The people who use your kitchen every week probably know it inside out. They know which cupboard holds the mugs, how to get the dishwasher started and which drawer needs a little extra pull. But what about someone using it for the first time?
Church and community kitchens are often shared by volunteers, staff, visiting groups and hall hirers, all with different needs and levels of experience. Some may be older, have limited mobility or need a little more help finding their way around.
A well-designed shared kitchen should be practical, welcoming and easy to use, whoever walks through the door.
Here are five things worth considering when planning yours.
1. Layout: make it easy to move around
Think about what happens when the kitchen is busy. Someone might be making drinks while another person prepares food, and a third is clearing away. If they’re constantly crossing paths, carrying hot drinks through preparation areas or blocking cupboards, the layout probably needs some attention.
Creating clear areas for preparing, cooking, washing up and serving can make everyday tasks much easier. Consider where people enter and leave, whether doors and appliances can open without blocking walkways, and how food and dirty dishes move through the space.
Even relatively small changes, such as repositioning a sink or moving the serving area closer to the hall, can improve how the whole kitchen works.
2. Storage: keep things simple and accessible
In a shared kitchen, people shouldn’t need to ask where everything is kept. Think about grouping items by how they’re used. Cups, tea and coffee could be stored near the drinks area, with plates and serving dishes close to where food is prepared or served.
Keep heavier items in lower cupboards where they’re easier to lift safely, and avoid relying too heavily on high shelves that some volunteers may struggle to reach. It’s also worth considering who needs access to what. It might sound obvious, but in a mixed use community kitchen, it’s easy for areas to become blurred. Labels inside kitchen cabinets won’t spoil the look of the kitchen but they’ll help keep things organised.
3. Appliances: choose what’s right for your users
You don’t necessarily need large commercial appliances just because you’re designing a shared kitchen. The right choice depends on what people are preparing, how frequently the kitchen is used and who’s using it.
For example, a kitchen serving occasional refreshments may only need a straightforward domestic-style oven, while one preparing regular community lunches may benefit from a larger dishwasher or additional cooking capacity.
Look beyond the size and specification, too. Are the controls easy to understand? Can people load and unload the dishwasher comfortably? Is the oven positioned at a sensible height? Steelplan and Woodplan can help you explore suitable appliances, including domestic-rated options with warranties for semi-commercial use, so you can choose what’s practical without paying for capacity you don’t need.
4. Access: think about different ages and abilities
Has your kitchen been designed with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) in mind? An accessible kitchen is about more than getting through the doorway. Consider the needs of older volunteers, wheelchair users and anyone who may have difficulty bending, reaching or standing for long periods. You may even need to have your kitchen reviewed and signed off by a local planning authority – check with your local council as they may have a view of accessibility.
Could someone using a wheelchair move comfortably around the kitchen? Are frequently used items within reach? Would lower worktops, easy-grip handles or a more accessible sink make certain tasks easier? Good lighting and clear colour contrast between surfaces, cupboards and handles can also help people with visual impairments.
If you run community events you might also want to cater for making the space safe for children, like installing a COSHH cupboard to hold dangerous chemicals or equipment.
The best starting point is to ask the people who use your kitchen what they need. Their experience can highlight practical improvements that might otherwise be missed.
5. Look and feel: practical doesn’t have to mean industrial
Church and community kitchens should be durable and easy to maintain, but they should also feel welcoming and appropriate for the building. This is where your choice of materials and finishes is important.
For busy kitchens used by several groups throughout the week, Steelplan’s polyester powder-coated mild steel units provide a robust, easy-to-clean solution, with a choice of colours to suit the space.
Woodplan’s wooden kitchens offer a more traditional look, with a wide range of styles and finishes. You can also combine materials. Wooden units with stainless-steel worktops, for example, can bring extra durability to the areas that see the most use while keeping a warmer overall appearance.
The important thing is to choose a kitchen that suits both the building and the people using it.
A kitchen that works for everyone
When planning a new kitchen, it’s worth speaking to more than just the regular volunteers. Ask occasional users, hall hirers and anyone with particular access needs what would make the space easier for them.
At Steelplan and Woodplan, we help churches and community groups turn those conversations into practical kitchen designs. We can advise on layouts, storage, appliances, accessibility, materials and finishes, with options to suit different budgets and levels of use.
We can also provide a free 3D design so you can share the proposed kitchen with your committee and users, gather their feedback and make changes before committing.
Planning a new church or community kitchen? Get in touch with our team to talk through your ideas and see what’s possible for your space.
