Decision-making for a new kitchen can be an overwhelming task. As a kitchen designer, one of our jobs is to help you consider design options and accessories that will allow you and your family to work with ease in your new kitchen for many years to come. Here are 3 simple kitchen design ideas to consider and help you enjoy your kitchen for years and years to come:
•Hardware – Consider the function of your hardware and the users of it. A 4” wide pull will fit most adult hands easily, while a smaller pull may be difficult for an adult male to use. A pull is easier to grasp and use for someone with less strength or dexterity, such as a child or arthritic adult. The popular bin pull handle requires you to twist your wrist in a way that can be uncomfortable as we get older.
•Faucets - Single lever or “hands free” faucets can be operated with the hand, finger and wrist or by simply engaging a sensor. Any design element that requires a single motion rather than several to operate makes preparing easier and requires less effort.
•Roll-out Trays & Drawers – Get easy access to the depths of your base cabinets. It is so much easier to pull out a drawer or tray than getting down on your hands and knees to access storage in the back of a cabinet. Consider using deep drawer cabinets rather than based cabinets with roll out trays to further utilize the single motion effort mention earlier.
These examples are just a few of the design ideas that help adults of all ages (and children) use the kitchen with ease for many years to come. Find what works best for you…some of the changes can be made even without a full remodel of your kitchen.
By Debbie Williams
