Nancy welcomed back Jan Rutgers, kitchen designer and founder of Vestabul School of Design, to chat about the ergonomic use of drawers in the kitchen which has become a very important element in kitchen design. You will find this podcast enlightening and very interesting. Find the show notes below:
Refrigeration
- The first appliance to really embrace drawers was refrigerators.
Dual Drawers
- The upper end of the appliance market took the lower freezer drawer to the next level by developing refrigerators with two freezer drawers.
Convertible Drawers – Ref/Freezer
- Another configuration to hit the market was a bottom mount refrigerator with a “convertible” drawer.
- For a functional design, refrigerators with bottom freezer drawers was a win!
Undercounter Refrigerator dDawers
- Manufacturers produced all freezer drawers, all refrigerator drawers and combination refrigerator/freezer drawers.
- This development also opened up opportunities for the Kitchen Designer to place refrigeration in multiple locations within the kitchen.
- Refrigeration could now be easily placed on an island or a peninsula.
Warming Drawers
- These appliances evolved from the lower drawer that was standard on free-standing ranges.
- Specifying one under the cooktop or near the dining table are great spots for this handy appliance.
Cup Warming Drawers
- These cup warming drawers are ideally placed under the coffee maker to keep your expresso or latte cup warm, producing a coffee house experience every time.
Dishwashers
- Dishwasher Drawers offer an ergonomic alternative to swing down doors – first introduced to the North American market by the New Zealand manufacturer Fisher & Paykel.
- A single dishwasher drawer in the beverage bar for easy glass washing is a good example.
Microwaves
- one of the best drawer appliance introductions has been the microwave drawer.
- The microwave has always been a difficult appliance to place functionally and aesthetically in the Kitchen.
- The microwave company Sharpe was the first to introduce the microwave drawer. Held a design contest showing the microwave in a drawer.
Vacuum Seal Drawers
- The newest appliance drawer introduction for the Kitchen is the Vacuum Seal Drawer..
- A vacuum seal drawer is a chamber-style drawer that can do a variety of things.
- It can be used to better preserve frozen foods, it removes air to prepare for sous vide cooking and infuses flavors into proteins, vegetables, and oils.
Appliance drawers are a trend that will continue for Kitchen Appliances. Consumers will not want to give up the convenience of sliding out a drawer to access appliances under the counter.
This podcast sponsored by Thermador Appliances & Monogram Appliances
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