Universal design (UD) is trending, and for good reason! As the baby-boomer generation continues to age, they are increasingly opting to remain at home rather than move to a senior living community. To meet this demand, interior designers and home builders are using UD principles to increase quality of life for people of all ages and abilities. When done properly, universal design creates a home that functions well for everyone in the household, while also being aesthetically pleasing.
In this blog post, I will share a few UD principles that I use when designing accessible kitchens for clients.
Start with the Work Triangle
First things first! All good kitchen designs begin with the work triangle. This is the area where the paths connect between your refrigerator, sink, and cooktop or range. The longer the legs of your work triangle, the more walking you’ll have to do to prepare a meal. Shorter legs, on the other hand, make a kitchen feel claustrophobic and limit the amount of usable space at your disposal.
To design a work triangle that functions well for everyone, the three legs combined should not exceed 22 feet.
Provide Plenty of Clearance
When it comes to clearance, a person who uses a mobility aid will require a clear area of 30 x 48-inches in front of the work area. If your are planning to incorporate a table or an island in your design, the traffic aisles between the two should be 42 to 48 inches wide. This will give you plenty of clearance for wheelchairs and walkers as well as children in strollers.
Similarly, a 5-foot radius of clear space allows someone with a scooter or wheelchair to turn around easily. Providing this extra space will save your walls and cabinets from getting banged up inadvertently when someone tries to turn around. It will also save them the hassle of having to back out of the room.
An acquaintance of mine recently broke her foot pretty badly and had to use a knee scooter to get around for several months. She relayed to me how much of a difference it made to have a kitchen with proper clearance. She was able to prepare and cook food rather easily, despite her weight-bearing limitations.
While she and her husband didn’t see themselves needing an accessible kitchen any time soon (they’re in their 40s) they are glad they chose a design that included UD principles. You never know what life will throw at you!
Include Varying Countertop Heights
Including different countertop heights into your kitchen will allow all family members to prep, cook and eat in comfort.
Here are the heights that you need to know:
- Bar Height: 42 inches
- Counter Height: 36 inches
- Table Height: 30 inches
Table and counter-height surfaces are perfect for everyone — especially children, shorter adults, or those who use a mobility aid. Bar-height countertops, on the other hand, are ideal for taller people. If your kitchen is on the smaller side, you can achieve the same functionality by installing pull-out or lift-up work surfaces into a counter-height island.
Opt for Open Shelving and Roll-Out Drawers, and Pull-Downs
Traditionally, lower cabinets are usually deep and cavernous. Not only is it a giant waste of space, but it also makes it difficult for people to access the cabinet’s contents. Not everyone is able to bend over low enough or reach back far enough to access the back of the cabinet. It is also hard to remove heavy cookware like casserole dishes and Dutch ovens from a lower cabinets.
The solution is to install pull-out cabinets or after-market pull-outs. Not only will this make use of every inch of space in your cabinets, it will also help to keep your cookware or dishes organized. For blind corner cabinets, there are plenty of articulating pull-outs on the market, as well as the tried-and-true Lazy Susan.
When it comes to upper cabinets, it is best to either use open shelving. You can also retrofit your existing cabinets with pull-down accessories. Not only are these products engineered to be sturdy, they operate smoothly and are very easy to use. They’re also a good idea for those who are on the shorter side, or people with balance issues. Pull-downs eliminate the need for a stool and cut down on accidents.
Choose Appliance Drawers
For many people, including taller individuals, those with shoulder injuries and people in wheelchairs, the act of loading and unloading the dishwasher requires a lot of effort. To alleviate this, you can raise a traditional door dishwasher for easier accessibility — this may or may not be possible, depending on your cabinets and other considerations. Alternatively, purchase a model that opens like a drawer. Drawer dishwashers also have a smaller footprint which means that you can install them higher than a traditional dishwasher.
Similarly, microwaves now come in drawer-type models that can be installed in lower cabinets. This is a great solution for kids, shorter individuals, people who use mobility aids, and those with shoulder problems. The best part of the solution (in my opinion) is that you can basically hide your microwave and keep the focus on the more attractive parts of your kitchen.
Install Levered, Touch, or Hands-Free Faucets
It may not seem like a big deal, but the type of faucet you choose greatly impacts their usefulness. Levers are so much easier to turn on and off. You can use your fingers, hand, arm or elbow to lift the lever — you can’t do that with knobs This is especially important for anyone with grip or arthritis issues.
National brands like Delta and Kohler offer touch faucets and hands-free models that can be controlled using your voice. These models are especially helpful for those who have trouble reading a measuring cup. You just tell it how much water you want and it turns on and off, giving you the exact volume of water in your pot. That’s pretty amazing if you ask me!
Pot fillers over the cooktop or range will also keep you from shuffling large, heavy pots of water from one place to the other. With a pot filler, you just swing out the arm, fill the pot, and start cooking!
I hope these tips have given you a better idea of what it takes to design a home using the principles and Universal Design. Not only is UD the way of the future, but it also increases the quality of life for people of all ages and abilities.
If you are exploring building a new home, or renovating or remodeling your current space, feel free to reach out. I work with many clients who are retiring or planning their forever home and I can help you design a space that will grow and evolve to suit your needs.
To schedule a consultation, call (702) 883-3200 contact me through my website, or send an email to laura@laurafullowdesigns.com.
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