Kitchen Design Tips: How To Design An Easy Access Kitchen For Your Home

(HIT) - Do you have days when lifting heavy pots and pans from lower cabinets seems especially hard on the back? Is stooping down to pick things up getting more difficult—and stretching up to reach that top shelf over the kitchen sink a real pain? Are the graphics on appliances and other printed instructions getting harder and harder to read?

If so, odds are that you are one of the more than 60 million Americans—almost 25 percent of the U.S. population—who are 50 years old or older.

Not only that, say home economists from Whirlpool Corporation, there are another 70 million Americans—middle-age baby boomers—just waiting in the wings to join the growing 50-plus generation. And even though, on average, Americans are aging quite well, Census Bureau reports reveal that nearly 50 million of us have some form of physical disability, with a high percentage of those disabilities stemming from the aging process.

It's Time for An Easy Access Kitchen Design

If the normal physical changes that come with aging are challenging your ability to work easily in the kitchen, you may want to consider an easy access kitchen design to make those areas easier to use and more comfortable.

Those changes don’t have to be major, or even expensive. Quite often, some modest alterations or just rearranging things can work wonders. After all, the goal here is to create an easy access kitchen for you—not some fancy kitchen that will look good on a magazine cover. Let’s take a look at just a few typical challenges and some simple solutions offered by Whirlpool’s home economists:

Easy Access Kitchen Designs Eliminate Excessive Bending And Lifting

Just rearranging things so heavier cooking items are stored at waist height can work wonders. You’ll still have to bend or stoop down occasionally, but lifting strain will be greatly reduced. And try adding baskets or bins on rollers (inexpensive wire type units are available at various discount and building outlet stores); these will let you store heavier items at a more convenient, accessible height.

Rearrange Hard-To-Reach Upper Kitchen Cabinets

Again, start by rearranging things. Just getting most-often-used items down where you can reach them can make a big improvement. And how about the obvious: a sturdy, short step ladder or rolling footstool with wheels that lock when you stand on it? Beyond that, consider lowering one or more sections of upper cabinets to counter height. This produces a china cabinet look and puts upper shelf storage within easier reach. If the cabinet doors get in the way, simply remove them for open-shelf storage. This approach will cost you a few dollars and some counterspace, but the added convenience will be more than worth it.

Consider Elevating Kitchen Appliances For Easy Access

A dishwasher or automatic dryer, normally installed at floor level, can be elevated to eliminate bending or stooping. Cabinets and counters also can be raised to more convenient levels, if bending is a problem. Virtually any appliance—surface unit, oven, microwave oven, dryer, dishwasher, even some washers and refrigerators—can be installed or re-installed at just the right height for easy reach and use.

Select A Side-By-Side Refrigerator

Whenever possible, replacing a top-mount freezer refrigerator with a side-by-side unit will eliminate the problem of the freezer being too high and the refrigerator section too low. Side-by-side refrigerator-freezers offer universal use by placing both fresh and frozen food storage at multiple levels to accommodate family members of all ages, heights and physical limitations.

The side-by-side’s design has narrow doors that are easier for people with limited strength to handle, and protrude less into the room when open, a special benefit to folks who use walkers, canes or wheelchairs.

Refrigerators and freezers with no-frost systems eliminate the frequent bending, kneeling and stooping required during emptying and defrosting chores.

And built-in ovens with self-cleaning systems virtually eliminate oven cleaning. These ovens can be installed at heights that are easy to access and use.

To avoid cleaning cook-top drip pans, select a range or cooktop with a ceramic surface, solid cast-iron elements or sealed gas burners. Flat-surfaced ceramic glass-top ranges are especially useful for people with limited hand strength who have to slide pots and pans back and forth on the range top.

Easy Access Kitchen Sinks And Countertops

Create sit-down or roll-under space at the sink so a person in a wheelchair can pull right up close; remove the under-sink cabinet doors and interior shelf, relocate plumbing to rear of cabinet and wrap exposed hot water pipes with insulation. Complete the job by finishing the floor and walls underneath the sink.

Install Easy Access Cabinet Doors And Drawers

Replace (or add) cabinet handles with hardware that has a wide, deep "U" or "D" shape. This design provides a secure grip with plenty of space for the hand or fingers. For users with low vision, select handles in colors or materials that contrast with the cabinets. In some instances, you may want to remove some cabinet doors and create open shelf storage.

Some Additional Hints

Whirlpool home economists offer these additional tips for achieving a less challenging, easy access kitchen design:

• Avoid monochromatic kitchen design themes that have counters, cabinets, floor coverings and appliances all the same or nearly the same color. Contrasting colors are important, because they improve the visibility of controls, handles, edges and corners. You can create contrast by using colored edging materials for counters and floors, colored handles on cabinets and decorative front panels on appliances.
• Check floors and countertops for excessive shine. Matte finishes are easier on the eyes. Countertops and floor coverings should be light in color rather than dark, because dark colors tend to absorb light.
• Make sure you have plenty of lighting in your kitchen design, both general and in specific areas such as food preparation and cleanup work centers.
• Convert your current kitchen to a more open design if possible. An "L" shape, for example, with plenty of open floor space offers easier movement, especially for walkers, canes and wheelchairs.
• Check flooring material to make sure that it’s smooth, cushioned and non-slip. Uneven, slippery or hard floors increase the chance of falls and injuries, especially for children and older people.

"Aging and disabilities create challenges in managing home tasks. In most cases, however, you can achieve a less-challenging, more user-friendly kitchen design without spending a fortune. While some remodeling and appliance replacement may be necessary, the process can be completed efficiently and economically over a period of time," conclude Whirlpool home economists.

For more information on how to design an easy access kitchen, visit Whirlpool online at www.whirlpool.com.

Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center