Kitchen islands are a relatively recent invention.  They first appeared in 1950s USA as a way of filling up newly expanded kitchen spaces.  The introduction of breakfast bars, probably inspired by neighbourhood diners, turned what was a cross between a range and a working table into a multi-function piece of furniture that is the star of the kitchen.  Cooking counters in diners proved the value of eating near a cooking zone as pre-served plates could be handed across the worktop for instant consumption. This allowed the island socialize the domestic kitchen by bringing eating into the heart of the culinary area. The arrival of efficient air ventilation systems on the market conveniently coincided making it possible to take the cooking hobs away from the chimney breast.

Ergonomics was the next development.  Following Henry Ford’s application of productivity theory, kitchen design eventually benefited from time and motion studies.  Surprisingly few serious attempts had been made to apply ergonomics to the kitchen by the time I started designing central Islands, and few acknowledged the social role of the kitchen.

Cindy’s diner, restored to it’s 1954 original, Kansas City.

Image courtesy of Kansas Historical Foundation

PERSONAL DISCOVERIES

My understanding of the role the island plays in lifting kitchen design to an art includes two other constituents. The Alexander Technique, a movement therapy taught in drama and music schools is based on a system of moving with a sense of economy to support the back and the body’s posture.  This led me to a concept I call ‘dedicated work surfaces’ where a culinary activity is optimized through calculating the space required to accommodate it without being overly generous, with the appropriate counter height and surface material then selected.  A balance needs to found, giving the hands space to work without involving unnecessary foot movement.  Too much space given to one kitchen activity reduces the room available for another.
My second discovery was the importance of peripheral vision. Our eyes cause our bodies to react to sharp edges and corners by becoming defensive, an alert signal going off in the brain sending low level flight and fight response signals.  I developed ‘soft geometry’, curved shapes which form natural routes between furniture and architectural features to make islands easy to negotiate, essential as islands are by their nature in the middle of a room.

NO MAN CAN LIVE ON AN ISLAND

Islands don’t exist on their own.  In a kitchen interior, arrangements need to be made between the central island and the doors, windows, walls, fridges, cupboards and tables.  The first thing to do is establish the ‘sweet spot’ or ‘driving position’, the safest and most strategic position for the cook.  Once that is located, with space left behind to protect the cook’s back (a well-established psychological need), one can assess the amount of space in front for an island, ideally with room behind for a sink cabinet.  Storage, best located in the zone between eyes and knees, is the third phase of the design.

Kitchen Island designed for clients in Memphis 2000

ALLOCATION OF WORK SPACE

The placement of prepping takes priority and is generally best sited on a corner to allow for a two-directional approach.  The cooktop should be kept in the centre, with a back-up work surface either to the right or in front. This can be a lower level surface at table height for use by children or as a pastry roll out area.  The longest work surface is the breakfast bar, we rename more accurately the food bar.  It’s for eating, serving and all purpose food display set highest of all so that it can’t be used as a prep surface.  Its users can then see what’s going on whether they sit on bar stools or perch and no one gets their hair singed as they are above the level of hot pans on the stove!

DESIGN MANNERS

Varying the mass of the island into a sequence of connected shapes creates sculptural harmony.  Some parts might even be see-through so that light can travel across the floor, from windows to the corridor to between the island and wall counters.  Installing a lighting gantry that echoes the outline shape of the island helps prevent it looking isolated or like an overgrown table. Include bars or hooks for small tools as this allows the cook sight and reach of his/her tools.  Lights enhance the rack’s function and visual appeal.  Finally, make sure the scale is right.  Small furniture in big rooms looks lost, big islands in small rooms mean you create an obstacle like something from Maurice Sendak’s Scary Monsters… After that it’s all up to the cook.

* More text on central islands can be found in a section at the back of my book Kitchen Culture

I believe the public is often deprived of creativity when buying a new kitchen. This is the reason why I am calling for  the setting up the Kitchen Creative Index: it’s a list of actions that would ensure every customer gets a kitchen environment which has sound ergonomics and suits their personality, home space and budget requirements, and has sustainable thinking built in.

In financially straightened times when resources are limited it’s right moment to unleash the powers of creativity to make well developed kitchen designs. This involves a two step process, empathetic listening and inventive thinking is followed by meticulous sifting and refining of the design to make it work. It’s not only the artistic and style elements that need including in the design proposal but a focused attention on value for money and ergonomics. Blue-sky thinking should open up the use of new materials, sustainable appliances, lighting design, which of the home owners possessions can be incorporated and how effectively the architecture is deployed.

There are unknowns ahead for uninitiated clients (and if there aren’t, there should be). A good customer relationship starts with exploring these unknowns and unblocking preset ideas. This is a productive process that counters the general suspicion of the unfamiliar and helps allay anxiety. Many of our regular commercial transactions are unemotional purchases. However purchasing a kitchen environment should not be like buying a collection of products; it’s a service and multi-faceted one at that.

Our job as kitchen makers is to provide the consumer with ideas that translate into a physical product, not the other way round. Good ergonomics, a high sociability factor and abstract notions such as providing meaning through individual associations of objects do matter. (Neuroscience studies will tell you that the brain uses surroundings as ways of recalling memories – we have more emotional connection to things we use or decorate our homes with than we may realize). Alienation comes about when we don’t identify with our environments. Dull, copycat brochure led kitchens are a case in point.

Childhood memories, scenes from places we have visited or things we have loved, whether objects on a mantelpiece or a vintage armchair that our granny used to sit on should be included in the story-board for a kitchen design. Favourite colours that have no easily identifiable reason for being liked help make up a ‘mental map of comfort’. As kitchen makers we need to connect with our customers so we can create a wonderful physical world of surfaces you can stroke, places to perch, furniture that helps the body move smoothly from one culinary activity to another that provide hints of pleasure scattered throughout the room.

Over the next few months, starting at Grand Designs Live next Sunday, I will be talking about the Kitchen Creative Index at a number of public events, sponsored by Miele UK. What should kitchen companies and the design professions offer their customers in the way of creative guarantee? What should customers expect?  With luck this will help rebuild confidence and increase the status of the kitchen industry and make the whole process of buying a kitchen more enjoyable and better value for money.

Please get touch with ideas for ideas you think should be in this manifesto. Email  enquiries@johnnygrey.co.uk;  facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Johnny-Grey-Studios; twitter @Johnny Grey.

Grand Designs Live is on Sunday 13^th at 4pm. I will be in discussions with George Clarke. Please come and join us in live debate.