KITCHEN
The kitchen is the heart of the home, but to feel comfortable it must accommodate several competing functions in close proximity.
Kitchen from our Wright This Way project
GATHERING SPACES
Kitchens aren’t just for cooking. They are also a place for gathering together. Often this is accomplished by incorporating sitting or eating areas. Breakfast nooks and islands are great for this role, though they require extra space. Sometimes bars or small bistro tables can serve the same purpose. It’s even possible to save space while creating a large room by building the kitchen around the dining table—“farmhouse” style.
In those cases when there is no room for shared seating, the kitchen should be made as open as possible to the dining room, with a large cased opening, pass-through or interior windows. If possible, there should at least be room for a chair or bench.
THE FOUR MAIN COOKING ZONES
Once the basic shape and program of the kitchen have been established, it’s time to decide where the windows will go. Under them should be placed counters and possibly the sink. To make the sink easy to use, the dishwasher should be adjacent to it with room to maneuver towards dish storage when unloading. Trash should be located on the other side of the sink or very nearby.
In addition to the sink and prep counters, the refrigerator and cooktop serve as the main cooking zones. To avoid feeling too spread out, these four elements should be no further than 10 feet apart from each other, and counters should be installed directly adjacent to the sink and cooktop. Typically people need about 12 linear feet of counter space for food prep, divided up as necessary into segments of 4 feet or longer.
SUPPORTING FEATURES
Once the main four cooking zones are fixed, it’s necessary to account for other supporting features. If the oven is not located under the cooktop, it can be part of a tall cabinet assembly paired with the microwave. Otherwise the microwave can be located as a drawer unit or on extra counter space.
Although some projects may contain a separate pantry closet, it’s often convenient to dedicate a tall cabinet for food storage, either shallow shelves or full-depth with the incorporation of tall pull-out drawers.
It’s also important to identify what cleaning supplies will be kept in the kitchen, especially tall ones like a broom or vacuum—since it may be necessary to house them in a special cabinet.
Shelving should be located over the counters—usually about 5 to 8 linear feet are needed. If there isn’t enough wall space, consider installing open shelves across the face of the windows.
SIZES
For the homes that we typically work on in Toronto, we start with the following assumptions for appliance and other key sizes. Our clients should be sure to tell us if they have different requirements before we begin Schematic Design.
REFRIGERATOR: 36”, or 42”–48” if space allows; small households can often get by with just 30”
SINK: ideally 36”, but 30” if necessary
COOKTOP: 30”, or 36” if space allows
OVEN: 30” is standard, though some models are only 27” wide; typically integrated into the cooktop as a range (stove), but built into a wall cabinet if space allows
MICROWAVE: 24” and part of a wall cabinet if space allows, otherwise installed in a base cabinet as a drawer unit (some clients can make do with a small countertop unit)
DISHWASHER: 24”
PANTRY: it really depends on the space available. At a minimum a kitchen should have at least one pull-out drawer or a shallow-depth pantry that is 24” wide. A desire for a walk-in pantry must be noted by clients early, since they require a great deal of floor space.
Homeowners should be sure to tell their architect about any other spatial requirements that they may have, including possibly a wine refrigerator, warming drawers, or a bar sink. Keep in mind that including such features depends on the space available.
Kitchen with island (typical layout when kitchen is located at the middle of the first floor)
Farmhouse-style kitchen (dining table included in the kitchen)
Dedicated kitchen (typical layout when kitchen is at the back of a small L-shaped house and integrating a dining area is not feasible)
In summary:
To make the kitchen function well while serving as the heart of the home: it must balance cooking, storage and gathering all in close proximity. Start by deciding what, if any, dining or seating will be incorporated into the room. Next, decide where the windows will be and layout the kitchen by locating the four main cooking zones—sink, cooktop, refrigerator, and prep counters—within ten feet of each other. Once these are placed and critical sizes identified, consider the supporting elements, including the oven, pantry, microwave, and tall cleaning supplies and other appliances.
The ideas above are largely based on A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction by Christopher Alexander, et al. Oxford University Press, 1977, specifically patterns: #139 Farmhouse Kitchen, #184 Cooking Layout, #199 Sunny Counter, #200 Open Shelves.
