Functional Kitchen Designs: Today's Family-Friendly Kitchens Put Function Over Form

(HIT) - Style, convenience, technology … who could ask for more in a kitchen?

"Lots of families," report home economists from Whirlpool Corporation. They explain that American families typically demand much more from today’s kitchen designs than they did in the past. Nearly 60 percent of families now have dual wage earners and more than six out of ten working mothers have children under age 18. Moms, dads, kids, baby-sitters and grandparents are all volunteering time in the kitchen.

As a result, modern kitchens must be highly functional and designed to support the needs of multiple generations of users. And, of course, we still want a stylish, aesthetically pleasing kitchen as well. "That sounds like an impossible assignment, but it’s really quite a simple process," note Whirlpool home economists. "We’ve developed universal design kitchens and laundries for nearly 15 years and have become quite expert in putting components together in ways to meet the needs of diverse users," they add.

Whirlpool’s home economists report that the company first started developing universal kitchen designs for consumers with specific disabilities, then expanded their design efforts to meet the fuctional needs of older consumers. Over time, latchkey kids joined the home’s cooking, cleaning and laundry team, as did their dads. "From our perspective, handling home tasks has been an evolutionary process. While household management is still mostly a woman’s responsibility, it’s more of a family affair today and frequently involves three or more generations," report Whirlpool home economists.

Designing a kitchen for use by multiple generations requires exactly the same components used for any kitchen. The key to easy, accessible functionality for all family members is the way in which those standard components are arranged and installed. For example, instead of installing all counters 36-inches high and putting base cabinets under each, a multi-user kitchen design now has multiple counter heights, and some are designed to allow sit-down work space. That helps children, older family members and those with disabilities—but it’s also great for a six-foot dad and a mom who stands five-foot-three in her stocking feet.

Functional Appliance Installations

There’s no rule that says a dishwasher has to be installed at floor level—or that an oven must be built into a cabinet with controls at the 5-foot level. Those are installations developed over years of designing traditional kitchens for one user. Raising the dishwasher a foot or so above the floor reduces bending, stooping and reaching for older users—and most everyone else. Lowering the oven increases its utility for children and cooks who work seated—but it’s also good design for other users.

Whirlpool’s home economists also note that a countertop microwave oven can be installed at most any height. For kitchens with multiple cooks, they suggest positioning the microwave at a height to meet the needs of very short family members or those with a disability that requires them to work seated.

Cooktops are typically installed in a 36-inch high counter. But that may be too high for the average user to comfortably tend to cooking tasks, such as stirring and turning. "A more functional cooktop height of 30 or 32 inches is much better for young cooks, for those who work seated—and most of the rest of us," comment the home economists.

Kitchen Cabinet Considerations

Choosing the right cabinets and cabinet accessories for your kitchen is also important. Wood species, finish and style are all important considerations, but structural integrity and family friendly functionality are equally important as priorities.

Maria Weingard, award-winning designer for Rutt Custom Cabinetry, says "Of course, cabinet styles are important. After all, cabinets set the theme for the kitchen and sometimes adjoining rooms as well. However, when designing a functional kitchen that the entire family can use, style and appearance should be secondary to more important considerations like cabinet quality and functionality.

"No other piece of furniture gets used—and sometimes abused—as much as kitchen cabinets," Weingard warns. "So durable construction and finishes become high priorities. Proper fit of drawers and doors is also important, and storage should be planned to suit individual needs. There are many additional considerations, such as the height of cabinets in relation to the measurements of the person using them, and the way the family lives and entertains. It’s important to remember that custom cabinetry can be adapted endlessly to suit your needs. Stock cabinetry cannot."

Shopping For A Functional Kitchen Design

Take heart if all this sounds daunting. Weingard says that once you visit kitchen showrooms, you’ll become a quick study, and good cabinet personnel, such as Rutt’s network of authorized dealers, are generous with advice and product demonstrations. They are also well armed with idea-filled catalogs showing great Rutt kitchens from around the country.

"Rutt’s styles are timeless," she says. "So you can choose a traditional, transitional or contemporary design with confidence. Every design will ‘wear well’, meaning that you won’t tire of it, and it responds well to decorative transitions."

Buyer should "try on" cabinets in a dealer’s showroom, recommends Weingard. Open and close drawers and doors, check out construction details, study storage ideas, and run your hands over exterior and interior finishes. Paneled doors should be assembled with mortise-and-tenon or mitered or doweled construction for maximum strength. Door and drawer fronts should fit precisely, doors shouldn’t stick or bind, and rolling shelves should be adjustable and precisely balanced to operate effortlessly.

Ask questions of the dealer. For example, find out how many pounds per square foot the cabinet shelves can hold, and whether the cabinet manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty?

Kitchen Storage Options

Convenient storage is also important. When you choose custom cabinetry, there is no limit to the unique storage features available. If you’re looking at stock or semi-custom cabinetry, look for features that will help keep clutter under wraps, make food preparation tasks easier, and put every inch of your kitchen to work.

Compartmented trash containers, deep drawers, sturdy food lockers and roll-out pantries are all conveniences that can make a big difference in the functionality of a kitchen.

Kitchens Designed For Evolving Lifestyles

Challenged to create a kitchen for one family that could adapt to their changing lifestyles, three Certified Kitchen Designers teamed up with Better Homes & Gardens Kitchen and Bath Ideas and co-sponsors KitchenAid, Heritage cabinetry, DuPont Corian countertops and Armstrong flooring to create "An Evolving Kitchen." Tom Trzcinski, owner of Kitchen and Bath Concepts in Pittsburgh designed the room for the family with small children; Gay Fly, of Houston-based Gay Fly Interior Designs adapted the same space for empty nesters.

Between these two iterations came the family with teens, designed by Judy Dawson, owner of Designer Kitchens and Baths in Honolulu, and we examine that room here.

Dawson imagined the family using the space to be mom, dad, a high-school junior and a college freshman. All are "modern thinkers," with the need for, and easy access to, the computer Dawson installed at a kitchen desk.

With an eye toward the comings and goings of teens, Dawson redesigned the kitchen’s sitting/breakfast alcove for gatherings of friends. Casual and comfortable seating lets kids spread out into their favorite homework or gossiping posture.

An island snack bar accommodates the hurry-up eating and snacking of teens, with the traditional food preparation space needed by the parents, who also get a special treat in the coffee/cappuccino bar. A further nod to teenage snacking habits is revealed by the addition of a second microwave, installed outside the basic work area of the kitchen to alleviate traffic flow bottlenecks.

For family mealtime, the work is made easier by a 48-inch wide built-in refrigerator, a built-in double oven offering thermal and convection modes, a thermal convection microwave oven, a gas cooktop with sealed burners for easy cleanup, an ice maker in the wet bar area, and for clean-up, a dishwasher and trash compactor—all from KitchenAid.

Despit its functional design, the kitchen is set apart by its contemporary styling. Sophisticated accessories and bright colors add zest to the room, pleasing to energetic parents and trendsetting teens alike.

Clearly, kitchen designs are evolving to meet changing lifestyle needs. Applying functional kitchen design concepts to develop transgenerational kitchens for today’s families is just the latest step in that continuing evolution.

Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center