Often I'll visit a recently finished home where the kitchen
has obviously been given a lot of attention but doesn't really
work well for the homeowners. Sometimes this is because the
kitchen designer hasn't taken the time to ask the client some
simple questions: For example, will the kitchen be used by a
single cook only to prepare meals? Or is the kitchen the
family's social center, where parents and children gather at
the end of a busy day to catch up with one another? There's no
"one size fits all" when it comes to kitchens, and getting the
answers to such questions is the beginning of good design.
But sometimes the reason a kitchen doesn't work is because
basic guidelines have been ignored. In this article, I'll share
some of the most common errors I see in kitchen design - most
of which I have made at one time or another. Hopefully I can
help prevent you from doing the same. I'll also provide some
design rules that I follow in my kitchen design work. Some deal
with safety, some with appliance placement and work flow, and
some with aesthetics.
Safe Cooktops & Ovens
My clients are usually concerned with aesthetics and
convenience, but for me there's no issue more important than
safety.
According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association
(NKBA), a cooktop should have at least 9 inches of open
countertop on one side and 15 inches on the other (see Figure
1).
Always provide at
least 15 inches of counter space next to a range, flush with
the cooking surface. This allows the user to slide a pot off
the burner without lifting. For open-ended counters, there
should be 9 inches on the other side. This prevents pot handles
from hanging over the counter edge. When the cooktop abuts a
wall, maintain at least a 3-inch clearance, and protect the
side wall with a flame-retardant material, such as ceramic
tile. For safety, install the oven beyond the common traffic
area, within 48 inches of a counter at least 15 inches
wide.
This rules out installing a cooktop or range at the open end
of a run of cabinets, where pot handles might hang out over the
edge, leading to spills or scalding accidents. These dimensions
are minimums. More counter space would be better, but it's not
always possible in smaller kitchens.