Get yourself well organised! Ergonomic principles in a small kitchen

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It takes approx. 4 minutes to read this article

Small space has great potential. Even a small kitchen can be arranged in a functional and interesting way. We present several concepts, which should be taken into account during arrangement.

Small kitchen – how to arrange it?

Undoubtedly the kitchen is one of the most important rooms, especially for cooking enthusiasts who can spend hours testing new recipes. A functional and thoughtfully arranged kitchen is essential, even in a small apartment or studio.

In the case of small spaces, ergonomics gains in importance. After all, what’s most important is convenience and the ability to perform certain tasks quickly. After all, the preparation of your favorite meals, washing, peeling, slicing and later cooking, and in the final stage, washing up, should run as smoothly as possible. The right kitchen equipment will allow us to enjoy the process and not treat cooking and washing as a chore

Numbers matter, especially when it comes to proper kitchen ergonomics. The right layout can cut food preparation by 60% and the time spent cooking by up to 28% – savings all round. Therefore, when arranging a functional kitchen, especially a small one, the proper layout of kitchen furniture, the height of worktops, the depth of cabinets and sinks are of great importance. Moreover, an ergonomic kitchen is good to be zoned and lit in the right way.

Zones in the kitchen space + work triangle

A good solution for kitchen design in terms of functionality is the method of dividing the room into zones. In terms of dividing the space, the following zones can be specified:

  • stock (refrigerator and products),
  • storage (dishes, glasses, cutlery),
  • washing (sink, dishwasher, waste garbage can),
  • preparation (worktop, boards, bowls, mixer, spices),
  • cooking (kitchen, oven, microwave, pots and pans.

Experts stress that the above zones should be used in the above order and clockwise – note, for left-handed people, the opposite!

In addition to zoning, it’s also worth considering the principle of the work triangle. This is the arrangement of the three most important appliances in the kitchen – the refrigerator, the stove and the sink. When arranging the kitchen, following the principle of the work triangle, remember to place them as close as possible to each other, in a triangle-like arrangement. The optimum spacing between them should be:

  • fridge and sink: 120-210 cm,
  • sink and stove: 120-210 cm (min. 90 cm in small kitchens)
  • refrigerator and stove: 120-270 cm.

Thanks to the use of zoning and the principle of the working triangle, we will certainly not experience discomfort when using the kitchen.

Ergonomic principles in kitchen decorating

As we know, all roads lead to … the fridge, so it should stand at the front door along with the food storage cabinet; after all, we start preparing food just by taking out the products needed for cooking. Right next to the fridge there should be a place to put your groceries and a countertop for cutting, peeling and so on. Not far from the countertop there should be a sink, in which we can wash and rinse the necessary products. Traditionally, there should be a waste basket under the sink.

On the other side of the sink, a countertop for preparing meals will be useful. Since this is the main place of work, this countertop should not be shorter than 80 cm. Interestingly, if in the plan of the kitchen we want to put a string of cabinets on top – it would be convenient to put spices above this indicated part of the countertop

>> See also: How to clean the oven?

Now it’s time for the stove or oven, over which there should be a hood, so that odors will not penetrate into the rest of the apartment. The whole sequence intended for work activities should be finished with a table or a piece of countertop, which will ultimately be used to put already finished dishes, as well as to collect dirty dishes. The use of such a solution will certainly allow for functionality, and above all comfort of use of even a small kitchen area

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