The motion minded kitchen

Drawing of a mix center from Lillian Gilbreth's
Management in the Home

When I tell people I build kitchen cabinets they often ask me what style cabinets I build. They are thinking Colonial, Shaker, Mission, modern European. I am never quite sure how to respond because our emphasis is not so much on style as it is on functionality, ergonomics, and generally creating a space that is a joy to work in.

Sam Clark’s first book was called The Motion Minded Kitchen. The name comes from what is known as Motion Studies. At the turn of the century as the Industrial Revolution was chugging along, a lot of people were thinking about ways to make labor easier and more efficient. Two such people were Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. Frank was a bricklayer by trade and an early student, and maybe the originator, of motion studies. Through research and work in his trade he came up with systems and tools that allowed a worker to be twice as efficient and with less effort. Though the tools were important to him, his emphasis was in organizing work spaces and sites; setting up work sequences and ideas such as point of first use (setting up your tool or kitchen knife right where you use it) and pre-positioning of tools (or the coffee and grinder).

Lillian was also a student and progenitor of motion studies and took her ideas into household management and most importantly to us, the kitchen. Her book Management in the Home laid out those ideas of work centers and point of first use as it applied in the kitchen. She also identified early the changes of the kitchen back into a social and family space, and laid out many of the concepts that underpin modern kitchen design.

These ideas create the basis of how we design a kitchen, and give us the tools and the process we go through with a customer. Instead of starting a design process with wood and counter decisions, wall color and type of sink, start with the work center. That best spot in the kitchen for working in. Where all of your favorite utensils are and most used spices and oils, one motion away. Ideally it is situated somewhere between the sink and stove with just enough space to spread out but not too much; some nice natural light, and just enough connection to the social part of the kitchen. Now, what kind of counter would work best for you in that spot? Would you want doors or drawers underneath?  How deep are those drawers? How about a place for food scraps and trash maybe.  Then go out from that spot, maybe a spot for a second chef, storage for things that you don’t reach for everyday.

A nice clean up and dish storage center
Designed and built by SCD

This is how a kitchen design should evolve. By thinking in this way the design and “style” that evolves is based on how you work and the way you use it and not based on trends and pictures in glossy kitchen magazines. The idea is to create an efficient, familiar space that is a joy to work in and makes the daily grind of cooking, eating and cleaning a little easier and a little more pleasant.