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A Study of Kitchen Arrangement and Storage Practices
Affecting Food Preparation Activities of
Twelve Homemakers in Vestfold County,
Norway, with Suggestions

for Improvement

193’
Raqnhild Evju

k

A Problem

submitted to the Graduate School of
Michigan State University of Agriculture
and Applied Science for partial fulfill-
ment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts.

Department of Home Management and Child Development

1957

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he writer wishes to express her appreciation to Miss
Esther Everett and Dr. Irma H. Gross for their interest in
and supervision of this problem, and to Dr. Beatrice O‘Donnell
for her many helpful suggestions and to the twelve homemakers
in Vestfold County, Norway, who provided the information on

which this problem was based.

C O N'T E N T S

Int rOdUCt ion. 0 o o o o o o o o O o o o o o o o o O O l
The Problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Purpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Procedur e o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 o o o O o o O O O 3
MEthOd. o o o o o o O o o o o o o o o o o o o o O 3

Review of American Research Literature. . . . . . 3

Findings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Case No.
Case No.
Case No.

Case No. 19

Case NO.

Case No.

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Case No.

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Case-No.

Case No. 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Case No. 10. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Case No. 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Case No. 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Appendix

Bibliography

IIFZ‘RCDUCTICN

The Problem

Many of the farm houses in Norway are old, and even if
they are kept in good condition, the earlier days lay-out of
the rooms do not always meet today‘s requirements. The I: itchen
itself is usually rather large and has several doors leading to
the adjacent rooms. This, together with the fixed location of
the chimney and the windows, often makes it difficult to change

into a modern worl ma gplace. Most of the food preparation
activities are carried out here, whereas much of the food pre-
servation as canning, preparation for freezing, etc. is under-
taken in the nearby pantry. The kitchen is not only a work
room, however, most of the every-day meals, family er tertain-
ment and child care take place here.

The Norwegian farm homemaker has less access to half pre-
pared or ready prepared food than her American colleague and
does much of the baking, and preparation of the raw materials
herself.

Since a considerable amount of household pro: -uction is
carried out, a relatively large storage space is required.

The storehouse on pillars, used in earlier days for storing
salted and dried meat, dry b1 ead, flour, etc. is still in use
on many farms even if its contents have changed. Only a small
part of the meat today is salted; most is canned or frozen.
Refrigeration is in progress in many rural areas but the

main part of the storage takes place in a draft-coolerl in the

n‘

1A closet or small storage roorl with outdoor ventilation
frequently found in ScandinaVian homes.

kitchen or in the basement.

The wood range is used in the majority of the farm houses
besides the electric one as an additional cooking means during
busy seasons or for heating purposes during winter months. The
high cost of other electrical equipment as mixers, etc., makes
them less available for the rural population.

Servants will be found in the minority of the homes today,
as most of the household tasks are carried out by the homemaker
herself with some assistance from the other family members.

Nobody denies the importance of the kitchen as a conven-
ient work place, but very little research is undertaken in
Norway in this field. The improvements done during recent
years have been,according to practical experiences of home
economists and homemakers, based upon research findings from

other countries.
furpose

The purpose of the study is to Obtain information about
{itchen arrangements and storage practices affecting food
preparation activities among certain homemakers in Norway,
and on the basis of the findings, evaluate suggestions for

improvement according to American research findings.

0-7

 

‘ n T‘INu- ' T‘
PR CJUDRL

Method

'The information needed for these case studies was obtained
by means of questionnaires sent to twelve homemakers in Vestfold
County, Norway. These cases were selected since the writer has
been working as home demonstration agent in the county the last
few years, and knew the homemakers well enough to assume will-
ingness for cooperation.

Several limitations occur when the information is collected
so far away from Michigan State University where this problem is
written, but it is hoped that what the homemakers told about
their kitchen arrangements and storage practices are in reason-

able accordance with the facts.
Review of American Research Literature

Present literature on kitchen design and planning is rela—
tively extensive. Maybe no other area in the home has received

public in

7
l
A.

so much attention both from researchers and the
general. The United States Department of Agriculture (18) and
the Universities of Oregon (20), Washington (19,21), Illinois
(5), New York (2) among others, have developed new ideas and
clfarified many of the older concepts in this field.

Besides many other activities as sewing mendine eating,
entertainment and play, food preparation is still the most time
consuming activity carried out in the kitchen.

The homemakers' tasks are centered around the necessary

appliances, and most kitchen-planning specialists today

a.

v'

recognize three to five work centers; the sink center, the
cooking center with the range, the Serving center and the
mixing center near the refrigerator. The Small Hones Council
at the University of Illinois makes this statement: ”From the
standpoint of efficiency, it is desirable to keep the centers
as clearly defined as possible in order that supplies can
always be available at the point of first use. A well defined

a to it are

center is one which none of the supplies belonging
separated and assigned to cabinets in other parts of the kit-
1 u"
C11611. 0

Several studies (11, 19, 5a) indicate that sink to range
is the most frequently traveled path in practically all kit-
chens, and if a compromise has to be made between this and the
arrangement of other work centers, it alould not take place on

f the sink to range relationship.

the sacrifice o

Wiley (2) draws the conclusion from her study that ”the
saving of motions lies with the arrangement within each unit
rather than in the relation of the units to each other.”3

Experiments show (18, 5) that the fewest steps are taken
in routing the meal preparation in the following order: from
the refrigerator, mixing and preparation centers, to the sink,
range and serving centers for the right-handed person.

Mize (10) states that the most outstanding facts from her
study is that a person moves frequen 1y from one area in the

kitchen to another during meal processes. Therefore, from the

 

2iandbook of Kitchen Des:gn, Stall Homes Council, Univ. of
Ill. ’ Urballa, Ill. ’ p. G.

 

3E. M. Wiley, A.Motion Study_of Fitchen A -uent, Hash.

r
Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 518, September 1950, p. 16.

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management aspect, it is thought that it is valuable not only
to study the design of the kitchen working and storage spaces,
but also to consider distances between locations of work in
kitchen arrangement.

The Small Homes Council at the University of Illinois
developed the ”work triangle" and used that as a measure of the
efficiency of the kitchen. Their recommended limits, as measured

from the center fronts of the appliances,are:

between range and refrigerator. . . . . 4 to 9 feet
between range and sink. . . . . . . . . 4 to 6 feet

between sink and refrigerator . . . . . 4 to 7 feet

The total sum of the triangle formed by these distances
should not exceed 22 feet. Traffic through this triangle
interferes with meal preparation and should be avoided.

The Ohio State University (1) is more concerned with the
larger farm houses and makes the following recommendations for
kitchens with eating areas:

1. for gas or electric range and dining space for 4
to 6 people, 9 x 16 feet or from about 144 to 160
square feet

2. for gas or electric and wood range and dining Space
for 6 to,8 people, 12 x 17 feet or from about 200
to 240 square feet.

The shape of the kitchen and.the relationship between doors
and windows will determine what type of assembly, whether the
shape of one or two wall corridor, ”L” or ”U” or broken ”U.”

Some discussioncrcurs among the researchers as to which one

of these arrangements is the most stepsaving. United States
Department of Agriculture (18), Washington (19), and Mundel
(11) found most advantages with the ”U” shaped assembly.
Studies from Cornell (8, 10) are in favor of the ”L” arrange-
ment, iot so much for the saving of steps but the greater free-
dom of movement and space for a second worker.

Research (5) in the matter of storage Space used has 51 Iown
that the amount used by different family types is surpr is in(Y L,1y
similar. ”Some specialists believe that the kitchen with suffi-
cient wall area to furnish six square feet of storage per person
in wall cabinets, with spa ce for two added to allow for enter-
taining, is an efficient size to care for all needs.”4

Lsually most of the storage takes place in or near the
:itchen. However, Kidder found that the storage outside the
lzitchen was extensive. In one study done among farm families
.in.New York, 24 percent of the items needed for common house -
1101d tasks were stored in the basement. :The be sement storage

1erits consideration not only becw se of the comparatively long
distance per item for such storage, but also because of the
climb up the stairs which requires an expenditure of energy
sufficient to raise the weight of the body, as well as any
items being carried from basement to kitchen floor level.”

The heights at which the storage is done will have a great

influence on energy e:;penditure and.otl er costs on the human

body. Bratton (3) stchie eight activit es that are involved

in body movements of homemakers as they perform common household

_k _A_‘

4Louise Jenison Feet and Leonore Sater Thye, Household
Egyipment, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, p. 361.

 

tasks. The activities measured in the study included three
arm reaches to heights of 46, 56, and 74 inches, two trunk
bend to 22 and 3 inches from file floor, and a knee bend to 3
inches, a step up to 7 inches, and a body pivot combined with
an arm reach to 36 inches.

”The energy cost of each of the activities tested was
relatively small, except knee bend to reach 3 inches above
floor, and a few performance of each of these activities would
be of little consequence to the worker. However, they are of
the type involved in the work.centers and appliances commonly
used for several hours each day in homes and, therefore, impor-
tant because of the possible saving of energy over a long period
of time.5

In ”The Cornell Kitchen" (2) where Dr. Beyer discusses
data from the Bratton study, he says it is evident that in
using storage Space which required to bend down, the worker
used approximately twice the effort for every inch nearer the
floor than for every inch she reached higher than her elbow,
when arm motions only were necessary.

Mize (10) made the conclusion from a similar study that
judging from both angles of bend and energy index, the heights
relatively easy for most women to use are between 27 and 63
inches above floor which would be a desirable height for stor-
age of the most frequently used and the heaviest items.

Even if most manufacturers of kitchen cabinets are in

favor of the streamlined kitchen, the later researches in this

“—

SEsther Crew Bratton, Oxygen Consumed i2 Household Tasks,
Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 873, August 1951, p. 20.

 

 

field point to the opposite direction. The height of a work
surface should be such as to permit the worker to stand or
sit upright with upper part of arm in a natural position. No
one ”best” working height is given in any of th examined
research papers; they all agree that the height would have

to fit the individual homemalier and the customary task at the
given location.

Since the length of time Spent at the sink area is consi-
dered to be longer than at any other \.orking place in the kit-
chen, special attention should be paid to this height. For the
homemaker of average height (a, 3, 24) about 34 inches to the
bottom of the bowls. or about 38 inches to the surface are
recommended (7, 18, 30, 10, 14).

The height of the working surface beside the range will,
in most cases, be determined by the rmige itself, and lies
between 32 to 36 inches. A compromise often has to be made
between a low enough working surface for comfortable use of
long-handled tools tOgether with high pots etc. and the inspec-
tion and use of the oven.

Maud Wilson, in her study, makes this suggestion for test-
ing the height of the mixing table, "start doing some beating
and kneading on a work table 31 inches high, then repeat the
test on successively higher and lower surfaces until the home-
maker has arrived at a decision as to the best height for her.”6

The amount of counter space will, to a large e:;tent, depend

upon the function of food preparation and.the requirement for

 

6Maud Wilson, Considerations in Planning Kitchen Cabinets,
Oregon Exp. Sta. Bull. 435,6November11947, p. a7.

 

 

base cabinets. The most important center in the kitchen is
considered to be the sink center, used both for dishwashing

and preparing vegetables or other tasks where water is needed.
A right-handed person, working from right to left, will need

at least 36 inches on the right side of the sink. More dis-
cussion seems to occur regarding length of counter space needed
on the left side of the sink with variations from 18 (8) up to
36 (1) inches.

The second most important center is the cooking center,
containing the range and some kind of stationary or movable
serving table. Several recommendations are made from the
different Experiment Stations (18, 8, l, 5, 20) varying from 18
to 36 inches in length.

The preparation or mixing center may be made up of a table
or a counter about 36 inches in length. The amount of space
needed will, to a great extent, depend upon the amount of baking

and food preparation done.

FINDINuS

Case No. I.

The household in this case consists of 3 to 4 members with
an average of 3 guests per week for meals.

The farm house is relatively old probably 100 years or
more. The large kitchen, 14‘9” x 14310” serves both as a center
for food preparation activities and as an eating place for the 4
daily meals.

The appliances are arranged in a broken ”1N with the sink
in the middle, the mixing center to the ‘right, and the range
to the left. The break in the ”L” is formed by a door leading
to the adjacent laundry and sewing room. The two additional
doors and two windows leave limited continuous wall space for
cabinets. AS could be expected in a square room, the distances
between appliances are rather long. The sink to mixing center
is 4‘11", the sink to cooking center 7‘5", and the cooking to
mixing center 9‘10”, adding up to a total work triangle of
22‘2”.

fThe counter surfaces are kept on two different levels,

31” for the sink center.

The working surface for the mixing center is 8'6“ long with
an adjacent sink surface (including the sink) of 6'10”. Little
work surface is available at the range, but as the young home-
maker said ”when time and money come, we will replace the old
wood stove with a small heating stove that will give room for
storage and work space near the electric range.”

No refrigeration is used and.much of the easily spoiled

11

food and some of the other items used in meal preparation are
stored outside the kitchen. During summer time, the homemaker
makes an average of 4 trips a day to the basement using the
entrance from the kitchen. In the winter time, most of the
storage is done in a draft-cooler in the hallway with the en-
trance close to the mixing center.

The storage of china, equipment and drygoods is done in
the upper and lower cabinets at the sink and mixing centers.

Since the homemaker is rather short, 5‘2", she has found
it convenient to store most of the food and necessary equipment
on levels fr m 25 to 63 inches above the floor, the rest is

stored below 27 inches.

Evaluation

Good Points Poor roints

The size of the kitchen The break in the ”L” arrange-

m . ment which causes the
lhe layout of the working cen- ‘

ters accord-Inn to the £10“! rather 10118 ‘VOIK triangle.

of work. The danger involved in using

No traffic lines crossing the the trap door from the

work triangle. kitchen to the basement.

’ ° ’C . . T r
Suff1C1ent lower storage space. Insufficient “OIL and storage

Sufficient work space at the space at the range.

sink and mixing centers. Much storage outside the kit-

GOOd working and storage heights. Chen.

Possibilities for sitting down Relatively little Wall cabinet

during work periods. space.

 

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Suggestions for Improvement

The main problem in this kitchen lies in the long walking
distances both for collecting food and the serving and clean-
ing up processes. Many steps could be eliminated by using a
tea cart which would also serve as a highly needed work place
near the range before the planned remodeling of this area is
done.

Since the mixing center is longer than usually needed in
an average home, room could be allowed here for a refrigerator

to eliminate storage outside the kitchen.

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'13

Case No. 2

This household consists of seven members with an average
of three guests per meal per week. The farm house is a new
building with a large kitchen 14‘2" x 15‘, which serves both
as a center for food preparation and as an eating place for the
three daily meals.

The appliances are arrazged in a broken “L” with the sink
in the middle, the mixing center to the right and the cooking
center to the left. The break in the ”L” is due to the doors
leading to the adjacent laundry room and to the hall. The loca-
tions of the working centers are quite fixed; the sink because
of the joint piping to the bathroom and the range and stove
because of the necessary connection to the chimney. This, in
addition to the almost square shape of the room itself, makes
the distances from the sink and.mixing centers to the cooking
center very long. The sink to range is 11‘6”, the range to
mixing center 13‘2” and the m'xing center to sink 4'1”, adding
up to a total work triangle of 28'9".

The work surfaces are kept on three different levels, 36”
for the sink, and mixing center, 33” for the serving center and
31" for the range and stove. The working surfaces for the sink
and mixing centers together are 8‘8”, for the cooking center
8'2”. The working surface next to the range seems unnecessarily
long but serves both as a place for baking and for dishing up
meals. Possibilities for sitting down during work periods are
available both at mixing and serving centers but are seldom a’

never used by the homemaker.

14

to refrigeration is used and the easily spoiled food is
stored in a draft-cooler in the kitchen or in the basement.
During summertime, the homemaker makes an average of four
trips to the basement a day, using the entrance from the hall.
The draft-cooler is more extensively used during the colder
seasons and partly eliminates the trips to the basement.

The homemaker in this case story is rather tall, 5‘6”, and
has found it convenient to store most of the food and necessary
equipment on levels from 28" to 63” above the floor, the rest

is stored on levels higher than 64” above the floor.

ENaluation

Good roints Poor koints

"

The size of the kitchen. Not suitable arrangement of
. . ,. t’ d r f °
The arrangement of txe c00k1ng. ne 00 S or kitchen
. effici c r
center as a complete unit. en Y pu poses.
. . 'he 11 out of work'ne centers
SuffiCient storage and work Space. .y 0
. . . . . . . according to flow of work,
POSSibilities for Sitting during

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work. lae long distance between Sink

. . . and range due to the break
(RDOd working height at cooking .
1n the ”L. ”
center.

P . The low sink compared to the
Good flow or work for a right- _
height of the homemaker.
handed person.

Traffic lines crossing work
triangle, but of less im-
portance in an Open spaced

work area.
Storage outside the kitchen.

The long distance from the en-
trance to the storage of food

in and near draft-cooler,

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due to the necessary

outside ventilation.
Suggestions for Improvement

Due to the isolation of the cooking center, this unit
should be as complete in itself as possible. Frequently used
inexpensive equipment, flour, sugar, seasoning, and so forth
should be located both at the cooking center and at the small
mixing center, in order to eliminate walking. A tea cart may
be of some help both in the serving and cleaning up process and
save steps.

A.small refrigerator for the easily spoiled food such as
milk and meat, could be placed close to the entrance door and

eliminate many of the daily trips to the basement.

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16

Case No. 3

The household in this case consists of six members with
an average of six guests per week for meals.

The Kitchen is a large room 19'4” x 14'7” and serves both
as a center for food preparation activities and as an eating
place for the three daily meals.

The appliances are arranged in a broken ”U,” with the sink
in the middle, the range to the right and mixing counter to the
left. No complete work units exist for the range and mixing
center. In order to concentrate the work area, a cabinet with
drawers for small equipment, flour, sugar and other dry ingred-
ients is placed on the middle of the floor and serves as the
mixing center.

Since there is storage in several places in the kitchen,
it is difficult to construct a work triangle. However, a con-
siderable amount of walking must take place as the pots and pans
are stored so far from the range, and the draft-cooler and re-
frigerator are located on the opposite wall of the sink and
mixing counters. Because of the refrigerator, the homemaker
makes only one trip to the basement per day for collecting
potatoes and vegetables. Three trips are made per week to the
storehouse on pillars for flour used for baking in her large
household.

The counter surfaces are kept on two different levels, 33”
for the sink, range and wood box, and 3a“ for the rest of the
counters. As often as possible, the homemaker uses a high

stool at the counter and sits down for work.

U’

The length of the sink center is 5'11”, the mixing counter
4', the counter below windows 8'4”, and the wood box 2‘6”.

The homemaker is rather tall, 5'8”. She stores the most
of her frequently used food and equipment on levels from 28 to
63 inches above the floor, but since little upper wall cabinet

space is available, she has to store the rest below 27 inches.

Evaluation
Good Points Poor Points

Eliminate steps by use of mix- The traffic line through the
ing counter, and at the same room-
time lead the traffic away Little upper cabinet storage
from her work area. space.

Possibilities for sitting down No storage space near the
during work. range.

Good storage facilities for The long distance from the
food in the kitchen. ' draft-cooler to the sink and

mixing area.
Too low sink for the homemaker.

Suggestions for Improvements

Many steps could be avoided in this kitchen by applying
the principles from work simplification, ”storage at the first
point of use."

A.wall cabinet above the electric range and the wood box
would take care of the storage of pots, pans, serving plates
and other items used for cooking and dishing up meals.

In case the draft-cooler and China closet changed places,
the china would.be closer to the table and the diningroom door,

and the previous china closet could be ventilated and used as

la

a draft-cooler for potatoes and vegetables, and may be eliminate

the homemaker's daily trips to the basement.
If the homemaker does most of the dishwashing herself, the

sink, 33” high, seems too low and could be lifted four to five

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19

Case No. 4

This household consists of four members with an average
of 4-3 guests for meals per week. Usually the family eats in
the kitchen, but due to the children‘s irregular school hours,
only two meals per day are eaten together.

The kitchen is 13‘7-1 x 13-7“ with four doors leading to
the adjacent rooms and hall, which gives limited continuous
wall space. The sink and range are arranged in a ”L,” the
mixing center is located close to the wall-in draft-cooler
where the refrigerator is also placed.

The distances between the appliances are as follows: sink
to range 3‘6”, range to mixing center 8‘6” and sink to mixing
center 0'4” adding up to a total work triangle of 21‘4”. How-
ever, the true walking distance is longer due to the separation
of the mixing center and the refrigerator. ENen with the rela-
tively sufficient storage space in the refrigerator and draft-
cooler, the homemaker makes an average of 2-3 trips to the
basement during winter time and 7-8 trips during the summer
season.

The counter surfaces are kept on two different levels, 36‘1
for the sink and 29” for the mixing centers. A lap board, 26”
high, is placed in the sink counter but seldom or never used.

The length of the mixing center is 5‘7” with both upper
and lower storage space. The length of the working surface of
the sink center is 6‘10” (including the sink), with wall cabi-
nets above. Less storage space will be found below since room

is allowed for the wood box at the end of the counter. The

The range is an isolated work place with no adjacent counter
or storage space.

The homemaker is of average height, 5‘5J, and stores most
of her frequently used food and equipment between 28-63 inches

above the floor. The rest is stored above 64 inches.

Evaluation
Good Points Poor Points
The arrangement of the mixing Traffic lines crossing the
center as a complete unit, work-triangle, due to the
since it is located so far location of the many doors.

from the sink and range.
The long distance between the

The length and height of the
sink.

entrance and the food stor-
age.

Storage Space available at the T
ho work space at the range.

sink.

Sufficient storage Space for food.
Suggestions for Improvement

Since there is not work and storage Space near the elec-
tric range, it would be wise to use the empty room here for
wall cabinets and work counter.

_With this amount of cool storage Space upstairs, one may
question if all the trips to the basement are necessary or

may be due to poor management.

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Case No. 5

The farm house in this case is old, and was remodeled two
years ago. At that time, 7 feet was added to the breath of
the room, in order to get a laundry room close to the entrance.
The size of the kitchen today is 13'2” x ao‘ and it is used
both as a work room and as an eating hlace for the four meals
the household eats together. The household consists of four
members with an average of five guests per week for meals.

The appliances are arranged in a ”U” shape with the
range in the middle, the mixing center to the right and the
sink to the left (due to the joint piping with the laundry
room). The work area is very concentrated. The length of
the work triangle is as follows: the sink to range 4‘, the
range to the mixing center 6‘3”, and the sink to the mixing
center 5‘6”, adding Up to a total work triangle of 15‘8”. The
length of the work surfaces are rather short, 6' for the sink,
2' for the range, 5' for the mixing center. Storage space is
arranged in upper and lower cabinets. Tne homemaker makes one
trip a day to the basement for potatoes and vegetables, the
rest of the food is stored in the refrigerator.

The working heights are kept on two different levels 36”
for the sink, and 32” for the mixing center. A lap board 26”
above the floor is used for suitable tasks.

This homemaker is short-~5‘l“, and has found it conven-
ient to store most of the frequently used items on levels 28

to 63 inches above floor, the rest is stored below 27 inches.

44

Evaluation
Good Points Poor Points
Good layout of work area, Long distance from range
No traffic lines crossing work to table.

area.

Possibilities for sitting down

during work period.

Good working and storage heights.

Suggestions for Improvements

Since this is one of the better samples of the case
studies, there are not many suggestions to make for its improve-
ment. However, a tea cart used in serving and cleaning up pro-
cesses would save many steps when the range is located so far

frmn the table.

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43

Case No. 6

The household in this case consists of four members with
Van average of four guests per week for meals.

The kitchen is small, only 13'a" x 9‘, but serves both as
a center for food preparation activities and as an eating place
for the four meals the family eats together.

The only complete working center is the mixing unit, 6‘
long with upper and lower cabinets for storage. The sink, 3‘9”
long, is located in the opposite corner and this, together with
the low work height of 28”, makes it difficult to use. For the
same reason, the dishwashing is done in pans on the table and
the sink is used only for peeling potatoes and vegetables and
emptying water. The range has no joining work or storage space
at all. With the present location of the appliances, the work
triangle is long, 24‘3“, with the following distances between
the appliances: 'the Sink to range 5‘, the range to mixing cen-
ter 7‘6”, and the sink to mixing center 9‘9”. Three different
work heights are used, 32” for the mixing center, ZS” for the
sink and 29" for the table. No refrigerator is used and the
homemaker has to make an average of three trips per day to the
basement for collecting food as milk and meat.

The homemaker is of average height 5'4” and stores most of

the frequently used items on levels between as and 63 inches.

The rest is stored above 64 inches.

Evaluation
Good Points Poor Points

Storage and work space at the The layout of the work area.

Inixing center.

44

The traffic line crossing

work triangle.

The long distance between
the sink and the mixing
center.

No work and storage Space
near the electric range.

The location and the height

of the sink.

Suggestions for Improvements

The present kitchen arrangement is inefficient as a modern
work place and its remodeling should be seen as a whole even if
it may be done a little at a time. With the minimum informa-
tion available, the suggestions for improvement are done accor-
ding to the present activities undertaken there, even if the
floor area really is too small to give sufficient eating space.
The mixing center in the improved arrangement is too short for
many activities as baking, and the table has to be used as
additional work space. To avoid too much walking back and
forth to the range, salt, sugar, seasoning, and some kettles
should be stored there.

In case the eating area could be moved to another room,
the appliances could be arranged in an unequal ”U” counted
from the hall to the living room door: mixing center, sink,

cooking center.

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43

Case No. 7

The farm house in this case is 50 to 60 years old, but
remodeled a few years ago.’ The large kitchen zO' x 16'5“
serves both as a center for food preparation and other home-
making activities and as an eating place for the four daily
meals.

The household consists of eight members, with only occas-
ionally guests for meals during the week.

The appliances are arranged in a broken ”Ut with the sink
in the middle, the mixing center to the right and the range to
the left. Due to this break in the ”U,” both the sink and mix-
ing centers are arranged as complete separate units, which helps
to eliminate walking back and forth. No work space is available
at the range, however, the tea cart is used there for dishing up
meals. It is also used in serving and cleaning up processes and
is highly prized by the homemaker as a step-saving device.

The distances between the appliances are as follows: the
sink to mixing center 8'6”, the sink to range 7', and the range
to mixing center 6'6”, adding up to a total work triangle of za'.
The counter surfaces are kept on two different levels, 38” for
the sink area and 32” for the mixing area. A high stool is used
at the mixing center where there is sufficient room for the_knees.
Iere the homemaker also keeps her mixer and other items used in
food preparation. The working surfaces for the mixing center are
4'6" long and for the sink 7'1”.

No refrigeration is used. The easily spoiled food is stored

in the walk-in draft-cooler or in the basement. During summer

time, the homemaker makes an average of three trips to the base-

ment per day for collection of food; during colder seasons more

of the storage is undertaken upstairs. Due to the many doors,

limited continuous wall space is available for storage of equip-

ment and china.

The homemaker is tall, 5'8”,

and stores most of her fre-

quently used items between 48 and 63 inches above the floor; the

rest had to be stored below 27 inches.

ENaluation

Good Points
The separation of work and eating
area.
The layout of the work area.

The planning of sink and mixing

centers as complete units.
The extensive use of the tea cart.
Possibilities for sitting during
work period.
Good working heights.

Good storage height for most of
the frequently used items.

Ikuplication of salt, sugar, flour
seasoning at range and mixing
center.

Poor Points

Traffic lines crossing work
triangle.

No stationary work space and
storage space near range.

Limited upper-wall storage
space.

Too low storage Space for the

rest of the items for this

tall homemaker.

Suggestions for Improvement

The homemaker seems to have managed very well in her kitchen,

inspite of the draWbacks due to three doors in the work area. Much

of the walking is eliminated by use of the tea car. More could be

done in the smne direction if a refrigerator had been located
in the draft-cooler for storage of milk, meat and other easily

spoiled foods.

No 7.

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This small farm house was originally built for the retired
senior farm family, but for unknown reasons, the young family
of four is living there at the present time. The kitchen is
only 11'11" x 9'4” and serves both as an eating and work room.
The family entertains quite frequently and counts on an average
of eight guests per week for meals.

The sink and cooking centers are arranged in an “L," the
refrigerator is located on the opposite wall without any adjacent
work and storage Space. For a family of two, the work area might
have been adequate, but it seems small for this household with so
much entertainment. Due to the dining table, the doors of the
refrigerator and the two floor to ceiling closets are very diffi-
cult to open.

The length of the sink is 6'11"x and the length of the cook-
ing center 1'7”. The distances between the appliances are from
sink to range 3'3”, from range to refrigerator 7'9”, and from the
refrigerator to the sink 8', adding up to a total work triangle
of 19'.

The work height is held on one level 3'3” for both sink
and.range, part of the mixing is done on the table whiCh is 29”
.high. Most of the frequently used items are stored on levels
laetween 28 and 63 inches above the floor, which should be a
desirable height for this homemaker 5‘3” tall. The rest of the

storage is down below 27".

29

Evaluation
Good Points Poor Points
Adequate length and storage The kitchen is too small for
space at the sink center. the size and kind of house-
hold.

The locations of the doors to

the dining room and the hall. The dining table interferes

with the Opening of the
doors.

The location of the refrigera-

tor as a single appliance.
Suggestions for Improvements

’ The main problem in this kitchen is the dining table in this
small room. Due to the fact that the senior family of two may
take the house into use again, suggestions are kept at a minimum
to reduce the cost involved.

A larger lap board, just below counter surface, will give
adequate eating space for two people, but can also meet the
minimum requirements for four people.

The flow of work is not the most desirable, but these
changes will at least give work space close to the food storage

and at the same time eliminate the interference of the doors

with the table. , o

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Case No. 9

The household in this case consists of four members with
an average of six guests per week for meals. The kitchen is
used both as an eating and work place.

The only complete work center here is the mixing center
4'9” long. Both the si k and the range are separate appliances
without any adjacent work or storage Space. The dishwashing is
done in pans on table. For these reasons, no complete work
triangle can be constructed, but the distances between the
appliances are as follows: the sink to range 2'9”, the range
to mixing center 9‘, and the mixing center to sink 7', adding
up to a total of 18'9”. This could have been a desirable
length of a work triangle but the true distances walked will
necessarily have to be longer, since two of the ”centers” are
so incomplete.

Little storage Space is available. The china is kept aDOVc
the mixing counter, the rest is stored in the large draft-cooler.
No refrigeration is used, and the homemaker makes an average of
five trips to the basement in one day.

The homemaker is rather short, 5‘2”. She stores the most

frequently used food and equipment on levels between 28 to 63

inches above the floor. The rest of the daily used items is

stored above 64 inches.

Evaluation
Good Points Poor Points

The size of the kitchen which The layout of the work area.

iveS ossibilities for . .
g p The incomplete Sink and range
improvement.

”centers.”

31

No suitable work place for
sitting down.

Too little storage and work

space in the kitchen.

The swinging of the door in
the draft-cooler.

Suggestions for Improvement

This kitchen is quite unsatisfactory as a modern work
place and the needed remodeling Should be planned as a whole
even if it may not be done all at the same time.

On the improved plan is suggested a layout which would not
be too expensive to follow.

At the cooking center the wood box is made as a part of
the lower base-cabinet; drawers will also be located here for
small equipment used at the range. The counter will serve as
work Space.

Above the range and wood box are provided cabinets for
pans, kettles and duplication of salt, sugar and flour. The
Sink is kept in the original place to have access to water
close to the range. The Sink and mixing area are arranged in
an “L.”

If possible, the door to the draft-cooler should be changed
to swing away from the mixing center into the draft-cooler. To
get the most benefit from the wall cabinet over the sink, the

flow of work has to go from left to right.

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32.

Case No. 10

This kitchen was remodeled a to 3 years ago to give a
playing area for the small children, an eating place for the
every day meals, and, at the same time, be a good work place
for the homemaker. To give adequate space for all these activ-
ities, the room had to be quite large, 20‘ x 15'6”.

When this plan was made, as many as possible of the prin-
ciples from ”A Step-Saving U Kitchen” developed by the U.S.D.A.
Experiment Station at Beltsville, Maryland, were applied. The
location of the sink and refrigerator are quite predetermined
by the two windows. The refrigerator could have been placéd at
the left side of the window, but the homemaker preferred to
wa k a few steps more and have a larger mixing area. The house-
hold consists of six members with an average of six guests per
week for meals. Since much food preparation and preservation is
done, it may be well to have such a large mixing counter.

The flow of work goes from right to left from the mixing
center to the sink and ends up at the range. The wall cabinets
at the left side of the sink can be opened both from the dining
and the kitchen area. Above the counter here are sliding doors
used in serving and cleaning up processes.

The distances between the appliances are as follows: the
refrigerator to sink 9‘6”, the sink to range 3‘, and the range
to refrigerator 8‘6”, adding up to a total work triangle of 21.
'The work height is kept on one level 36” above floor. At the
Inixing center, in front of the window, and on the right side of

‘the sink are placed two lap boards as" above the floor.

QJ’

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.

The length of the work centers are 8‘ for the mixing area,
8‘ for sink, and 5'6‘l for the cooking area.

The homemakeris of average height, 5'5” and uses to store
most of her frequently used food and equipment on levels from
28" to 63“ above floor, the rest is stored above 64". Potatoes,
vegetables and canned foods are stored in the basement, where

she is accustomed to go 4 to 3 times a week.

Evaluation

Good Points floor Points
Good layout of work area. The sink could have been 1 to
Desirable flow of work. 2 inches higher.

Sufficient counter and storage

space.
Suggestions for Improvement

The sink could have been a few inches higher but this would
make in more difficult in sending food and dishes through the
sliding doors. Since the work area is quite far from the dining

room, I hope the homemaker uses a tea cart when serving there.

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('3.

Case NO 0 11

This household consists of six members with an average of
two guests per week for meals. The kitchen is a rectangular
room 11'6” x 16‘5‘ with one door on each wall. It is used
both as a work place and as a dining place for the four meals
the family eats together.

The appliances are located where available space could be
found. The dishwashing is done at the sink in front of the
window, but most of the china and dinnerware is stored in the
wall cabinets in the opposite corner. The length of the sink
area is 9'9”, of which the part close to the food storage room
is used for mixing. The storage area for china, with wall and
base cabinets is 7'3” long, and is only occasionally used as
a work place.

No storage or work space is located at the range.

The distances between the most frequently used work places
are: from the sink to range 11'6", range to storage cabinets
7'6", and from the storage cabinets to the sink 12'6", adding
up to a total work triangle of 31'6". The true walking dis-

tances will be much longer since each work place is so incom-

plete.v The counter surfaces are kept on one level, 31" above
the floor. The homemaker is 5’6" tall and stores most of the
frequently used food and equipment on levels between 28 to 63
inches above the floor. The rest is stored above 64". Cne to
two trips a day are made to the basement for collecting potatoes

and vegetables.

4—

Evaluation
Good Points Poor Points
Good storage Space for china. The location of the doors.
The access to water close to The layout of the work area.
the range. The incompleteness of the

work centers.

The long distances between

the "centers."

No systematic flow of work.
Suggestions for Improvement

The main disadvantages in the present arrangement are due
to the location of the doors. It would not be wise to suggest
expensive remodeling before one knows if they could be moved to
give more continuous wall space. The changes suggested on the
improved floor plan are made in order to give adequate work and
storage Space, and to cut down the walking distances at a reason-
abley low cost. The dishwashing will have to go from left to
right since storage of every day China should be done close to
the right side of the drain board.

The sink is too low for the homemaker. If it could be
raised 6 to 7 inches or dishpans be used on the top of the sink,

‘Uae homemaker could work with less back strain.

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36

Case No. 12

The household in this case consists of five members with
an average of four guests per week for meals. he kitchen is
18' x 10' and is used both as a work place and as an eating
place for the three daily meals.

The range and sink centers are arranged in an "L." The
mixing is done at the left side of the range, but the refrigera-
tor is located on the Opposite wall without any adjacent work
space. The work area is quite concentrated in itself but much
walking must occur between the refrigerator and the mixing
counter. The distances between the appliances are as follows:
the range to sink 5'6", the sink to refrigerator 5'3", and the
refrigerator to range 6', adding up to a total work triangle of
16'6".

The sink and.cooking centers are equipped with adequate
work space, 9' for the sink and 7' for the cooking center.

Both have wall and base cabinet space for storage. The work
heights are kept on two different levels 38" for the sink, and
33" for the cooking area. A lap board is located 28" above the
floor, where the homemaker used to do part of her work.

The homemaker is 5'6" tall and stores most of her fre-
quently used food and items between 23 to 63 inches above floor,
the rest is stored above 64 inches. One trip per day is made

to the basement to pick up potatoes and vegetables.

 

37

Evaluation
Good Points Poor Points
The shape of the room and The location of the sink No. I.
location of the doors. The location of the refrigerator
Sufficient continuous wall as a separate appliance.

space in work area.

Sufficient work and storage
Space at sink and cooking

centers.
Good work and storage heights.
Possibilities for sitting down

mmhgtmmm

Suggestions for Improvement

Since the location of sink I causes the main difficulties
in the present arrangement, I would suggest it be moved to the
wall between the doors of the hall and the storage room. Or as
a second alternative, to leave it out since one will be found in
the laundry room opposite the hall. The centers could be arranged
as a complete ”U,” with the flow of work from right to left, from
the mixing center to the sink and end up at the cooking center.
The refrigerator would be further from the entrance but the flow
of work would be so much better, especially the dishwashing, so

as a whole, I think it would be preferable.

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38

S U} HvIARY

No attempt has been made to make any generalizations from
this small study of 12 so highly selected cases, but some simi-
larities were found both in the arrangement of the kitchens and
in a few of the homemakers' managerial practices.

The kitchen was, in most cases, a rather large room, one
half were 200 Square feet or more. Even though the room is
smaller, the farm fmnilies still eat their every day meals
there.

In 10 cases the kitchen was heated by means of a wood stove.
Due to the fact that electric ranges are often used to separate
the wood range and the wood box, they were located in the darkest
corner of the room, even if careful inspection had to take place
there. The electric range was the appliance most frequently
reported to be without any or with insufficient adjacent work or
storage space. In 7 out of 12 cases, the range was located as a
single appliance or with only the top of the adjacent wood box
to work on. This may also be due to the previous practice to
locate the wood stove as a separate appliance because of the
danger of fire.

Of all the other work centers, the sink was the one most
frequently developed as a complete unit. In 9 cases the sink
was equipped with adequate work and storage space.

Some electrical appliances and equipment were still not in
common use in these homes. The.most common was the electric
range found in all the 12 homes. The second.most frequently used
‘was the refrigerator found in 7 homes. The electric mixer was

found in two homes and the freezer in only one, whereas all

39

reported to rent a box in the nearby leeker plant.

Because of the colder climate and the less access to refrig-
erators, all homes still depended upon draft-coolers for at least
part of their food storage. Eleven of the homemakers, even six
of those who used refrigerators in addition to the draft-cooler,
made at least one trip per day to the basement for food or other
items used in food preparation.

Six of the homemakers who used refrigerators reported only
one trip to the basement per day. It Showed quite clearly that
the use of the refrigerator, especially in the summer time, saved
many steps besides its many other advantages.

Especially in the older unremodelled houses, the kitdhen
seems to have been a place for many activities and much traffic
is directed through that room. The location of all the doors and
the traffic lines crossing the work area, will in many cases,
interfere with the efficiency of the homemakers work place.

The work triangle is used as one way of measuring the effi-
ciency of the kitchen. Seven of the analyzed cases reported a
work triangle of 22 feet or slightly above. According to the
Small Homes Council, University of Illinois, this should be a
desirable size. For these 7 cases and even more for the 5 who
reported a work triangle up to 31 feetfinches, the true distance
walked is much longer due to two important factors:

1. Much storage is undertaken outside the kitchen
for items frequently used in food preparation.
2. Incomplete work centers which requires much

walking badk and forth.

40

One question may be raised after exmnining these 12 cases.
How many of all these steps taken during the day could have been
. avoided by better planning (at least the trips to the basement)
and by use of inexpensive devices as tea carts and duplication
of small equipment and items as salt, sugar and seasoning?

Does this include, even in a very small scale, that the
Norwegian home economic education through the schools and
through the Extension Service has paid too much attention to

the development of skills on the expense of management?

Anaendix

Questions regarding kitchen arrangements and storage
activities among homemakers in Vestfold County,

No rway .

Purpose:
To obtain information about use of some resources affecting
food preparation activities among twelve homemakers in

Norway.

Directions:
Below are some questions about your kitchen arrangement,
working habits, etc. Think of your usual practices and
put your answer in the blanks to the right. Please be sure

to answer every question.

About you:
Please put your answer in the blanks to the right:
1. How tall are you with regular working shoes on?.........inches
2. Are you left-handed?.................................yes no___

3. Do you perform.most tasks equally easy with both
handS? .OOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCCOCOO0.00.00.00.00...00.0yes no

m

Your management practices: . Number
4. How many meals per day does the household eat together?...
5. How many persons, except guests, are at each meal?........
6.- How many guests do you usually have for meals per week?...

7. How many trips to basement do you make a day for collect-
ing food and equipment?.................................

8. How many trips to store house do you make a day for
collecting food and equipment?..........................

 

Developed by Ragnhild Evju as part of her graduate problem.

seldom or occasionally always
never
9. How often do you usually
Sit (1011711 and Work?.......

 

 

 

10. If so, what do you use?

a) high stool?.............

 

 

 

b) regular chair or lap-

 

 

 

board?000000000000000000

c) regular chair at table
Or Counter7.............

 

 

11. Do You perform part of the
food preparation outside
the kitchen?...............

 

 

 

Your Resources:
Will you please mark --- in the blanks below what you use of the
following:
12. Electric mixer ---. 13. Electric range ---. l4. Stove ---. 15.
Sink bowls ---. l7. Comb. sink/sink bowls ---. 18. Refrigerator ---.
l9. Freezer ~--. 20. Locker plant --—. 21. Draft-cooler ---. 22. Base-

ment ---. 23. Storehouse ---.

Your kitchen arrangement.

24. Please measure your kitchen and sketch in the floor plan in
approximate scale on.the attached graph paper.

25. Please sketch in on the approximate location of what you have
in your kitchen of the above mentioned resources (use. no. or
names). Sketch also in approximate location of doors and

cabinets.

Measurements of your workareas.

Will you please measure and fill in the blanks to the right:

26.

27.

The height from the floor to the working surface of:

a) range and adjoining workarea..........................
b) sink and adjoining workarea...........................
c) mixing area...........................................

d) lcitCIICn table.O...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

The length of the continuous working surface of:

a) range and adjoining workarea..........................
b) sink and adjoining workarea...........................
c) mixing area...........................................

d) Izitdlen table..........0.00.0000...O..C...............

Your storage practices:

28.

29.

Will you please think of your usually storage practices and

check in the blanks to the right according to that.

Where do you store most of your daily used food, equipment,

 

dishes etc:

a) on shelves etc. from O to 27 inches above floor?...yes

b) on shelves etc. higher than 64 inches above floor?.yes

c) on shelves etc. from 28 to 63 inches above floor?..yes

no

inches

no

no

Where do you store the rest of your daily used food, equipment,

dishes, etc.:

a) on shelves etc. from O to 27 inches above floor?...yes

b) on shelves etc. higher than 64 inches above floor?.yes

no

c) on shelves etc. from 28 to 63 inches above floor?..yes no

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.
' 16.

Bibliography

Thelma.Beall, Floor Plan for Your Kitchen, Ohio State
Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 279., March 1957.

 

 

Glen H. Beyer, The Cornell Kitchen, Cornell Univ., 1952.

 

 

Esther Crew Bratton, Ox -en Consumed in Household Tasks,
Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 873, August 1931.

Irma H. Gross and Elizabeth Walbert Crandall, Management
for Modern Families, Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc.‘NIY.

 

 

Handbook of Kitchen Desigp, Small Homes Council, Univ. of
I11., Urbana, Ill.

 

5a) Kitchen Planning Standards, C 5. 32.

M.K. Heiner and Helen E. McCollough, Functional Kitchen
Storage, Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 846. June 1948.

 

Mary Koll Heiner and Helen E. McCullough, Kitchen Cupboards
that Simplify Storage, Cornell Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull.*703
March 1956.

 

M.K. Heiner and R.E. Steidl, lgt Your Kitchen Arrangement
Work for You, Cornell Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 814. November 1953.

 

 

Heiner and Steidl, Guides for Arrangement of Urban Family
Kitchens, Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 878. October 1951.

 

Jessie Julie Mize, Methods for Studying the Home Management
Aspects of Kitdhen Storage Space fOr‘Farm Homes, F6Ctorrs
Thesis, Cornell University, 1952.

 

M.E. Mundel, ”Factors Affecting Ease of Kitchen Work,“
Kitchen Reporter, Kelvinator, March 1947.

Ruth O'Brien.and William C. Shelton, Women's Measurement
for Garments and Pattern Construction.
WS.D.A. Mic. Pub. 454:1 - 73. ‘

 

 

Louise Jenison Feet and Leonore Sater Thye, Household Equip-
ment, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York.

 

Julia Pond, Improve Your Kitchen Cupboardg,
Mich. State College Coop. Ext. Serv. Bull. 273.

 

Iosture in Housework, U.S.D.A. PA-186.

Clara Ann Ridder, Basic Distances in 100 Farm Homes for
preparing and.Sef?3ng food and washing disheSTfiCornell
Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 879. September 1952.

 

 

19.

20.

21.

R. E. Steidl, What Height for Your Separate Electric Oven?
Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 945, September, 1955'.

 

L. S. Thye and J. R. Dodge, A Step-saving Kitchen, U.S.D.A.
Home and Garden Bull. No. 14.

 

E. W. Wiley, A Motion Stud 3f Kitchen Arrangement, Wash.
Agr. Em. 31:3. 8111].. 18, Sepfember 19500

 

Maud Wilson, Considerations in Planning; Kitchen Cabinets,
Oregon Exp. Sta. Bull. 455, November 1947.

Maud Wilson, Evelyn H. Roberts and Ruth Thayer, Standards
for Working Surface Heights and Other Space Units of
the Dwelling, Oregon Exp. Sta. Bull. 348, June 1937.

 

Your Farmhougs__e_....Planningr the Kitchen and Workroom, U.S.D.A.

 

 

Home and Garden Bull. No. 12.

9‘3

 

“mm.