In this day and age, more multi-generational homes are being formed for a multitude of reasons. Whether it comes in the form of standard duplex living to larger family homes, the style of house may look different, but the one constant remains: the need for intentional design.
Consider the Family
When starting a design for multi-generational living, it’s important to be aware of not only the family who lives there currently but also their future needs. Are they expanding their family? Are there older generations living in the house? Is the house currently accessible to different levels of mobility? These three factors are the foundation for starting a beautiful and functional design.
Crafting a Kid’s Zone
Many times, we see homeowners coming in to remodel their starter home – which became their long-term home – and now they are planning for the future. Every home has good bones; it’s our job to help build on those bones to make their new space something that encompasses all their needs, current and future.
Planning for extra upper storage specifically for bottles, kids’ cups and plates and other child-specific supplies helps keep the kitchen organized. Adding additional lower kids’ storage puts snacks within reach and allows young ones to exercise a little independence as they grow and learn about kitchen safety.
A fun addition to a kids (or teens) area is a mini fridge. This allows them to have a go-to space for drinks and cold snacks, while keeping the main fridge available for whole-household meal items.
Shared Flex Zones for Multi-Generational Living
Some items can be utilized by all generations. A prep sink is great for washing veggies and prepping meals, but it also doubles as a small craft clean-up area away from the daily hustle and bustle of a normal kitchen sink. (Nobody likes paint splatters on Grandma’s china dishes!)
A lower countertop area for kids to help cook or sit makes the space more welcoming to younger generations. This feature also transitions to an accessible space for cooks who may need to sit down to prep or need a lower surface for baking and operating taller appliances.
In addition to the standard repertoire of kitchen flex zones, a command center for mail, keys and the family calendar is becoming all the rage, especially for multi-generational living arrangements. With so many people in one house, it can be difficult to keep track of who is going where and who is picking little Timmy up from soccer practice. Command centers can be as small or as large as a home needs. Often, they encompass additional items like recipe books and shopping lists, further facilitating a family’s organizational habits to keep their daily lives on track – and from accidentally buying six jars of peanut butter because everyone thinks they ran out.
Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen?
Often, we find ourselves balancing the way a homeowner’s lifestyle collides with that of their parents (or in-laws). It’s important to integrate features that are high-priority items for all parties, helping everyone in the home live more efficiently.
While ADA guidelines dictate the standard 36-inch walk space, a multi-generational home usually needs 42 to 48 inches to avoid folks getting their toes stepped on (literally or metaphorically). This keeps the space flowing and prevents any bottlenecking occurring within the normal work triangle we all seek to maintain.
Additionally, providing more than one main prep space with features specific to the intended user helps keep the kitchen organized and allows for multiple people to cook and utilize the space without it feeling cramped.
It’s important to remember that all parties are likely very excited about their project, and while the path to a successful design is very similar, multi-generational design has more moving parts than single-family home design. As professionals, it’s our job to facilitate those conversations and guide design choices that are not only aesthetic but functional for both the present and the future home dwellers.
Growing Up: Everyone Does It!
We often think of aging in place as something for “older people,” but we often miss out on design elements that benefit everyone and make aging more pleasant overall.
Designers frequently hear clients say things like, “I don’t want to keep bending over to get things,” and that their back can’t “take the strain anymore.” I can attest to this personally! I, too, don’t want to have to bend over and dig in my cabinets. There is no age limit on accessibility and convenience.
It’s become clear that these five cabinetry features can make accessibility a priority before it becomes a necessity:
1. Rollout Trays. These pull-out shelves make getting to the back of those low cabinets a breeze! Simply pull them out to access items without having to bend low or strain to see the back of the cabinet.
2. Mixer Lift. We all know that one special cookie recipe entices the family to gather together every holiday. But the heavy stand mixer is not as easy to lift anymore. An in-cabinet mixer lift helps ease the burden of moving cumbersome appliances. Bring the holiday focus back to family cheer and those scrumptious cookies, instead of whose turn it is to do the heavy lifting for Granny.
3. Hidden Trash Cabinets. Finding a trash can that pets (or kids) can’t break into is essential in multi-generational homes. But often, locking ones are large and make it cumbersome for people to take large bags out to the curb. Having smaller in-cabinet trash cans not only keeps out unwanted guests but also makes trash day exponentially easier when making the trek out to the cans.
4. Hidden Stepstool Cabinet. Often, people are injured in the kitchen due to a slip or fall while trying to get something just out of reach. Having a dedicated small cabinet for a stepstool makes slips and falls less likely to occur from overreaching.
5. Under-Countertop Microwaves. The market has seen a rising push for built-in, under-counter microwaves, and it’s for a good reason. Some of the top kitchen injuries are burns and lacerations, many of which occur from trying to remove something hot from a microwave that was too high off the ground. Not only is an under-countertop microwave great for kiddos learning independence, it’s great for adults wanting to stay safe and avoid spilling hot food.
Designing with Intention
At the end of the day, every designer wants to see their hard work bring a functional, beautiful space to life that meets all the needs of their clients. Keeping the end user at the forefront of your mind and using a few of these key ideas is a sure-fire way to kick-start that process and make your clients’ multi-generational living dreams come true.
—Ashley Day is a kitchen designer with Cleveland Cabinets
