Cooking
As with the sink area, prep space on either side of the range is important to consider.
- Owens recommends planning for a minimum of 12 to 15 inches of work surfaces on either side of the cooktop.
- Keeping the oven separate from the cooktop is helpful for safety and accessibility.
- Two-oven ranges with a smaller oven on top and a larger one on the bottom seem useful, but Owens says buyer beware. “There’s some advantage to the functionality, but we completely contradict our universal design goals by putting the controls all the way at the back,” he says. “Instead, we’re seeing fewer ranges and more cooktops being used.”
Photo: Owens Construction. This project showcases plenty of room on either side of the cooktop for safety and prep space, and the cooktop controls are front-and-center for easy reach.
—Lauren Hunter, chief editor, products.
