Way back in 1949, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, responding to “hundreds of requests,” researched ways to make a kitchen more efficient. Applying World War II principles of work simplification to kitchen design resulted in “A Step-Saving Kitchen” where every task related to meal preparation had been analyzed and optimized.
A short color film documented the innovations in the U-shaped kitchen, where natural light floods the space from thoughtfully placed windows over the sink. And when the researchers couldn’t find adequate supplemental light fixtures to adequately light the space, they built their own, placing fluorescent tubes in handcrafted wooden “troughs.”
Food and equipment storage was arrayed within arm’s reach in each of the kitchen’s carefully considered zones for baking, cooking and dishwashing…