and the sink yet still close to ingredients, the mixer or blender, pans, bowls and utensils. Lower one section of counter for user comfort in rolling out dough.

• The storage center includes a refrigerator for cold storage and cabinets for packaged goods. Place the refrigerator where kids can grab a cold drink without disturbing the cook. Leave counter space on the refrigerator's handle side for loading and unloading.

• The cooking center requires heatproof countertops flanking the range or cooktop and adjacent to the open side of a microwave or wall oven. Hang cookware and utensils on a rack to save cabinet space. Convenience to the dining area speeds serving.

Multiple Cooks
Today, a growing number of kitchens accommodate multiple cooks. Determine how your clients prepare meals. Do family members work together or take turns? Maybe there's a primary chef and a helper, or one person barbecues but another bakes. Better than a formal triangle, work centers keep cooks out of each other's way. To avoid traffic jams, widen aisles to at least 4 feet. To save steps, duplicate equipment and supplies.

Reep reminds there's free help for tricky layouts from your local home center, such as Lowe's. "Kitchen designers bring extra knowledge about sizing, pricing, and care and use," she says. "They can be the glue that bonds the consumer and contractor together."

Work islands allow people to work facing each other. "An island adds efficiency if a kitchen is large and you need an additional sink, storage or a landing space," Pattee says. "But remember proper walkways and clearances for comfort and safety." Tape off the floor to represent the proposed island and ask your client to walk around it for a few days.

Many islands welcome a prep sink or a grill. When installing a cooking appliance here, though, consider ventilation needs. Instead, you might outfit an island with chairs or barstools for buffets and informal meals.

"A kitchen really is the social center of the home," Foster says. "That's why it's the most popular room to remodel and it yields the biggest payback."