Park Ridge residents Charlyn and Paul Rauch made do with the kitchen they had–with five sons running through it–since moving into their home in 1973.
But 32 years later, an addition to the back of the house has prompted the couple to expand and redesign their kitchen to make it more functional for them and their son, Kevin, 40, who lives at home and uses a wheelchair.
The existing cabinets, badly nicked from Kevin’s wheelchair, require lots of bending and reaching to access their contents. An early 1960s Hotpoint Hallmark Range has two ovens but Charlyn Rauch has to stretch across the 40-inch cook top to access them. And Kevin has trouble getting close enough to the sink to get a glass of water.
Working with designer David McNulty, owner of Kitchen & Bath Creations Inc. in Park Ridge, the couple is planning a kitchen that’s functional, low maintenance and accommodating for everyone in the house.
“I’m not going for a designer kitchen, I want practical,” said Charlyn Rauch. “Because we have lived with someone in a wheelchair, we’re just very aware of things that can be made easier, more accessible. I’m always surprised at people in their 50s and 60s who don’t think of what may happen. We’ll stay here as long as we can and set it up so it’s convenient and accessible long-term.”
That sentiment is creeping into everyday kitchen design. Formally, it’s called universal design, and the principle has been around since the 1970s. But where it was once tied solely to making living spaces accessible for the disabled–and conjured up images of institutional-looking grab bars–universal design applications now are turning up in attractively remodeled kitchens and new housing construction.
Remodeling to stay
Experts credit the trend to aging Baby Boomers who are upgrading their homes with the intent of staying in them longer. They want kitchens that are functional and flexible. As a result, kitchen designers, home builders and manufacturers of everything from major appliances to cabinets are bringing universal design concepts into the mainstream.
For instance, KraftMaid Cabinetry eight years ago introduced its Passport Series, which featured a raised dishwasher cabinet, lower wall oven cabinet and a recessed under-sink cabinet to allow for a stool or wheelchair. But features such as the dishwasher cabinet, pullout drawer units and pullout tables now are available in all product lines, said spokeswoman Kim Boos.
Click around on the Web sites of companies like Maytag Co., General Electric Co. and Lowe’s, and you’ll find explanations of universal design and available products. In December, Home Depot announced a multiyear alliance with the American Association of Retired Persons to provide products and services to help adults over age 50 who wish to stay in their homes. Stores now will carry information on universal design and home modification.
“The concept in a custom kitchen is it’s designed just for you,” said Mary Jo Peterson, a nationally recognized expert on universal design who heads her own firm, Mary Jo Peterson Inc. in Brookfield, Conn. “Universal design is creating some flexibility in the space so even if I don’t know you, it will fit you and the next person in the house. It’s not necessarily about disability. It’s about flexibility.”
Popular universal design products include dishwashers mounted on raised platforms, pullout shelves in lower cabinets and retractable, pull-down shelves in upper cabinets, cabinet pulls rather than knobs, single-lever faucets and countertops of varying heights to accommodate different users.
“Human nature is to say that I’m going to be independent and I don’t need these supportive devices and services,” said John Catlin, principle of LCM Architects, Chicago. “What society is getting used to is it’s less stigmatizing to using supportive design aids and services.”
Catlin, who uses a wheelchair and is the primary cook in his family, just remodeled the L-shaped kitchen of his condominium to better serve his needs as well as those of his wife and daughter. He found a plethora of products but focused on a few key elements. A General Electric microwave with a door that pulls down from the top, similar to a toaster oven, means he can use the door as a shelf while removing hot foods. Instead of traditional bottom cabinets with doors, he installed pullout bins so they only have to reach down, not down and back.
He chose not to lower the height of the countertop–36 inches is standard–but added a solid surface, single pedestal table that functions as an island for food preparation as well as an eating table.
Kitchen designers say they bring up the idea of universal design more so than their clients, and they admit it can be a touchy subject.
“I don’t know that they’re thinking about it so much but I am,” said Kitchen & Bath Creation’s McNulty. “I talk to them about the future. I say you may not need it now, but 10 years from now your eyesight may be going, you may not be as strong. You don’t want to insult anyone but you need to talk to them about it.”
Plans for the new 16-by-20 foot kitchen in the Rauch home include a two-level island to accommodate both Kevin Rauch and his parents, a shallow pull-out drawer under a microwave that Kevin Rauch can use as a shelf, a wall oven and an adjustable Lazy Susan in a bottom corner cabinet. To improve Kevin Rauch’s ability to move around the kitchen, toe kicks on bottom cabinets, usually 4 1/2 inches, will be raised to 8 inches.
Home builders, particularly for the senior market, also are beginning to incorporate clever design elements in their kitchens.
Cambridge Homes, which seeks to build 900 homes at Carillon Club of Naperville, is embracing universal design for its homes for seniors. Kitchen floor plans feature wall ovens, counters at 30 inches and 36 inches to accommodate both sitting and standing, raised dishwashers and rollout cabinet shelves. Microwaves will not be installed above the stove because that involves too much reaching.
“Universal design is really lifelong living in the home,” said David Smith, Carillon’s vice president of marketing. “We’re going to merchandise it so that it’s a cool idea and leading edge.”
