Show Special kbb Birmingham 2018
Opinion
family baking with small children, to working from home with a laptop at standing height. Accessorise the basic frame with the top of your client’s choice to create a flexible workspace for families of mixed ages, and those with a range of different heights.
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It’s a good idea to watch a client use a display kitchen to see how far they can comfortably reach – for wall cupboards, wall sockets, and all key appliances, whether they have good hand grip, and whether they might be happier to prepare food and cook in a seated position. If they are willing, it’s useful to measure your
client’s range of arm reach on more than one occasion to see if
Range of movement can be affected by stiffness or tiredness.
Older clients often like the idea of ‘hidden’ features that keep them safe without screaming ‘special needs’. We like to
take standard products, selected for their safety features, and position them in a way that suits the client. The Neff Slide and Hide oven is a good example of this principle, positioned at just the right height for safety. We also add heat-resistant pull-out shelves in critical areas to help with the transferring of heavy cooking pans from one place to another.
Lowered or split-level cooking zones were a very popular feature of kitchens in the late Eighties and might be due for a comeback. They allow younger members of the household to get involved in kitchen activities more safely, and provide the back-up option of sitting down to cook in future years.
If your customer isn’t ready for a section of
lowered worktop, you could propose a rise-and- fall hob and sink area, which will work for the entire
it changes on a bad day. 8 9
family and provide ultimate flexibility. This feature has become something of a speciality for Design Matters in our accessible kitchens, where we add a raised edge on all four sides of the worktop to contain any hot spills. This is a subtle, but effective, safety measure for all ages, which also cuts down on floor and cabinet cleaning.
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Boiling water taps are not just a trending kitchen accessory, they are also an extremely worthwhile investment for a client who finds filling and transferring a full kettle of water more difficult in later years. Simple cooking tasks, such as blanching, can be carried out at the sink, and making hot drinks by the cup is much safer. Safety features like child locks mean these taps are also safe for use in family homes. Induction hobs are much safer in use for older and younger people, because they cool down quickly, are easy to clean, and have a number of extra safety features.
To-do list
• Research web articles on inclusive design, multi-generational design and universal design and put together a glossary of search terms you should be using to describe this part of your work, both in personal meetings and on your website and printed materials. • Ensure that all members of staff who deal with these enquiries know how to handle new leads without alienating potential clients. • Create specific landing pages for your inclusive/4G design enquiries, so customers can see their specific needs reflected in the solutions you are
proposing. • Come up with a few concept kitchen designs to showcase your ideas and ability. • Simple but important – ensure your showroom is 4G-friendly, with activities for visiting children, and comfortable seating for those long design meetings. • Consider
working alongside,
sponsoring or raising money for a national charity in your target sector to raise awareness of your speciality. • Place advertising in one or two magazines that focus on your niche area of design.
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Provide good task lighting generational design, and consider adding strip lighting inside cupboards. This is particularly important in a household where there is a visual impairment. Contrasting tones or colours may also provide visual cues and help your client see the outline of the worktops, for example.
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Focus on the details, right down to handles. Many clients at either end of the age spectrum struggle to break the seal on a soft-close mechanism with a J-handle. So, we are increasingly specifying motorised openers on our accessible kitchens. This solution keeps fingers on the front of the door or drawer and away from the edge.
Finally, we are excited about the future of wi-fi-connected appliances, and feel they may have a lot to offer multi-generational kitchen design. We’re looking forward to
seeing how the various systems become more integrated and user-friendly. 5 6 7
March 2018 kbb Birmingham Special Edition kbbreview 83
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