A Human Factors Evaluation of the American Kitchen

Abstract

Kitchen design is evaluated using counter space, counter location and counter height as the criteria. A survey of apartment kitchens showed that designers generally follow the guidelines for total counter space, but the allocation of counter space to the different work centers makes the designs inadequate. An experimental study shows that the standard 36 high counter surface is not at the correct height for many kitchen tasks and a simple, economical design for adjustable cabinets is presented.