Dining In: Design Tips for the Eat-in Kitchen

In my grandma’s kitchen, we always sat at the kitchen table to have our cocoa and toast when we were lucky enough to stay over with her. We also “helped” with baking and played games or pretended to cook while she prepared supper.

Her kitchen table was freestanding, but tucked to one side of the kitchen, with built-in banquette seating on two parallel benches, under which sat the ever-attentive dog, eager for anything we dropped (with the exception of the cursed peas that even the dog wouldn’t eat).

Some things have changed, some are remarkably similar, but the desire for a cozy spot to sit for casual meals or snacks continues to be a prime concern when planning kitchens.

Back then, we certainly loved the social aspects of cooking and the kitchen, but for the most part, that still meant Grandma cooked while the rest of us socialized. Today, major changes include the shift to multiple cooks, to a greater variety of activities that the kitchen eating space may be used for, and often to a space that is larger and more open to adjacent spaces.

Time shortages have lead to greater demand for efficiency, which has increased interest in casual eating as close as possible to the prep area. Sometimes this space may be the primary place to eat, socialize and accomplish other daily tasks such as reading the mail or doing homework.

Although we all know kitchens are getting bigger, we are often faced with space challenges. While clients may not start out thinking this way, at least some built-in components can help save space, which is making them a great opportunity for designers. Following are some thoughts on today’s built-in eating spaces.

Questions to Ask

Most households will dine in a variety of ways and places, depending on the time of day and the schedules, ages and abilities of the family members. All of this will influence the design of the kitchen eating area.

Its location must be considered, as well. Will people eating at this space have a view of the sunset or will they look right at the kitchen mess? Will this space allow for easy traffic and work flow in and around the kitchen? Will this be the defining line between kitchen prep and the adjacent Great Room? Would the family like to view a TV, listen to music or access a computer from the eating space? Would they like to face each other or line up next to each other to snack or eat? Will Dad be making breakfast while kids are having breakfast at this same space? What other activities will take place at the table?

And what lighting must be planned to accommodate these?

Does the family already have a table that must be designed in? What are their feelings about the size, shape and height of the table or chairs? And, of course, will they consider built-in aspects of the eating area?

All of these should be answered in the planning process.

From the new NKBA Kitchen Planning book, by Beamish, Parrot, Emmel and Peterson, we are reminded of some of the basic needs and clearances. Storage near the eating area must be planned for such things as dishes, glasses, flatware, linens and accessories. In addition, storage may be desired for “stuff” relating to homework, children, bill-paying, cookbooks or whatever activities will be taking place at this table. Counter and/or table surface is needed for serving meals.

Depending on the size of the space and the budget, sometimes a hot/cold beverage station can be planned or, if not, proximity to appropriate appliances such as the refrigerator, the microwave, the toaster or the coffee and hot beverage maker. In larger kitchens, it has become more common to see a separate clean-up area that includes sink and dishwasher near the dish storage and the eating area to facilitate a clean-up person in addition to the cooks of the household, and often these neighboring spaces will overlap.

Clearances

As for space allowances needed for eating and traffic flow around the table, the kitchen planning book has great information. Given that a seated diner takes up about 24" beyond the edge of the eating counter or table, the NKBA guidelines specify that a minimum of 36" may allow for a person to edge past the seated diner and that amount increases to 44" to allow a person to walk past, with 60" allowing clearance for a person using a wheelchair.

As for space at the table or counter, 30" wide by 18" deep is the preferred allowance. For a high chair, a minimum of four square feet is recommended. Knee space below the table will be impacted by the height of the table, with 18" recommended at table height, 15" at standard counter height (36") and 12" at standard bar height (42").

Do the math, include room for serving dishes, and you can get an estimate of the size of the table needed to accommodate whatever number of people. Or, consult the book “Human Dimension and Interior Space” by Julius Panero and Martin Zelnik, which offers excellent standards for interiors. According to the authors, a round table 36" in diameter can seat four people for a light snack, and a minimum of 48" will accommodate full place settings for four.

Solutions

Adding up all the recommended space allowances, the sum can seem to be bigger than the space available. And yet we frequently hear clients say that they want to be sure there is comfortable walking clearance around the eating area.

Obviously these clearances must sometimes be compromised, and this is where design options come in. Working with the desires, preferences and parameters of the actual space available, these standards often have to be prioritized and then met or compromised to fit the family.

Building in any aspect of the eating area can help by eliminating at least some of the needed space for walkways, which may be why these ideas have increased so much in recent years. Our office has made good use of pull-out tables in the smallest of galley kitchens so that casual meals can take place by bringing in a chair, and when done, the table is retracted and traffic flow restored. This works well as it also doubles as a lowered work surface in the kitchen.

A pull-out table can also work well located off the back side of an island where traffic would be interrupted by a permanent table, or where storage has been created across the back of the island, leaving no knee space. A table or built-in snack bar can be located on the back of the island or peninsula. The snack bar may be at counter height so it can function as prep surface or eating bar as needed.

When the kitchen mess is an issue, raising the table or snack bar can help block that view from the adjoining space. This is a great opportunity for unusual shapes or contrasting materials, such as glass, as it helps to transition from prep to social space. Standard table height takes the most space, but offers comfort for the greatest variety of users, and can double as a baking center or chopping surface, as it falls at the proper height for many cooks.

Custom tailored to fit a client’s needs, banquettes are more popular than ever, and showing up in every style from grandma’s cozy kitchen to the most contemporary of spaces. Because they greatly reduce clear floor space for passage, they can be a great solution, but they do require dedicated space. Sometimes in a nook or bay, sometimes off the back of an island, they can be shaped and sized to fit the available space, and they typically include storage drawers or bins below the seating.

In some cases, the space below the seat may be recessed so that one’s feet can be placed under the seat for better balance when rising. The actual bench dimensions must coincide with the required space for a seated diner, typically finishing at 18" high by 24" wide by 15" deep per diner. The height dimension should include the seat cushion.

Books could be written about the “dine-in” space in a kitchen, but suffice to say we all wish for it. While my own recently renovated kitchen is far from my grandma’s, it does include a single bench with a small table and two opposing chairs for two of us to eat when we’re alone. In reality, no matter how many are with us, if we are not outside, we are at that tiny kitchen table, because it’s where people are most comfortable. As designers, the kitchen eating area deserves our careful attention, as it will remain a central focus of the kitchen.

Read past columns on Planning & Design by Mary Jo Peterson, and send us your comments about this story and others by logging onto the Kitchen & Bath Design News Web site at www.kitchenbathdesign.com.