Meet Lucile Troke, aged 12, who is a wheelchair user and lives with her family in Aylesbury. 

The family’s property was recently renovated to enable Lucille, her younger sister Josephine, and her parents, Leonie and Jon to use and enjoy the new kitchen. 

Prior to the renovation, the family’s previous kitchen had a custom-made fixed lowered worktop, which was helpful to Lucille, but back-ache inducing for the rest of the family. The old kitchen had outward opening oven doors which were impractical for Lucille to use. 

The family’s Occupational therapist helped oversee the design process and as part of an early design consultation, a few essential accessible kitchen features were agreed for all the family to use:

• Integrated hide and slide ovens positioned at a 90-degree angle to a lowered height fixed worktop to makes it easier, and safer, for Lucille to transfer dishes to and from the oven.
• A tall larder with i-move pull-down baskets and pull-out drawers, providing quick and easy access to dried food and tins.
• Various work surface space to make the kitchen ideal for all the family; a standard worktop with sink, a lowered height worktop, an electric rise-and-fall worktop with induction hob and sink.
• Pull-out crockery and pan drawers, so the contents are easy to access and visible at a glance.
• Plenty of manoeuvring space incorporated into the layout to ensure a fit-for-purpose space to support Lucille’s mobility requirements.
• Le Mans pull-outs in the corner base cabinets, ideal for storing and accessing items in hard to reach corners.
• A waterfall edge finish to the electric rise-and-fall worktop, to avoid accidental spillages onto Lucille.
• Flip sockets set within the rise-and-fall work surface to allow easy reach for Lucille. 
• Two sinks, one at a standard height near the dishwasher and the other, a prep sink set within the rise-and-fall work surface providing essential convenience for all the family.
• Recycling and waste bins integrated into cabinetry, accessible to the whole family.

This transformation made a world of difference to the Troke family.

Lucile says “I look forward to using this amazing kitchen every day! My mum has always been really good at baking pastries and cakes and now I can also enjoy cooking at home”. 

Their new kitchen is easy to use and long-lasting, equipped with multiple accessible design features for all the family to use!

If you are currently looking for help with an accessible kitchen design, get in touch today!

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