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Work triangle kitchen layout


The Kitchen Work Triangle - Efficient Design & Traffic Patterns

Creating an Effective Work Triangle

The kitchen triangle rule has substantial application in the design and layout of a kitchen.

It’s important to remember that the work triangle guidelines are not laws, and not rules. If you look back into the history of how the work triangle developed, you’ll find that it originated in the 1940s when kitchens were smaller, and designed as a utilitarian work area for housewife to create family meals.

Today, our kitchens are large, and in many families there is more than one cook. Moreover, our kitchens today have a broader range of functions than just cooking. They’re also where we dine, entertain, and work. Therefore, kitchen designers don’t select kitchen layouts exclusively around the work triangle approach but have adopted a work zone approach.

Kitchen Work Zones

Today’s kitchen isn’t just about cooking and cleaning. As the hub of the home, the kitchen is more multi-functional than ever. Therefore, kitchen designers have to think more flexibly, and lay out spaces based on the particular activities that will take place there based on their clients’ needs.

Your kitchen can be broken down into four basic zones. Each zone defines a certain activity in the kitchen:

Pantry Storage

This is where you store your consumable and non-consumable items. Fresh food, frozen food, as well as dry goods, cans, and other non-perishables. You can think of this zone where you place your main pantry and refrigerator. Keeping these areas close can make it easy to get all the ingredients you need. Additionally, a lot of storage must be dedicated to non-consumable items like silverware, tableware, utensils, pots and pans, baking trays, and more. You’ll also want to consider where you’ll store odds-and-ends like cookbooks, scissors, and other desk items. Many non-consumables are located in drawers and upper cabinets.

Sink Storage

This area is typically built around the sink, but also includes the dishwasher, garbage, recycling, household cleaning items, and a broom or mop. Consider installing waste cabinets near the sink to create a convenient space to keep your kitchen clean.

Prep Storage

Food preparation requires easy access to utensils, cutting boards, and mixing bowls, as well as plenty of countertop space. Consider what you need for food preparation when planning storage options like base drawers, roll-out cabinet shelves, and prep sinks. These items will be key in making sure the kitchen runs smoothly and you are able to prepare meals efficiently.

Cooking Storage

In addition to your cooktop, consider your microwave and/or built-in oven. For cooking storage, you need to plan landing spaces for hot dishes, as well as storage space for utensils, pots and pans, bakeware, and so on. Think of how you cook. Is a cookbook out? Measuring cups? Spatula that you just stirred with? Towel for cleaning minor spills? These types of things rapidly eat up counter space.

Other Zones

It’s common for kitchens to have other zones, or for some of the work zones to have multiple uses.

Charging

A charging station for mobile phones, tablets, and other devices is becoming increasingly important in kitchen design. Take a look at special outlets with USB ports, and be sure the devices are safely out of toddlers reach and away from water.

Dining

Creating a space to eat in your kitchen depends on your family’s needs. Whether it’s just your family, or you’re entertaining, it seems everyone eventually gathers in the kitchen. Islands and peninsulas provide great kitchen dining spaces and can be multi-purpose. If lack of space is an issue, your island can double as prep, work, and entertainment space.

Working

Like it or not, work happens at home and often in the kitchen. The good news is, you no longer need a massive workstation. Large desktop computers have given way to wireless laptops and tablets. Provide enough outlets to be able to charge all your electronic devices.

Entertainment

Many homeowners have a television in their kitchen. Others have a bar area that can accommodate stools or serve as a stand-or-sit space for cocktails or dinner. Consider including a conversation zone in your kitchen, with lounge chairs and a low table or versatile ottoman.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is the triangle rule for kitchens?

The kitchen work triangle benefits the overall design function and is meant to create a tighter, more efficient workspace. It’s made up of 3 legs that should be 4 to 9 feet in length with its entirety at 26 feet or less. Each leg connects to the refrigerator, cooktop, and sink. This is because these 3 areas are considered the most important and heavily used spaces in the kitchen. Kitchen islands or other obstacles should not intersect any of the 3 legs.

Is the kitchen work triangle outdated?

No. The work triangle is still valuable when deciding the layout of a kitchen. A kitchen work triangle makes sure that the space is laid out in the most functional and efficient way possible.  

What has replaced the kitchen triangle?

The kitchen work triangle is still the traditional way to layout a kitchen. A newer and more modern approach is the five-zone kitchen which has become increasingly popular. This type of kitchen is perfect for the homeowner who needs a multi-purpose space that can accommodate more daily activities than just cooking.

What is the most desirable kitchen floor plan?

One of the most popular, versatile kitchen floor plans is the L-shaped layout. It creates an open concept design that includes 2 workspaces on adjoining walls. The L-shaped layout is also great for entertaining because it’s commonly paired with an island and leads into other open living spaces.

What is the purpose of kitchen work triangle?

The kitchen work triangle benefits the overall design function and is meant to create a tighter, more efficient workspace. It’s made up of 3 legs that should be 4 to 9 feet in length with its entirety at 26 feet or less. Each leg connects to the refrigerator, cooktop, and sink. This is because these 3 areas are considered the most important and heavily used spaces in the kitchen. Kitchen islands or other obstacles should not intersect any of the 3 legs.

What type of kitchen has no working triangle?

The one-wall kitchen is a layout that doesn’t include a work triangle. This kitchen design is usually chosen to maximize space in smaller kitchens. Everything is installed on one wall including kitchen cabinets, appliances, and a sink. There’s no work triangle within the one-wall kitchen because it would close off an already tight space.

What should be the distance between the stove and refrigerator in a kitchen work triangle?

The distance between the stove and refrigerator should be between 4 and 9 feet. Keep in mind, no side of the triangle should cut through a kitchen island or peninsula by more than 12 inches.

The kitchen triangle – an expert guide

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(Image credit: Magnet)

The kitchen triangle – you might also hear it called 'the kitchen working triangle' or, more alluringly, 'the golden triangle' – is one of those kitchen design rules that's been knocking about since researchers at the University of Illinois School of Architecture developed it in the 1940s to cut construction costs. 

Despite being created to save money, it was enthusiastically adopted by kitchen designers who felt it made kitchen layouts more efficient – and we've stuck with it for decades. But is it still relevant, and should you be incorporating into your kitchen remodel?

We asked the experts to demystify the kitchen work triangle – and put your most asked questions to them.

See: Kitchen ideas – decor and decorating ideas for all kitchens

1. What is the kitchen work triangle? 

(Image credit: Neptune)

'The kitchen work triangle is based on the three main work areas: the sink, the refrigerator, and the stove,' says Adrian Bergman, Senior Designer at British Standard by Plain English . 'According to the rule, these should be laid out to loosely form a triangle, enabling you to perform day to day tasks with relative ease and without obstruction.'

According to the kitchen triangle rule, each side of the triangle should measure no less than four feet and no more than nine feet and, ideally, the perimeter of the triangle should be no less than 13 feet and no more than 26 feet. 

In other words, not too small and not too large. This should ensure that your working area is practical, comfortable and large enough – but not so large that much of your time is spent walking between one point and another. And, of course, there should be no interruption in the flow – of if you are plotting a table in the middle of your kitchen triangle, think again.

The kitchen triangle rule helps to address questions, such as, where should a refrigerator be placed?

2.

What are the three items in a kitchen triangle?

Put simply, the three items that form the kitchen triangle are the sink, refrigerator and stove.

3. What is the purpose of the kitchen triangle? 

(Image credit: British Standard by Plain English)

Adrian says: 'The purpose of the kitchen triangle is to allow you to move seamlessly and easily between working areas of the kitchen.'

George Miller,  Home Designer at Neptune Fulham says: 'With three key elements at the core of its purpose, the kitchen triangle creates an efficient space and reduces the back and forth walking distance between each essential station of the kitchen; cook, store, clean.'

4. Is the kitchen triangle outdated? 

(Image credit: Our Food Stories/deVOL)

The overall opinion of kitchen experts is that the kitchen triangle is a good design principle, but that the changing needs of the modern family means you don't need to stick to it steadfastly. Cooking is no longer – or not always – the responsibility of one person in the modern household. And because many families now might have more than one cook operating at a time, the three points of the triangles are now likely to be 'working zones' (the cooking zone, the cleaning zone, the prep zone and the storage zone) within a kitchen – particularly in larger kitchens that have more generous space. 

In contrast, galley kitchens don't always lend themselves to the working kitchen triangle. That said, and whatever the size or shape of your kitchen, it is still worth keeping the efficiency of movement that a kitchen triangle can bring in mind when working up a new design.

Helen Parker, deVOL 's Creative Director, agrees it often forms naturally, saying: 'It is important to pay equal attention to aesthetics and functionality, if you only focus on one of these then your kitchen will not work, therefore such elements as kitchen triangles and zoning will generally just happen rather than being the main consideration. 

'We like to make simple open rooms that are comfortable and calm to live in and not focus on zoning, this is not to say we don't bear these factors in mind but we do not design with this as our main concern, it is not the key to a perfect kitchen. '

(Image credit: deVOL)

You can, of course, incorporate one of the triangle's corners – or an extra prep area to cater to a second cook – in the kitchen island. 

'The idea of the work triangle is not a rule we follow consciously or prescriptively,' says Adrian, of British Standard by Plain English. 'We always design to the client's requirements and the nature of the space, and often the triangle inevitably falls into place naturally. It is not a hard and fast rule as many clients prefer to have their fridges hidden in an adjoining larder or utility.

'Also, many people aspire to have a kitchen island which becomes the main prep area, adding a fourth corner, the kitchen rhomboid!'

6. What are new layouts to consider outside of the kitchen work triangle?

(Image credit: Blakes London)

Many contemporary homes now need to cater for different design layouts that work for the space and the family. Annie Ebenston, Lead Designer at Blakes London , says: 'We pay incredibly close attention to how a kitchen is used and the flow within the space, but each person and each home needs to be thought about holistically as not everyone cooks or uses a space in the same way.

'Factors to consider will be the amount of space that is available and the types of appliances a client uses. Drawer fridges are ever more popular, especially when combined with a walk-in pantry or second utility kitchen where a larger overflow fridge, dishwasher and sink may be located. Smaller prep sinks on islands or even two sinks on both runs are not unusual. 

See: Pantry ideas – versatile storage that’s equally suited to modern life

'A second kitchen or a dirty kitchen is an increasingly popular way of laying out a kitchen scheme especially in open-plan homes. All of these popular designs would kibosh the kitchen triangle concept.'

Ruth Doherty is an experienced digital writer and editor specializing in interiors, travel and lifestyle. With 20 years of writing for national sites under her belt, she’s worked for the likes of Livingetc.com, Standard, Ideal Home, Stylist and Marie Claire as well as Homes & Gardens.

The first rule of ergonomics: how to create a "working triangle" in the kitchen

German scientists have been thinking about room ergonomics since the last century. How to make cooking take less time and the hostess less tired? It is necessary to optimize movement in the kitchen, arranging the work areas in the most convenient way. To do this, scientists analyzed the movement of women along the kitchen front, measured the distance traveled and recorded the time. Their research identified three activity centers where housewives spent the most time: the storage area, the prep area, and the food prep area. And the Germans deduced the principle of building a "working triangle", which still underlies the ergonomics of kitchen facilities. nine0003

The “working triangle” rule states that the location of the main working areas - refrigerator, sink and stove - should fit into an equilateral triangle with sides of a meter and a half. With such a layout, a person during cooking will move along the shortest trajectory and, as a result, save time and energy.

The location of the working areas relative to each other should repeat the daily routes in the kitchen and not contradict the logic of the processes: I took out the food, washed it, cut it up, cooked it on the stove. It is important to take into account the distance between the vertices of the triangle - about two steps or one and a half meters. Even if you have a very large kitchen, try to place the points no further than 2.7 meters from each other. nine0003

When planning your kitchen, mentally draw lines between the vertices of the triangle and make sure that there are no obstacles in the way between them: chairs, cabinets, protruding corners. Nothing should interfere with free movement between zones. The corner of the kitchen island should not enter the space of the triangle by more than 30 cm.

How to arrange a "working triangle" in kitchens of different layouts

Ergonomics will differ depending on the layout of the kitchen. If we use mathematical terms, then the triangle does not have to be isosceles or equilateral. However, with any layout, you can create an optimal route without deviating too far from the standards of the "working triangle". nine0003

Linear layout

Within the linear layout, there are several options for creating a "working triangle".