Multigenerational homes
Kitchen Work Zones for Multigenerational homes
Arrange preparation, cooking and washing around the way meals are actually made, including more than one cook.
Explore the ideas
Plan in this order
- Map the route from food storage to preparation, cooking and serving.
- Keep landing surfaces beside the appliances and sink that need them.
- Test two people working at once and remove crossing paths where possible.
Worked example
Two cooks make breakfast together, but one must cross behind the other to reach the refrigerator.
Map the actual food-to-prep-to-cook sequence and move the most-used ingredients closer to prep, leaving a separate pass-through.
How to test it
Rehearse a typical meal with cabinet doors and appliance fronts open.
Apply it to this space
- Layout
- Keep the primary work triangle clear and add a separate tea or snack point outside the hot zone.
- Detail
- Use labeled pantry sections, reachable everyday shelves and task lighting at prep areas.
- Trade-off
- A second snack station reduces kitchen traffic but duplicates appliances and storage.
- Observe overlapping household routines
- Check reach and aisle clearance for all users
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