Designing a kitchen or bathroom is one of the most complicated projects you will undertake in your home. And even before you get around to selecting countertops for the kitchen or choosing tile for your shower, you need to decide where everything will go; the
function of the room.
The decision process for even the simplest room can be quite staggering. The best way to tackle your project design is to come and meet with one of the design professionals at Paradigm Kitchen Design, but before you book that appointment we'd like to offer up some "Design Tips." In this series of posts we'll be focussing on some of tricks of the trade we've learned over the years and offering insight into the excellent guidleines set out by the NKBA.
Today we'll start at the beginning ... or rather NKBA Kitchen Guideline #1.
For a minimum standard, the clear opening of a doorway into the kitchen should be at least 32’’ wide. This would require a minimum 2’-10’’ door.
However, the desired clear opening of a doorway would be at least 34’’. This would require a minimum 3’-0’’ door since we're measuring the actual opening with door open to 90 degrees (door to frame).
If the passage into the kitchen is deeper than 24" (for example, you have cabinetry on either side of the opening) that doorway increases to 36".
Now that we have all the doorways handled, we still have one more thing to consider; interference. Nothing is quite as annoying as having a kitchen door open, only to have it block access to the wall oven, or if the dishwasher is open and you cannot open the oven door. In addition, we should also consider what's going around an open door. If the dishwaser is open for example, it's important to allow space to stand, move and put away the dishes!
The important thing to remember with any of the guidelines is that they have been designed for optimal situations. Proper access into the kitchen just makes life better, preventing doorway collisions with others and helping you enjoy your new space. However, in some kitchens it's just not possible to achieve a 36" opening. Don't panic. Your design professional will help you decide what's best for your particular project.
Illustrations (C) NKBA.org
