Kitchen
Appliances — A Major Design Element
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photos by Photo Design courtesy of Pegasus Design |
By Robin Rigby-Fisher
Many kitchen remodels
begin because the appliances give out. The 20-year-old dishwasher
just stops working, the handle falls off the refrigerator, or, the
last burner on the range gives up the ghost. After a frantic trip
to the appliance showroom, and many hours of discussion, a simple
appliance replacement becomes an opportunity for a whole new kitchen.
The kitchen is
based around what most people know as the “work triangle,”
a functional flow between the cook top, refrigerator, and sink. According
to the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), the three legs
of the work triangle should total “less than or equal to 26’”
with no one leg shorter than 4’ or longer than 9’. The NKBA
further suggests that the main traffic pattern should not intersect
any one leg of the triangle. That’s all well and good, but this
scenario was designed for the optimum kitchen layout. There are many
times that this rule needs to be bent or even broken.
In today’s
kitchen, we have “centers”: The Sandwich center: microwave
and refrigerator; the Baking Center: wall ovens and refrigerator;
the Coffee Center: espresso machine, sink, and refrigerator. And these
are only a few. With the advent of refrigerator drawers, built-in
coffee machines, high-speed cookers, and dish drawers, the kitchen
triangle is morphing into many shapes and sizes.
In the majority
of kitchens that I design, there are at least two cooks for most meal
preparations. It is my job to make sure that the “dance”
that occurs during these preparations is as harmonious as possible.
For this reason, if space and finances allow, a second sink is suggested.
This allows for the “work triangle” to be stretched. With
a second sink, one cook can prepare the main course, while the other
cook prepares the salad or mixes drinks without getting in the cooking
partner’s way.
Except for the
holidays, most people don’t have the need for two distinct ovens
and many homes don’t have the room for the typical cook top and
double wall oven combination. In this case, I suggest the use of a
range and a wonderful invention called the micro/convection oven.
For the majority of the time, it is a microwave and for the time that
a second oven is needed, it acts as a true convection oven. The only
problem is if you just cooked a sheet of cookies at 325 degrees F;
make sure that you wait until the oven is cooled before using a plastic
container to reheat last night’s dinner. Typically, that only
happens once.
Do you really
need a six-burner range? I get asked this many times, and my response
is always: really think about how you cook. Is this an esthetic choice
or for function? I once discussed this with the head chef for Jake’s.
I complained that my four-burner professional range was too small
for preparing a large dinner. His response was if you have to use
more that three burners at any given time, you did not plan your meal
preparation well enough. I took that as a challenge and now, even
when preparing a five-course meal for 14, I make it a goal to never
use more than three burners.
While on the subject
of ranges/cook tops, many people overlook their ventilation. I could
go on for pages about the need for a highly efficient vent system.
I strongly suggest that this is not a second thought, but the first
thought after choosing your range. Consider that the typical family
of four creates three gallons of grease per year from cooking. Ventilation
in your new kitchen is very important. So be sure to discuss this
with your designer and appliance specialist.
One of the best
inventions on the market today is the warming drawer. Many of my clients
who have one installed were at first dubious as to whether it would
get use, but they ultimately realize that it is the most used item
in their kitchen. I have one client whose husband gets up at 5 am
and makes a large pot of oatmeal, puts the leftovers in the warming
drawer, and when the rest of the family gets up for breakfast at 7am,
they have hot fresh oatmeal ready. How about hot — just out of
the oven fresh biscuits — made five hours earlier? Warming drawers
come in three sizes, 24”, 27”, and 30”. Many people
only need the 24” size — so it need not take up a lot of
space.
When looking at
a refrigerator, always consider a built-in or cabinet-depth type.
These refrigerators do cost a little more, but due to their shallow
depth, they allow you to see everything, so less food gets wasted.
Consider a second smaller refrigerator to house beverages, which can
be installed closer to the table, keeping traffic out of the main
cooking triangle.
Appliance decisions
need to be made early on in the design process. When meeting with
your designer for the first time the discussion of budget and cooking
needs should be at the top of your agenda. Your designer will suggest
the appliances that fit both criteria. Then visit the fabulous appliance
showrooms to see them for yourself. Happy Cooking.
Robin Rigby-Fisher
is a Certified Kitchen Designer and principle designer for Pegasus
Design, Inc. a residential space planning design firm in Portland,
Oregon. Robin can be contacted at 503-630-3395 or logon to www.pegasusdesign.net.
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