ergonomic kitchens

THE BEST COOK SPACES NOT ONLY LOOK GOOD BUT FUNCTION SMOOTHLY TOO - THIS IS HOW THE EXPERTS DO IT

- Hugh Metcalf

It’s easy to sign off a kitchen design on good looks alone, but if you do that it won’t be until you come to actually cook or clean up in your new room that you might discover it isn’t the most practical of spaces. Of course, with a good kitchen designer on your team that won’t happen – but if you’re going it alone, or you just want a steering hand in creating your new space, there are a few tricks to good kitchen design that are helpful to know.

First of all, it’s worth interrogating the layout – after all, there’s not much you can do to change this after your new cabinetry has been installed. While there are certain ‘rules’ many designers follow, you’ll come to find that it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. ‘The perfect kitchen layout depends on a number of factors, but the first thing I ask is: how many people are likely to be cooking and using the kitchen at the same time?’ interior designer Bethany Adams, of Bethany Adams Interiors, explains. ‘An ergonomic kitchen for one cook often means a smaller “work zone” where everything is within reach and the distance between worksurfaces is as small as 90cm. For a multi-cook household (or one where kids may be helping themselves), I’ll spread things out a bit more to avoid a cook standing at the range bumping into a spouse at the sink, for example.’

You may have heard of the ‘working triangle’ before – an ergonomic kitchen layout that positions the stove, fridge and sink in a triangle, which makes it easy to bounce around the kitchen as you cook in, and clean, the space. However, there are other ideas that can inform your layout, too. ‘The old “working triangle” is a helpful jumping off point, but by no means the rule,’ Bethany says.