Good planning is common sense

Press, 31 August 1989, Page 27

Good planning is common sense

Common sense should dictate kitchen design so fittings and appliances are positioned for maximum efficiency and safety. Ultimately the design of a kitchen will depend on how many people use it, their lifestyle and the position of the kitchen in regard to the rest of the house. Many modern kitchens are integrated into the living space and the living area itself is part of the indoor/outdoor living concept. A household with a young family needs extra space, either as a kitchen with a large floor area or as a kitchen opening into a family room, where the children can play within sight and earshot. A separate table or breakfast bar is handy as an informal eating area. If you like to do a lot of entertaining, you will need plenty of bench space for food preparation and extra dishes. If you spend a lot of time at home and like to spend long hours producing delicious home-cooked food, the kitchen needs to be a place to relax in, the focus of the home, with an inviting atmosphere. If yours is an eat-and-run household, you will need to place the microwave, oven and dishwasher close together. These will be the most important appliances in your kitchen. Keeping close together things used together is logical. You should pilace together food, food processor or food mixer and the refrigerator; the crockery, sink and dishwasher; the sink, cooking appliance and pot drawer or cupboard. Plan the position of the microwave oven and adequate bench space. The position of the sink, refrigerator and oven forms a triangle, each point linked by the cook’s movements between them. The distance between them determines the efficiency of the kitchen. If they are too close, movements become cramped and awkward. If they are too far apart, the cook has to walk unnecessary distances.

The total distance around the triangle should not be less than four metres and not exceed seven metres. A total of five to six metres is ideal.

The number of people using the kitchen and the kitchen’s position in relation to the rest of the house should be considered when planning your layout. Does more than one person work in the kitchen at one time? Is the kitchen an extension of the living area and will this influence its shape? The U-shaped kitchen is regarded as the most efficient layout. It provides a compact working triangle, separating work and traffic areas. The sink, refrigerator and oven on separate arms makes a compact triangle which is easy to work in. The distance between the narrowest sides should not be more than two metres or less than 1.5 metres. This allows sufficient space while reducing unnecessary movement between appliances. An L-shaped kitchen is popular. This can be an efficient layout provided the “L” does not stretch too far. One solution is to introduce an island into the L-shape and move one or more functions on to it. The straight line or galley kitchen is exactly that — everything is in a straight line. Unless the kitchen is very small, it is a long way from one end to the other. The working triangle is squashed flat and not easy to work in. But this shape is useful for small dwellings such as a holiday house, motel unit or one person retirement flat. The corridor kitchen is a more workable version of a galley kitchen. Half the galley is located on the opposite side of the kitchen. Ideally, the stove, sink and crockery cupboards should go on one side, the refrigerator, pantry and work surfaces on the other side. This design is efficient for small households only. If the kitchen is a heavy traffic area, this is a dangerous layout which should be avoided. It would be all too easy to trip over a small child when you are carrying hot food.