Kitchen Design Guidelines

40 Kitchen Planning Guidelines
National Kitchen and Bath Association

1. Doorways should be at least 32″ wide and not more than 24″ deep in the direction of travel. b. Walkways (work counter on only one side) should be at least 36″ wide. c. Work aisles (work counters on both sides) at least 42″ wide in one-cook kitchens, at least 48″ wide in multi-cook kitchens.
2. The work triangle should total 26′ or less, with no single leg shorter than 4′, nor longer than 9′. The work triangle should not intersect an island or peninsula by more than 12″.
3. No major traffic patterns should cross through the work triangle.
4. No entry, appliance or cabinet doors should interfere with one another.
5. In a seating area, 36″ of clearance from counter/table edge to wall/obstruction if no traffic passes behind seated diners. 65″ of total clearance when this includes a walkway.
6. Wall Cabinet frontage: Small kitchens – under 150 sq. ft. -144″ of wall cabinet frontage, with cabinets at least 12″ deep, and a minimum of 30″ high (or equivalent) with adjustable shelving. Large Kitchens – over 150 sq. ft. – 186″ of wall cabinet frontage, with cabinets at least 12″ deep, and a minimum of 30″ high (or equivalent) with adjustable shelving.
7. At least 60″ of wall cabinet frontage, with cabinets at least 12″ deep, a minimum of 30″ high (or equivalent) should be included within 72″ of the primary sink centerline.
8. Base cabinet Frontage: Small kitchens – under 150 sq. ft. -156″ of base cabinet frontage, with cabinets at least 21″ deep. Large kitchens – over 150 sq. ft. -192″ of base cabinet frontage, with cabinets at least 21″ deep.
9. Drawer/roll out shelf frontage – Small Kitchens – under 150 sq. ft.:120″ of drawer or roll-out shelf frontage. Large Kitchens – over 150 sq. ft.:165″ of drawer or roll-out shelf frontage
10. At least 5 storage/organizing items, located between 15″ – 48″ above the finished floor.
11. At least one functional corner storage unit should be included when there are usable corner areas.
12. At least two waste receptacles should be included in the plan: one for garbage, one for recyclables.
13. Knee space should be planned below or adjacent to sinks, cooktops, ranges and ovens. This space should be a minimum of 27″ high by 30″ wide by 19″ deep.
14. Clear floor space of 30″x48″ to be provided at the sink, dishwasher, cooktop, oven and refrigerator.
15. A minimum of 21″ clear floor space should be allowed between edge of the dishwasher and any object which is placed at a right angle to the dishwasher.
16. The edge of the primary dishwasher should be within 36″ of the edge of one sink.
17. The primary sink should be located between or across from the cooking surface, preparation area or refrigerator.
18. Clearance above burners: At least 24″ clearance between cooking surface and a protected surface above, or 30″ clearance between the cooking surface and an unprotected surface above.
19. All major appliances used for surface cooking should have a ventilation system, with a fan rated at minimum of 150 CFM.
20. The cooking surface not placed below an operable window unless the window is 3″ or more behind the appliance and more than 24″ above it.
21. Microwave ovens placed so the bottom of the appliance is 24″ to 48″ above the floor.
22. At least two work-counter heights should, one at 28″ to 36″ above the floor, and the other 36″ to 45″ above the floor.
23. Countertop Frontage: Small Kitchens – under 150 sq. ft. -at least 132″ of usable counter frontage. Large Kitchens – under 150 sq. ft. -at least 198″ of usable countertop frontage. Counters must be a minimum of 16″ deep, and wall cabinets must be at least 15″ above their surface.
24. Countertop at sink: At least 24″ of counter frontage to one side of the primary sink, and 18″ on the other side (including corner sink applications) with the 24″ counter frontage at the same counter height as the sink. The minimum allowable space from corner to the edge of the primary sink is 3″.
25. At least 3″ of countertop frontage on one side of secondary sinks, and 18″ on the other side (including corner sink applications) with the 18″ counter frontage at the same counter height as the sink.
26. Countertop at microwave: At least 15″ of landing space, a minimum of 16″ deep, above, below, or adjacent to a microwave oven.
27. Countertop at burners: Open-ended kitchen: at least 9″ of counter space on one side of the cooking surface and 15″ on the other, at the same counter height as the appliance. Enclosed kitchen: at least 3″ of clearance at an end wall protected by flame retardant material;15″ on the other side of the appliance, at the same counter height as the appliance. Countertop should extend a minimum of 9″ behind the cooking surface, at the same counter height as the appliance, in any instance where there is not an abutting wall/backsplash.
28. Countertop at fridge: At least 15″ counter space on the latch side of the refrigerator or on either side of a side-by-side, or at least 15″ of landing space no more than 48″ across from the refrigerator. If an oven is next to refrigerator, refrigerator should be the one placed next to available countertop.
29. Countertop at oven: At least 15″ of landing space, at least 16″ deep, next to or above oven if it opens into a primary traffic pattern. If it does not open into a traffic area, at least 15″ x 16″ of landing space needed.
30. Countertop for food preparation: 36″ continuous countertop at least 16″ deep for the preparation center, and be immediately adjacent to a water source.
31. Combined countertop for 2 adjacent locations: For two adjacent work centers, determine the longest of the two required counter lengths and add 12″.
32. No two primary work centers should be separated by a full-height, full-depth tower configuration.
33. Kitchen seating areas Minimum clearances for each seated diner are: 30″ high tables/counters: 30″ w by 19″ d counter/table space with at least 19″ of clear knee space. 36″ high counters: 24″ w by 15″ d counter/table space with at least 15″ of clear knee space. 42″ high counters: 24″ wide by 12″ deep counter space with 12″ of clear knee space.
34. Open countertop corners should be clipped or radiused; eliminate sharp corners.
35. Controls, handles, and door/drawer pulls should be operable with one hand with minimal effort.
36. Wall-mounted room controls (ie: switches, receptacles, thermostats, etc.) should be 15″ to 48″ above the finished floor.
37. All receptacles in the kitchen should have ground fault circuit interrupters.
38. Fire extinguisher should be visibly located in the kitchen, away from cooking equipment and 15″ to 48″ above floor.
39. Window/skylight area equals at least 10% of the total square footage of the kitchen, or total living space that includes the kitchen.
40. Every work surface in the kitchen should be well-illuminated by appropriate task and/or general lighting.