Buying tomatoes from the refrigerated section of the produce aisle is like putting your money down the garbage disposal.

After reviewing the NKBA* “new” Kitchen Planning Guidelines, Codes and Standards, I am shocked—yet again—at the approach taken by the organization representing our industry’s top designers and educators.  I had looked forward to the new textbook (a training manual for becoming a Certified Kitchen Designer) because the NKBA has been touting the “task zone” approach as an advancement over the old kitchen triangle design philosophy.  Instead of finding anything new or innovative, or anything even attempting to connect the kitchen layout to its function of food preparation (as task zones are supposed to do) I found the same old kitchen triangle formula.   Multiple task zones aren’t really described as zones at all, but as points on multiple triangles. 

Why am I enraged?  Why am I taking the time to criticize an organization of which I am a member in good standing?  Simply because it’s time for a change.  In 1978, Ellen Cheever came out with Beyond the Basics: Advanced Kitchen Design.  On page 27 she wrote,

Donald E. Silvers, a noted kitchen designer, questioned the continued usefulness of the work triangle in a professional speaking column in Home Magazine recently.  His concern was that the kitchen work triangle concept was a static one with an appliance located at each of the three fixed points.  A formation was created that could not be compressed or expanded to accommodate greater or lesser loads of foods or guests.  Mr. Silvers suggests, and many talented designers agree, that the work triangle concept should be expanded today to accommodate the changes taking place in the way homeowners use the kitchen.

Unfortunately, it goes on to suggest using two or more triangles as a solution to the dysfunction of a single triangle.  The Kitchen Triangle Formula is designed to take an industry newcomer and teach them to sell cabinetry.  It is not about function, not about cooking, not about creative and logical use of space.  Yet here we are, 60 years after the formula was invented, and this inadequate, incomplete philosophy is being promulgated by the NKBA as though it were new information.  It’s old, old information; it didn’t work then and it doesn’t work now.

Let me give you an example.  We would all agree that a core component of a kitchen is adequate storage.  You need to store dishes, equipment, food, spices, tools, possibly books—the list goes on and on, but these are the basics.  Kitchens have a combination of wall cabinets, base cabinets, and tall cabinets to fulfill this purpose (we’ll leave out walk-in-pantries for now).  Fresh food maybe stored on the counter or in the refrigerator.  How do you determine your needs?  How does your kitchen designer help you?  Well, I have my clients make a detailed inventory of what they own and use: everything from recyclables to fine china.  Then, based on what my clients own and how often they use it, we create a cabinetry plan that makes the best use of their space and put’s their most frequently used items at their fingertips.

Here is how the National Kitchen and Bath Association trains designers:

“Storage recommendations are based on shelf/drawer frontage, not just cabinet size:

a.         1400 inches for a small kitchen (less than 150 square feet);

b.         1700 inches for medium kitchen (151 to 350 square feet);

c.         2000 inches for a large kitchen (greater than 350 square feet);

They continue on, stating “Wall storage needs peak at 360 inches of shelf/drawer frontage.  No more is needed in the large kitchen than in the medium sized kitchen.  Base and drawer storage needs increase as the kitchen size increases.”  I call attention to this not because these amounts are too much or too little.  It is the arbitrary nature of these blanket statements that I object to: they ignore the client: is she a baker, an entertainer, a mom?  They ignore the space: how many windows and doors are there—how much wall space?  They should be teaching designers how to evaluate a client’s inventory to determine storage needs, not giving them a mathematical formula.

Another objection I have is the continued characterization of a second sink as an “auxiliary” or luxury item.  While the guidelines separate food preparation and clean-up activities (as I did in my book, Kitchen Design with Cooking in Mind, first published in 1994) they suggest two sink stations only for larger kitchens or those serving multiple cooks.  The truth is, every kitchen, especially small ones, benefit from having two sink stations.  Two sink stations serve multiple users, not just those cooking.  They allow someone to cook while someone else cleans up. I won’t go into a complete discussion of the benefits—if you’d like more information you can read my book or the article Thinking Inside the Box, found in the My Articles page of this website.

Ultimately, you, the consumer, are the one who is hurt by a kitchen that doesn’t function, driving you to the nearest restaurant or frozen food aisle so that you don’t have to put up with an unpleasant, inconvenient environment.  Here it is, 60 years after the invention of the Triangle design concept, and with all of the talk about functional kitchens, design philosophy is years behind design trends.

*National Kitchen and Bath Association

Understanding the difference can save you time, money, and heartache...

By Donald Silvers and Moorea Hoffman

You’re excited. You’re about to do your kitchen. Where will you go? To Home Depot? An intimate showroom? The Great Indoors? Or an independent kitchen designer? What about an architect? How do you choose? You first have to ask yourself, do I like the way my kitchen works? If you’re happy with the way it works you’re a candidate for a replacement kitchen. To determine if your kitchen is as functional as you need it to be, ask yourself, “Can I have more than one person work in my kitchen comfortably? What is the largest group of people I will cook for in a sit down dinner, and is it easy to do so?” Also consider the amount of time you spend in your kitchen: can you do an hour’s work in an hour’s time?

If your answer to any of these questions is no, or “I’m not sure,” then you need to look at the elements that have a part in making your kitchen functional. Do you have enough counter space? Enough storage? Is you’re sink large enough? Are you stuck with one sink station? What are your appliances like? Most importantly, consider the kind of cooking or entertaining you need or want to do. People who like to bake have different requirements than those who prefer grilling or making stocks, candy etc. It’s time for you to do your research. Go to the library, get on the internet and buy some design books. What you’re trying to do is to figure out what you want and who can help you get it. Kitchen remodels fall into two broad categories: replacement and re-design. Replacement projects include aesthetic changes (out with old, in with the new) but the essential functionality and layout of the kitchen stays the same. Re-design projects are bigger, more expensive and more drastic—they can include moving or re-moving walls, changing appliance and plumbing locations, adding onto the home, and moving windows and doors.

It is important to understand this difference so you can budget accordingly and get the appropriate help to complete your project. Here are some guidelines to help you figure out what you need. If your counters are in good shape and you don’t want to replace them: You could paint, stain or resurface your cabinets to update the look. When you paint or stain the cabinet, you change the color, perhaps the handles, but in essence everything else remains the same. Resurfacing involves replacing the doors and covering your existing finish with very thin sheets of wood or vinyl. It is more expensive than paint but allows you to change the door style or wood species. You can add decorative glass doors and create a very different look, going from traditional to contemporary, or vice versa. However, the cost of re-facing is not far below the cost of new cabinets from a lower-priced modular line. Budget aside, the only reason to paint or resurface instead of buying new cabinets is keeping your existing counter. Be aware that if your counter will need replacing in the next few years (and you are not planning on selling the house) it may be just as cost-effective to install new, inexpensive cabinetry now, with new counters and get your improved kitchen done once and done right. Although you will be paying more for the installation and you will have to update the counters and the backsplash now instead of later, you will be able to invest in better drawers, roll-outs and make small changes to the layout, like moving your microwave or refrigerator. Ultimately, this means that you get a much better result for the same money—you just have to spend the money all at once.

If you want new cabinets but want to keep your appliances and sinks where they are: You have many cabinet providers to choose from. The key question is, how much personalized attention do you want? The “big box” stores carry medium- to low-end cabinetry and will install it for you. Average installation cost should be 10% to 15% of the cost of the cabinetry. You can also go to a kitchen showroom. They will have a range of products from high- to low-end. Lumber yards that do kitchen remodels have medium- to low-end product lines. Again, you have to ask yourself how much attention you want. The kitchen showrooms will be your best bet for personalized service. No matter where you buy your cabinets, the dealer must also do the installation. Don’t fall for the low cabinetry installation price your contractor may give you. If there is a problem during installation, the cabinet dealer will blame the contractor, who’ll blame the dealer and ultimately you will foot the bill to fix whatever is wrong. By having the cabinet provider install the cabinets, he or she has all the accountability and you are protected.

So far, we’ve been talking about leaving the kitchen layout as is and making cosmetic improvements, or tearing out old products but replacing things as they were originally designed. What if you want to change everything: The kitchen doesn’t work—it’s driving you nuts. Not enough counter space. Appliances that are too small or located in the wrong place. The kitchen needs light so you want to add a skylight or a window. You decide to tear everything out, down to its bare walls. You now realize you need help beyond what a cabinet salesperson can offer. Do you need an architect? A kitchen designer? What’s the difference? Are all kitchen designers the same, and how do you determine the differences? When you approach re-designing a kitchen, the first thing to recognize is that the kitchen is a very unique and complex space and cannot be driven by beauty alone. It really doesn’t matter whether you hire an architect, kitchen designer, or interior designer.

What matters is how experienced that person is at designing highly functional and beautiful kitchens. Some interior designers can do this, but many times the kitchen will require a specialist. There are architects who can do it, although very few and far between because their training is focused on the outside, not the inside of the home. Here is the first question to ask any design professional: “Do you know how to cook a sit-down dinner for ten to twelve people without using a microwave or frozen food?” This probably sounds silly at first, but think about it. It is essential that anyone designing a kitchen be able to take raw food to a finished, delicious product. If they say, “No, I don’t cook,” don’t walk, run someplace else. The person who designs your kitchen must understand electrical, plumbing, cabinet installation, counter surface materials, backsplash materials, and all the other myriad details that form a completed kitchen. But unless they understand how to cook, there is no way the kitchen will work. Remember, in the final analysis, you have to cook in the kitchen. At this point, you may be thinking, “I only cook for my family of five, I don’t need a gourmet kitchen.” It is always a mistake to design for the minimum requirements of a space instead of the maximum. While you may not cook a sit-down meal for twelve very often, a dysfunctional kitchen can hurt you everyday by making food preparation take longer than it should.

The right appliances and the right layout means an hour’s worth of work will take you one hour, not more. When you do decide to cook for more than six, the experience will be enjoyable, even relaxed, instead of hectic and frustrating. When you think about your kitchen in the context of function, understand that the cost of doing a kitchen that works well is the same or only slightly more than ignoring function completely. But six months after the kitchen is done, when you’re enjoying the space with friends and family, you won’t remember ten percent of additional money invested—unless you didn’t spend it.