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Think about your Ergonomic Kitchen Design?
Kitchen Ergonomics:
Ergonomics, is the engineering science concerned with the physical and psychological relationship between machines and the people who use them.
An ergonomic designed kitchen is based around your actual needs and the way you intend to use your kitchen and all its equipment. A good ergonomic design
will make your kitchen more comfortable to work in and more convenient to use, as well as using all the available space to it′s maximum advantage. As well as lateral movements, heights should also be considered.
Whether you can stand erect, stoop, are tall or short, sit in a wheelchair, or are aided by a walking frame or stick, basic ergonomic requirements remain,
they are the ability to reach, see what you are doing and move safely about the available space.
Your height is very important, remember you require diferent heights to carry out different actions. Rolling out pastry requires some pushing down movement so requires a lower surface on which to work. General presentation requires a higher worktop so as to be able to see what you are doing.
Maybe you are *disabled* in which case the sink could be too high, it can be difficult to raise your arms higher to clear the sink edge than lower inside to reach the contents. Storage heights are important, heavy items should be stored low, light items used every day stored higher, to save constant stooping. Whatever your size and stature, this should be taken into consideration at the design stage.
The hob should be at a height where you can comfortably see the contents. Looking into pots and pans as food cooks is safer and more accessible when you
are able to look down into the saucepans rather than peering over them. Ovens should be set at your height, not as dictated by some furniture manufacturers. If you can′t see the contents of a tray, or remove trays from an oven or microwave comfortably then it must be too high, this can make hot trays and boiling oil extremely dangerous to work with.
The correct height of appliance appertures in tall units can be specified on order - at no extra cost. If the worktop is too high or low, subject to the height of
floor standing appliances (washing machines etc) these heights can also be altered when fitted - at no extra cost.
Within reason and subject to the type of appliance, worktop heights and appliances can be raised or lowered depending on your height and circumstances.
Most families now have busy lives with often several members of the same house at work. Family socialising is often based around the kitchen and breakfasts, lunches and evening meals are the most important way of getting together. If you have the space, an ergonomic designed kitchen from the view point of
cooking and family socialising can vastly improve the quality of home life. Investing in a new professionally designed kitchen can be one of the best decisions
you can make for both you and your family.
A well thought out ergonomic kitchen is designed around both the homes occupants and
the way they use the kitchen. A design that fits around their exact movements and needs is essential.
The kitchen is not only used for cooking and eating; it can also used for social gatherings. Creating
spaces that cater to all members of your family is an essential ingredient in designing a sociable kitchen.
Kitchen Layout:
It′s important to design a kitchen that includes all of your needs. To make a better working environment there must be a triangle between your cooker, sink and fridge, this will ensure that your workspace allows you to move freely between appliances and you are not confined to only using a small cramped section restricting the full use of the area.
The layout you choose will depend on the shape and size of your room particularly where there are permanent details such as a chimney breast, windows and doors.
Plumbing and electrical points can often be moved, so do not let these restrict your ideas. The sink should be positioned in front of a window, so you have a view if it is a available and washing machines and possibly dishwashers are close to the sink, to ensure the waste can be easily installed.
Tall units should always be at the end of the worktop runs, to maximize the working area and keep the useable worksurface flowing.
Whether you have a large or a small kitchen, our designers will help you plan it so that you maximise all your kitchen storage space. Our free kitchen design service will enable you to ensure that your kitchen design is as efficient as possible and contains all your needs available within your budget.
We at Dream Kitchens are happy to talk to you and find the best method to maximise your kitchen to its best working potential.
Kitchen Shape:
Kitchens mainly fall into five basic designs -
- Single straight row of units, creating one long work area. This can offer extra floor space and is best for small areas. For serious cooks, this type of layout can be very inefficient.
- Double line of units - often known as a Galley kitchen, this allows easy access to everything around two long parallel worktops.
- U-shape has an efficient working triangle. It can provide the ideal layout to your kitchen. The spaces between the three surfaces are properly divided to increase the use of space for preparation, cooking and storage. Two people can work together without interfering with each other as plenty of space is available. With the U-shaped kitchen a continual worksurface is used to its full advantage.
- L-shape with two worktops at right angles creating a corner. A large L-shaped kitchen can also be combined with an island or a dining table making good use of a large open area. A good shape to make the ′working triangle′ function well, but movement can be hindered by a dining table in small spaces.
- Peninsula kitchen design, this has one exposed end and the kitchen cabinets extend outwards at right angles from a row of cabinets, often acting as a room divider with seating to divert traffic away from the work triangle. The shape of the peninsula kitchen really gives itself to open plan kitchens. This best fits in the kitchen where there is a plenty of floor space but a shortage of walls to create an extra working surface. It can also be used where there is a limited space for a dining table.
Cabinets can be designed imaginatively to get the best use of these shapes and give you the maximum worksurface and storage area, totally changing your kitchen to suit your lifestyle.
Cabinets:
Every kitchen built for Dream Kitchens is built under the same strict quality control procedure.
As this topic is probably one of your more important decisions in a long lasting kitchen, we have decided to dedicate an entire page to the subject.
We have listed the following information, to show you *our high standards of manufacture,* compared to some of the other kitchen companies.
All the units are manufactured to the sizes we require, e.g a 350mm wide unit is exactly that, not a 500 or
400mm cut down.
We can make your kitchen to the exact size you require, whether a height, width, or depth change - so unusual sizes aren′t a problem.
Worktops:
Work surfaces can often be an after thought. Yet worktops are the most visible part of the kitchen and subject to the most punishment. Colour and finish must compliment the cabinet fronts, but that is a minor issue compared to whether they can withstand knocks, abrasions, chemical attack, damp, hot pans, cigarette burns and steam. There is no other furniture component that is expected to tolerate so much misuse.
Those who buy a poor quality worktop will soon be looking for a replacement. That entails removing the sink and hob, disturbing tiles, re-cutting joints and trimming the laminated edge decors. An expensive and disruptive remedy, that could cause you a lot of stress.
Our worktops are not the most expensive around by far, but we do avoid the cheap and nasty. All our cheaper worktops offer a genuine laminate not a paper foil finish as offered in some sheds, as for density of the board structure - come and see the weight difference for yourself.
Think carefully before ordering, If you are looking for a inset sink (sink goes into a hole cut into the worksurface) then any worktop material is suitable.
But if you require a built under sink/undermount, (sink is installed under the worksurface) or a Belfast type sink, then you cannot use any laminated (the cheapest) worksurface. The worktop edges exposed around the sink cannot be sealed adequately, so as a hygienic, waterproof sealed worksurface it is useless.
If it is a timber worksurface you require, remember they are oiled to look natural, but are not always practical to remain looking new. Water, cooking oil and any grease will mark timber - often quite badly, do you want to mantain it on a regular basis by cleaning, sanding and re-oiling?
To see our many worktop choices, view colours and even order samples visit our *worktop colour page.* Just double click on one of the images.
Appliances:
The hub of the kitchen is the *appliances,* depending upon the quality and the efficiency of there performance, will determine your remaining love of the finished trouble free kitchen. There is a now a wide range of appliances available and they can range from the cheap and nasty to the "Rolls Royce". You do not have to go to the top end to find reliability, one middle grade range comes up top in the *Which Report* on kitchen appliances, year after year.
Some appliances are dreadful in performance, others not. Some manufacturers offer a responsive dependable service back up if things go wrong, others don′t and some may last for years, others only for months before trouble shows.
In all our years of fitting and selling appliances, we understand that more than any other kitchen product, "you get what you pay for", don′t be fooled over expensive glossy pictures, often they are a disguise for an inferior product. Remember that the present manufacturers name that you have always sworn by has often changed to the worse. Due to different reasons, manufacturers have often changed ownership several times over the years and ideas of quality have changed with economics and trends. The "old" product you have lived with for many years, may not carry the same reliability and quality you have found in the past - SO BEWARE!
More and more manufacturers have reduced the quality of their products, so as to lower the price when
times are tough, often this is due to a constant public demand for cheaper prices. Don′t forget that cheap prices and quality do not go together. If you want quality and reliability, you will have to dig deeper into
your pocket!
You don′t have to spend a lot more money to find a decent appliance, but don′t expect to find them in the known cheap ranges. Talk to us at Dream Kitchens and we will guide you through the vast appliance minefield, don′t impulse buy just because the price looks good, if you try and cut corners on budgets you will live to regret it.
Spend a little time on homework before your purchase, decide whether your appliance will have the functions you require, be able to perform well, and hopefully give you back many years of love and attention that you will be proud of.
Remember, we have now entered a society of throw away appliances, where quality and reliability is often sacrificed for sales turnover and profit.
We are always here to advise & help, but do some of your own research first, the *Which magazine* is a good start.
Sinks:
The *sink* can be a focal point of the kitchen or unobtrusive, depending on its design. A traditional Belfast sink gives the statement its a country kitchen, whilst undermounted stainless steel bowls allow the worktop to be the main focal point and give a modern contemporary look.
Manufacturers have given consumers a vast choice of different bowl configurations, from standard single bowls with drainer to vast double-bowls flanked by two drainers. A half bowl between the main sink and drainer, is a valuable addition for rinsing foods and vegetables. Ensure that your largest pan can fit into the main bowl easily, give us the measurements and we will check.
Consider which accessories might be beneficial. Many models can be supplied with a draining basket, chopping board and strainer bowls.
A separate drainer extension can be useful for sinks without a drainer where worktop space is limited in a small kitchen.
Taps:
The kitchen mixer*tap* has become quite a sophisticated appliance, both in terms of design and function. There is a large choice of styles and finishes available to suit contemporary or traditional kitchens. You can also choose from dual-flow models for straightforward hot and cold water delivery.
If you want a sink with large bowl dimensions to cope with big-pan washing-up, it is worth considering adding a tap with a pull-out or pull-down spray rinse. This gives you the flexability to aim water anywhere you need it around the bowl area to clean pans and large objects easier.
There is a vast selection of kitchen taps available. The old fashion washer tap has now virtually given way to the quarter turn ceramic disc, "joystick" type taps (named after the revolving action of a computer joystick) are also very popular, particularly as it operates by a single hand movement and does not require fingers to operate. Many taps have an extra pull-out spray rinse which extends from the spout, or perhaps just a swivel nozzle to aim that water jet.
Franke Tri-flow or Blanco Filtra taps have an additionally supply for purified water with a cartridge unit fitted under the sink.
With such a vast selection of taps available, as well as style, it is important to consider your specific requirements now, to avoid costly mistakes later.
Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
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