Accessible Kitchen Design: Symphony

Today I had the pleasure of virtually meeting with Adam Thomas and Rob Newton from Symphony Group. Adam is a design expert and consultant for Symphony Group. Adam is the UK's leading kitchen design expert for accessible kitchen design who has been using a wheelchair for 42 years, and has been working with Symphony Group for several years to develop the nation's first nationally available accessible kitchen range.

They introduced many different accessible kitchen designs and explained the importance of how small areas being missed on a design, can have a huge functional impact for people living with different kinds of disabilities.

A fundamental area of inclusive design is ensuring a person’s safety and thanks to innovate advancement in technology, appliances and design, many more people have opportunities now to maintain their independence and cooking skills. Who knew a dishwasher and oven could be connected to Alexa to control!!

Certain things to consider when looking at an accessible kitchen design include:

• electric rise and fall worktops and wall cabinets

• slide and hide oven

• each reach wall cabinets that pull down

• waterfall edge worktops to limit spillages

• induction hobs

• pull out tables

As an occupational therapist it’s extremely important to keep abreast of advancing technologies which can support people to remain independent, safe and living at home. An accessible kitchen can support one’s physical, cognitive, emotional and social functioning and the surrounding environment is the key to tie this altogether.

Please check out www.symphony-group.co.uk for further information on their assessment process, designs, accessible kitchen designs and much more!