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All About Kitchen Design and Planning Every Designer Should Know

Kitchen render from pytha
A poorly designed kitchen layout is the most troublesome thing that can happen in a home. If you’re a designer who wants to learn about an ergonomic kitchen layout, you should know that it needs your focus on health and accessibility. In interior design, the concept of ergonomics is to make our surroundings in such a way that they complement us healthily and practically. Being forced to constantly reach, strain, stoop, and bend can cause chronic pains and permanent damage. In addition to that, the sheer frustration one must face during tasks like cooking and cleaning up. No matter how perfect a kitchen layout may look, but your client won’t be satisfied if it hurts their back to utilize it.

The key to setting something ordinary apart is in the details. ~ Carlyn Roehm

Importance of Ergonomic Kitchen Design

Architects and designers increasingly realize the importance of kitchen planning and the value of making an intelligent kitchen layout. They are introducing ergonomic kitchen design ideas into both compact and big cooking spaces. Besides increasing productivity, an ergonomic kitchen also maximizes efficiency and makes the cooking process more comfortable. The kitchen can become a space of comfort rather than pain by carefully combining ergonomic kitchen design ideas in appliances, accessories, and kitchen layout.

This article will discuss the different ergonomics of a kitchen layout and how these are incorporated in an intelligent design. Go through this article to get a lot of practical knowledge to use in your valuable client’s kitchen.

Start with introducing a kitchen work triangle

A classic work triangle connects three important kitchen spots – the cooktop (cooking zone), the refrigerator (storage zone), and the sink (cleaning zone). To move freely between each zone and work better, it is essential to have an optimum space between these three areas. Generally, when kitchen planning is done with ergonomics in mind, the length of each side of the triangle ranges between 1200-2700 mm. The length of all three sides of the triangle is kept between 3900-7500 mm. Islands, tables, cabinets, and other partial-height obstacles should not get into the triangle more than 300 mm. And other full-height obstacles, like floor-to-ceiling cabinets, must not intrude into the triangle. And you should avoid traffic flow through the triangle.

Kitchen work triangle within different types of layouts

Another Modern Approach: Kitchen Zoning

Making work zones while kitchen planning is another approach that layers nicely onto the kitchen triangle concept. The zone theory divides the kitchen layout by function instead of focusing on the distance between appliances. Each of the functional zones in zone theory has everything you need for that series of tasks. Here’s how it is commonly divided:
  • Consumables: Food Storage, Pantry, Refrigerator etc.
  • Non-Consumables: Pot and Pan, Cutlery, Utensils etc.
  • Cooking Area: Oven, Microwave, Hob, Hood etc.
  • Preparation Area: Cooktop, Spices, Mixing Bowls, Cutting Boards etc.
  • Washing/Cleaning Area: Sink, Dishwasher, Cleaning Supplies, Compost Bins and Garbage

By making the zones in the above-listed order, you can form a meal production assembly line. Food staples are taken to the preparation area for cooking. Pans and pots are very reachable. And the dishwasher is alongside the plate storage and silverware.

Making a kitchen layout by dividing the kitchen into zones is an amazing approach. Zones can usually be layered onto the work triangle guidelines.

Drawback with Zones

One drawback that is seen with kitchen zone theory is that for larger kitchens, all the zones become so big that they end up pulling the three major kitchen elements (sink, cooktop, and refrigerator) too far apart to be convenient. For example, if you place your large walk-in pantry and refrigerator right next to each other, they might become too distant from the sink; creating the annoying need to walk five different spaces from the fridge to the sink just to get some vegetables and wash them.
August 15, 2021

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