Storage-based Kitchen Design

Back in the day, we focused on the sink-range-refrigerator triangle. That can be reduced to: Don't put any two of those things at opposite ends of the space. Then, we worried about having adequate counter-height workspace--by the sink, for dishes; by the range, for prep; by the refrigerator, for groceries. This is bogus, I think. Yes, space for dirty dishes next to the sink, but if the grocery landing zone is next to the refrigerator, you're reaching around the refrigerator door, so it is better to have the grocery landing across from the refrigerator. And a good prep counter or two works wherever they are--cooks walk things to the stove all the time (e.g., pots of water from the sink). It's nice to have an oven landing zone nearby, but the range top will do in a pinch.

I think working out the storage needs first will lead to a better kitchen design. The other considerations will solve themselves. My brilliant insight is inspired by Ikea's 2014 Kitchen Planning Guide:

"It sounds obvious, but keeping items near the places you use them most makes for a kitchen that's geared for efficiency."

I think 52" between counters is close to ideal. One person can pass behind another, but you can move work from one counter to the other with a pivot and a single step. 48" is minimum, Ikea says, and 56" seems more like two steps. So, a galley kitchen is 8'-4", wall to wall.

Upper shelves are 55" and 67" from the floor. Higher shelves (79") are not reachable for common items. In a pantry situation, you can have 7 shelves at 4", 17", 30", 43", 56", 69", and 82".

Garbage seems to be central to a good kitchen layout. Most communities want you to separate garbage from recycling (cans, bottles, and paper), and Seattle now wants food waste separate, as well. Recycling could be outside the kitchen (in a mud room, say), but food and garbage bins need to be near the sink and not far from the range. Consider carrying leaky garbage out to the can--mud rooms are nice. Ikea sells 15" tall bins in 3 sizes that fit into a single 30" base drawer (shown under the sink).

Buyers like this $7,000 Wolf range and infrared charbroiler

The coffee maker and toaster seem meant to be on the counter, but a good design should not be cluttered. Unresolved. Also, I like an open shelf for the microwave so that it's about 55" up and easily replaceable. I don't like built-in microwaves, personally. Some people prefer wall ovens and cooktops, but I notice that spec builders almost always go for a range.

What do we store in the kitchen?

• Plates (dinner and salad), bowls. Upper shelf, 3 LF min. Ikea sells organizers for putting plates and bowls in a base drawer, probably need 36" x 15" high drawer min.
• Glasses (drink, wine), mugs, cups. Upper shelf, 3.5 LF min. Wine glasses can hang under a counter. Mugs should be near coffee maker or refrigerator hot water dispenser.
• Silverware, knives, utensils. Silverware and knives are in a drawer at counter height. 24" for silver, 24" for knives. Lower, taller drawers for utensils. Some long utensils can hang.
• Pots, pans, cookie sheets, muffin trays, casseroles. Big bowls. Cheese grater. Some pots and things stack, but you need a separate rack for the lids. Both shelves of two 36" base cabinets = 12 LF min. Ikea suggests deep drawers, which makes it easier to reach the back. Some pots can hang.
• Plastic wrap, baggies, aluminum foil, trash bags. 1 or 2 24" drawers, maybe 6" deep. Or a pantry shelf.
• Appliances: Mixer, blender, crock pot, rice cooker, waffle iron. Unlike the coffee maker, these things are brought out for projects. They take about 1 LF each, so..5 LF of 12" shelf, or 2.5 LF of 24" shelf. They can be heavy--ideally, they'll be at about counter height, not down by the floor or higher than 55".
• Cleaning supplies, dishwasher soap [traditionally under the sink]. Need about 2.5 LF of 12" shelf or 24" cab.
• Dry food: cereal, pasta, coffee, chips, popcorn, nuts, soup, canned goods, gravy mix. Varies by family, but we used perhaps 24 LF of 12" shelves in Los Gatos.
• Spices, bulk supplies (sugar, flour, olive oil), Need to be near the range, not necessarily with the dry food. Maybe 2 LF of 12" shelves?

What might be stored in the kitchen?

• Liquor, mixers, and bar accessories
• Dish towels, placemats, serving trays
• Pet food, light bulbs, batteries
• Vases, large platters
• Vacuum cleaner, mop, broom
• The "good" china and seasonal accouterments
• Cookbooks

So, the upper cabinets need: 3 plates, 3.5 glasses, 2 spices = about 10 LF, 5' of upper cabinets (2 @ 30"). (3.5', 2 @ 21", if plates are in cabinets.)

The base cabinets need: 2 silver, 2 knives, (lower drawers for utensils, plastic wrap), 6 pots, 3 garbage, 13' of base drawers, no cabinets. (3' more for plates.)

Pantry: 24 of dry food, 2.5 cleaning supplies, 5 appliances = 31.5 LF, or 4.5 feet of 7-high shelves.

We need 17.5 feet of base cabinets, not counting corners, or the refrigerator. The pantry can work in just 3.5' of counter-depth space, and can fill into the corner.