An architect’s argument for height-adjustable kitchen cabinets

I’ve been complaining for years that our faucets and cabinets should be adjustable.

They should be able to move up and down to suit our uses, not the other way around.

Now that limited space in our homes is becoming increasingly critical and we are getting older and in need of personalized facilities, it is time to seriously think about how we can make our homes more flexible.

Adjustable cabinets that move up and down for the accessibility of the disabled or disadvantaged have been around for years.

When their costs come down, these simple additions can make any kitchen functional. Adjustable countertops were also available, but very functional and not interesting in design.

Freestanding kitchen islands are currently in vogue and it is a win-win for everyone when the countertop adapts in whole or in part to the individual in order to use and enjoy them.

We don’t think the bathroom or its fixtures are adjustable, but they definitely do.

Especially as you get older or perhaps you are in a wheelchair, even for a short time. I’m not in favor of making bathrooms as large as commercial and multi-family ADA requirements, but I do recommend making the toilets adjustable and raising or lowering the sinks for wheelchair access, or simply more accessible for all ages and heights to be. The showers can be level with the adjacent floor and the faucets can be manually adjusted with minimal thickness.

We don’t need more space in our bathrooms; We need more creative collaboration.

You might think that all of these device and fixture suggestions require powerful electric motors, but the future will allow a minimum of human effort to make simple adjustments, or small electric motors with battery power, not our old friend PG&E to make them do the whole thing Can work year round and a blackout can be used.

A Boston company, Ori Living, has an interesting movable wall system. Made especially for tight urban apartments.

A movable wall unit with cabinets and work tables can be used during the day and moved on wheels at night to make room for the bed, which of course can safely fall from the ceiling, transforming the studio living room into a bedroom in minutes. A solution that is not only suitable for our urban apartments, but also for our student residences.

And we must remember how important elevators and elevators will be for all of us.

As density increases and our lots get smaller, two- and three-story houses are becoming more common. Architects and contractors should consider adding an elevator room and shaft arrangement to their designs to make future life easier as residents age or simply want access to upper or lower levels of living.

Interestingly, we shouldn’t forget about the simple stupid waiter.

First invented by the Egyptians, Roman architects installed them in palaces to move goods up and down from cellars. Thomas Jefferson, our third president and part-time architect, installed two in Monticello, his home in Virginia, to haul wine and fancy banquets from his basement.

He could be considered our first infrastructure designer. Unfortunately, slave laborers had to operate the pulleys. Jefferson believed these inventions made slavery more palatable, but they only kept the South trapped in a losing economic culture.

We can use our brains for inspiration to improve our lives by exploring what we can, not what we think is impossible. We just have to think outside the box.

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