Ergonomics is a significant factor in kitchen design.

Ergonomics puts the focus on accessibility and ease of movement.

A poorly laid out kitchen can cause additional work and result in backache and muscle strain if you constantly have to reach for heavy items.

Move around with ease

By creating an ergonomic kitchen design, you can make life easier for your busy family. Organisation becomes simpler and mealtimes less chaotic.

For example, cabinets, worktops, sink, and oven are positioned to work in harmony with each other. To find the optimal position between these areas, you need to factor in unimpeded space between them.

First, have you created an efficient workflow between each workstation? Second, is the route between them the shortest it can be? Third, have you used your space fully without wastage?

Plan a pathway based on the journey of the tasks taking place in your kitchen. Food from the fridge goes to a worktop, the cooker or the dining table. Prepared food goes to serving dishes and plates and then onto the table. After eating, these dishes and plates go to the sink and dishwasher. Once clean, the plates and dishes go back into cabinets.

It’s this workflow that needs to be mapped out, allowing for a clear route and enough space for other people to work on different tasks in the kitchen.

Optimal height and levels

The optimal height of a cabinet or countertop is not the same for everyone. That’s why we offer such a range of dimensions when it comes to our kitchens.

If you want a healthy working position that helps you maintain a comfortable posture, you need to choose a worktop suitable for your height. For instance, a hob may be slightly higher than your work surface as you need to be able to look down into pots and pans without having to lean over them.

With a kitchen sink, the position should be based not on the sink’s rim but its depth. You don’t want to have to bend over while washing up, as this can cause backache.

Bending and stretching into cabinets

When planning your kitchen, you should try to reduce the need to reach up for anything heavy. That means ensuring that cabinets that hold dishes should be near to the dishwasher – preferably adjacent or not too far above. An ergonomic reaching height would be just above your eye level.

By positioning your appliances close to appropriate kitchen items and at a comfortable height, you reduce strain on your body and spend less time moving things around.

Appliances you use every day should be kept in cabinets close to hand and in easy reaching distance. You can use below-worktop cabinets and drawers to store heavy kitchenware.

Carousels and extending shelves in cabinets make it easier to retrieve heavy or awkward items. You should never have to move dozens of objects out of the way to retrieve something heavy from the back of a cabinet. Try to avoid going down on your knees or bending double to reach for something inside a cupboard.

Would you like to know more about ergonomic kitchen design?

We can design a completely bespoke kitchen to match your lifestyle and home perfectly.

At K Interiors, we’re dedicated to delivering a seamless experience from initial project planning and kitchen design through to ordering, delivery and install.

Why not book a FREE kitchen design consultation and let us show you how we can transform your kitchen?

Call us on 01525 851830 or email: sales@kinteriorskitchens.co.uk