Guide · Accessible living
How to design a wheelchair-accessible kitchen.
Accessible kitchen design isn’t a set of clinical rules bolted onto a normal room. Done well, it’s a considered layout that works better for everyone in the household — and happens to remove the small daily frictions a wheelchair user runs into ten times a day.
Worktop heights
A standard worktop sits around 900mm. For seated use, the usable range is roughly 720–850mm — enough clearance for a wheelchair to pull under, and a comfortable working height for the elbows. Mix heights across the run rather than dropping everything: a lower prep zone with knee clearance, a standard-height zone for anyone standing, and a raised landing zone next to the oven for hot pans.
Reachable storage
The reachable zone from a seated position is narrower than most kitchens assume — roughly 400mm to 1200mm off the floor, and within a comfortable forward reach. Pull-out drawers beat deep cupboards. Pan drawers under the hob, not wall cabinets. A tall larder with internal drawers keeps everyday items in the reachable band without asking anyone to stretch or bend.
Layout flow
The classic work triangle still applies — sink, hob, fridge — but with a 1500mm turning circle at every decision point. A galley or L-shape usually beats an island for seated users, because you can work with one side always within reach. Where an island is right, treat it as a landing zone, not a thoroughfare: nothing that has to be reached across.
The design-led bit
None of the above needs to read as adapted. Fluted timber, honest stone, hardware you actually want to touch — the accessibility disappears into the design. That’s the whole point.