Improve Your Home's Usability With Innovative Kitchen Functionality

Kitchen ergonomics are nothing new. Since the 1940's, designers have tried to arrange the kitchen for maximum productivity by introducing concepts such as the kitchen work triangle and the Toe Kick concept. Today at German Kitchen Center we’d like to show you how you can improve your home’s usability with innovative kitchen functionality.

A Brief Background of Kitchen Ergonomics and Usability

Improve Your Home's Usability With Innovative Kitchen Functionality 

The kitchen triangle concept, an heirloom in most kitchens although introduced back in the 1940's, places the mostly used items in the kitchen in close proximity to each other. So you have the fridge, countertop, or stove, and sink being very close together. That way, you don’t have to move a lot to get work done. You simply grab things from the fridge, head over the countertop and prepare a meal, and if you want to use the sink, it’s right next to you.

The Toe Kick concept, and don’t think about painfully bumping your small toe on any of the kitchen’s appliances, applies largely to storage. A toe kick essentially is the niche you find at the bottom of a cabinet. The niche allows you to get closer to the countertop without having to adopt an awkward posture, or knocking your toes against the base of the cabinet.

These two kitchen ergonomic concepts have served well over the years. They make your work easier by making sure you are as comfortable as possible while working and two, you don’t strain yourself with awkward postures.

Are Smart Kitchens Driving Kitchen Ergonomics Out of the Window?

But modern homes are going through some sort of renaissance, primarily driven by new technologies. Over the last few years, most kitchen work has become automated with the invention of the microwave, smart ovens and even smart fridges.

If you have some of these kitchen appliances around, you might think kitchen ergonomics are no longer important. If you have some food in the fridge, today you can just microwave it and enjoy a nice hot meal without having to use the countertop. So that means the kitchen work triangle have little bearing on your situation. The same case can be made for the toe kick concept.

Kitchen Ergonomics are Still Important

However, that’s not necessarily the case. Even with smart kitchen appliances, you still need to work out some bit of usability (ergonomics) into your kitchen. By doing that, you make your life even easier because you enjoy the best of both worlds: automation and high usability.

And to do that, you have to be a bit innovative. You can stop cringing, we are not talking about do-it-yourself-er here. Rather, you can take advantage of a lot of new kitchen innovations to make the most out of your kitchen’s storage and usability. At German Kitchen Center we have onsite designers to help you implement innovative kitchen functionality into the design of your new kitchen. We even offer free design consultations!

For more information about our innovative kitchens or to learn more about us at German Kitchen Center, call us today at 888-209-5240. One of our kitchen design experts will happy to speak to you.