Kitchens continue to evolve as the center point of homes. Since it’s where families tend to gather, Universal Design makes it easy and inviting.
Let’s start with your cabinets.
Probably one of the easiest ways to make cabinets look great is to use C and D-shaped hardware. Larger is better and this hardware not only looks great but simplifies opening doors and drawers.
“Push-door” cabinets offer another alternative. To open the door, all you have to do is press it. The door opens about an inch so you can reach behind it to fully open it with your fingers. It’s done with a spring-loaded push latch and is ideal for that clean cabinet look.
Instead of placing dishes on shelves, think about drawers. Drawers are great for heavier items - like dinner plates. Drawers pull out all the way and come with pegs to keep dishes separate from each other.
Other options include:
- Plate racks which place frequently used items at a convenient reach level.
- Foot activated roll-out bins for trash and recycling. Hands free and no bending!
- Lazy susans in corner cabinets which bring previously hard to reach items to the front for easy access.
- Roll out shelves that take advantage of small spaces while making items like spices, canned goods, etc.
Induction stove tops are safer because they heat pans with a magnetic field. Burners don’t get hot until you place a pot or pan on them. You control how much heat you need while cooking and once the pan comes off the burner, it cools off immediately.
Traditional oven doors open from the top, requiring the cook to reach over them to get food in and out of the oven. Newer style wall ovens come either with two French doors or one side swing door hinged on either side. Both configurations fit any style kitchen and are safer.
More than practical, these well designed features add sizzle to the appearance, as well as make your kitchen user-friendly to the entire family.
