How to Design an Accessible Kitchen

Whether you or a loved one has disabilities, the kitchen is one of the most essential places to design with accessibility in mind. The kitchen is often the heart of the home, as people tend to spend more time in this room with guests or family. A kitchen should always be accessible, especially for homeowners who have any form of disability.

If you’re designing an accessible kitchen for yourself or a loved one, there are several factors to keep in mind when custom-building a new home.

Why Custom-Build an Accessible Kitchen?

Custom-building a new home with accessibility in mind allows you to design every inch of the kitchen rather than forcing adaptations into an already-built home. For example, you can design a larger kitchen with wider door frames for wheelchair accessibility, non-stick flooring to avoid slips and falls and lower cabinets for easier cooking and prepping.

Designing a custom kitchen spares you the time and cost of figuring out how to retrofit an established home to include these features. If you or a loved one has a disability, it also ensures you can move into your home quickly without having to worry about any unwanted surprises after you settle in.

6 Key Kitchen Accessibility Design Features

1. Layout

The first step to designing any kitchen is to consider the layout. Generally, open-floor plans tend to be more accessibility-friendly, as they cut down on pinch points and have wider spaces for movement. Keep in mind that a door should be at least 32 inches wide to accommodate a wheelchair.

If you are designing a kitchen with an island, ensure the access points to the rest of the kitchen are wide enough for someone in a wheelchair to comfortably turn around. A minimum width of 60 inches is a good starting point for dimensions, as this is the required amount of space for a standard wheelchair to make a 180-degree turn. This width also helps ensure there’s space to open cabinetry and appliances with doors.

2. Flooring

Anti-slip flooring provides extra traction when using a wheelchair and helps prevent slip-and-fall accidents in a room where spills are likely. When decorating your new home, avoid placing area rugs and carpeting on the floor, as the change in materials could prevent wheelchair users from easily handling the wheels. Additionally, area rugs tend to fold at the corners, posing a safety concern and a tripping hazard for those who use crutches or a cane.

3. Sinks

When designing the space for your sink, keep common tasks in mind. For example, if you’ll be doing dishes and may need to sit for long periods while doing them, design a sink that can still be accessible while sitting. Designing a sink area with clearance underneath allows wheelchair users to perform tasks like chopping and prepping next to the sink.

4. Cabinets

Cabinets are excellent storage areas, but they may be out of reach in a standard home. When custom-building a new kitchen, keep the height and placement of cabinets in mind. Add manual or electrical level adjustments for cabinets so that the fixtures can be lowered or raised as needed. If this isn’t possible, then place the cabinets at a lower level than standard.

For lower cabinets, such as under the sink or alongside the oven, install gliding shelves, so that items in the back of the cabinet can be more easily reached.

5. Hardware

When choosing hardware—such as knobs and handles for cabinet doors and drawers—choose styles that don’t require a lot of hand dexterity or strength. Pull handles with more surface area, rather than small knobs, allow users to put their fingers between the hardware and the door to pull instead of needing to grip.

6. Countertops

Workspaces are essential in any kitchen, so they need to be accessible to all. Typical countertops are installed 36 inches from the ground, making it awkward for wheelchair users or those who need to sit down while working. Lowering counters by as little as 2 inches allows for more ease of access from a seated position. Additionally, consider areas where a chair can be safely stowed and placed, or where someone with a wheelchair can be comfortably situated while also able to reach the counter.

For those with back pain from bending forward, adjustable countertops are also a great choice to accommodate everyone in the home. For adjustable counters, a good range is being able to lower to 28 inches and raise to 36 inches.

7. Appliances

When installing appliances, consider accessibility points as well. A dishwasher that is installed raised off the floor by several inches, and with space on either side, is much more accessible than a lower and “blocked-in” dishwasher, for example. The same is true of an oven with a side-hinged door, as it will allow a seated user to safely get close to oven shelves for placing or removing food items. In a refrigerator, slide-out shelves and a pull-out freezer at the bottom are two accessible design features to consider.

Designing an accessible kitchen in an accessible home doesn’t have to be a logistical headache. Schumacher Homes are Certified Aging in Place Specialists and offer accessible home designs for any aging or disability needs. We can work with you using one of our existing accessible home design plans to create the home of your needs and your dreams.