nkba.org has a bunch of that stuff.

Hi - you might be interested in a concept called universal design. It's basically about making homes (including kitchens) as usable as possible for everyone, regardless of ability. Some people mistake it for "handicapped" or "accessible" design, but it's much more than that. When universal design is done well, it's attractive as well as being easy to use (good ergonomics is part of it). Anyway, if you'd like more info, feel free to contact me directly since I can point you to a ton of resources, however won't bore everyone else in case there's no interest :)

One book that is good is called Beautiful Universal Design and there are multiple websites. You can try going to the website of the Center for Universal Design which has publications and I've listed one below that has a good general overview for kitchens (has links to others at the end).

Keep in mind that many articles are based on someone who uses a wheelchair - you don't have to go that far, but the guidelines are good general design principles for those who want to be able to prepare for the future when they are older, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tailor-Fit Kitchens

Hi there, the_stig. Love your handle. Top Gear, by any chance?

General guidelines giving the answers to your questions are quite well supplied at nkba.org. We consulted them as well in laying out our kitchen, too. But take that as a starting point and customize from there based on your particular situations.

In addition to these references, do consult Don Silvers' book on designing a kitchen for cooking. Don Silvers' suggestions on just those sorts of questions are splendid because he constructs this advice for a kitchen user in mind, rather than strictly the aesthetician.

Counter height, for instance: there is the norm and then there is how you'd like to tweak that for your own needs. In my house, because we remodeled our old house, after the "best" floor leveling that could have been done without throwing transitions between remodeling and non-remodeling rooms off-kilter, there is a difference of about 1.15 inches between the counter heights at one end of the kitchen vs the other - ie. over a span of about 14' (the cabinets were leveled so the toe-kicks took that shock. That 1" is ergonomically noticeable and so my husband and I both have our favorite places at the counter at which to work. Certainly, all parts are tractable, but some "fit" our persons better than others.

Another good question that you didn't ask and that I'm not sure if nkba addresses is counter depth. We have approx 30" deep counters - the standard depth is ~25+". That extra depth is fantastic and deeply appreciated. Do look into it. That was a suggestion I learned of from Don Silvers. I'd heartily recommend him.

Thanks for the responses.

And mindstorm, you're right, I am a HUGE Top Gear fan.

This has always been a favorite article of mine:

Here is a link that might be useful: Mise en Place: What we can learn from commercial kitchen design