Somehow, certain design concepts have become ‘rules’. I am not sure how it happens but often these ‘rules’ don’t make sense if truly thought through. Here are some of my pet peeves:
1. Sinks Must Go Under a Window. That might have been true back in the day when women stayed home and washed dishes by hand while watching the kids playing in the back yard. Today, many women work outside the home and the window is nothing but a black square on the wall by the time they are ready to clean up after dinner. And then the dishes go in the dishwasher.
- An island is one option for a sink location that isn’t under a window.
2. The Dishwasher for a Right-Handed Person Goes on the Right. Speaking of dishwashers, it seems logical that the best location of the dishwasher is on the right for a right-handed person. Right? Actually no. If you think about it, most right-handed people scrape the dishes with their right hand so they’d have to put the scraper down, put the dish in their right hand in order to load a dishwasher on the right. It is much more efficient to scrape with the right hand and load the dishwasher racks with your left hand….hence, the right place to put the dishwasher for a right-handed person is….on the LEFT!
A Dishwasher placed on the left is perfect for a right-handed person.
3. Thirty-six Inches is Enough Space Between an Island and Other Cabinets. Not true. The absolute minimum is 42” and make that 48” if two cooks use the kitchen at the same time according to The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA).
Allow a minimum of 42" between an island and the main run of cabinets.
4. Wallpaper is Out. Wallpaper has been making a comeback for some time but the new rule is a little goes a long way. Here it is used as a wainscoting but you might see a contemporary pattern in a modern home as a feature wall.
Wallpaper is making a comeback in small areas such as this wainscot area off the kitchen.
While building codes and common sense guidelines can never be challenged, design myths are meant to be re-thought on every project.
