Kitchen Design Considerations | How to The Perfect Kitchen Work Triangle?

LAYOUT CONSIDERATIONS

IN THE KITCHEN...

Before you begin planning the look of your kitchen, think about how it will work on a functional level. In addition to considering each component to be included, it’s worth asking yourself some general questions about the room: does it need to double up as a dining area? Or do you need to organize the space so that different people can do different jobs at the same time?

 

REFRIGERATOR

Make the placement of the refrigerator, or fridge-freezer, one of your earliest considerations,  since it comprises part of the  “work triangle”. Also bear in mind that if you want your refrigerator to operate at maximum efficiency,  you need to position it slightly away from heat sources such as radiators and dishwashers,  as well as the oven. If you want a refrigerator equipped with an ice dispenser, position it near the water supply so it can be connected.

 

DISHWASHER

The best place for the dishwasher is right next to, or beneath, the sink, so you can rinse plates and unstack them onto the drain board if necessary. It can also be connected to the water supply and drain without extra plumbing costs.

 

KITCHEN CABINETS

When deciding which type of cabinet units you need, think about where the contents should be kept for easy access: for example,  store your plates and bowls in a cabinet next to the dishwasher and position pantry ingredients near the range. Your units will also provide countertop space, so consider where you want this some large kitchens have a  separate island of units in the middle of the floor for this reason. Wherever the units are positioned, make sure there is space for the doors and drawers to open comfortably.

KITCHEN SINK

The sink is the second point of the work triangle, so think about its positioning early on,  at the same time you decide where the cooking appliances and refrigerator will go. Remember that you need space in this part of the kitchen to be able to wash food or do dishes without impinging on other work areas. Make sure it isn’t situated in the main thoroughfare either.

RANGE

Since the range is the third point of the work triangle, its ideal location will be partly determined by the relative positioning of the sink and refrigerator. Placing your range is simpler if you have an all-in-one unit combining oven and cooktop. If the cooktop and oven are separate,  on a kitchen island, for instance, the stove should be in easy reach right behind, perhaps, or in an adjacent run of cabinets. Since you may have to transfer food from the cooktop to the oven and back again, the two components should be no more than 4ft (120cm) apart.

TABLE AND CHAIRS

Positioning your kitchen table so it doesn’t impinge on your work triangle may prove to be difficult if space is tight, since, ideally, there should be 3ft (1m) of space for manoeuvring behind every chair. If you do not regularly need to seat people on all sides of the table,  position the table against a wall and only move it into the middle of the room when you need to set an extra place or two.

PLAN THE PERFECT KITCHEN

WORK TRIANGLE

To create a smoothly functioning kitchen, it is helpful to understand the concept of the work triangle.  This states that there are three critical points in any kitchen: a cooking area (the range), a food storage area  (the refrigerator), and a cleaning area (the sink). Here’s how to plan your space around these three points.

 

COUNTERTOP SPACE

The points of the triangle should not be too close together either. Where possible, for example, it is good to allow a decent stretch of countertop between the refrigerator and range as a space for food preparation. Aim to leave a minimum of 4ft (120cm)  between points.

 

FOOD STORAGE AREA

As an example of how the work triangle operates, consider the refrigerator. Food taken from here will either need to go straight to the cooking area or be taken to the sink and rinsed first. For smooth functioning, neither of these routes (indeed none of the three sides of the triangle)  should be too great a distance,  nor should they be impeded by cabinets or furniture. 

U-shaped Kitchen work flow

If your kitchen only has cabinets along a single wall, consider a freestanding refrigerator placed opposite the cabinets to create a better triangle.

Also read All You Want to Know About Kitchen Layouts And Its Types | Pros And Cons

COOKING AREA

When cooking, you need to be able to get ingredients from the refrigerator quickly and easily and also to transfer dirty pots and pans to the sink or surrounding countertop. With this in mind, the maximum recommended distance between points of the work triangle is 10ft (3m), in a straight line.

CLEANING AREA

Moving from the refrigerator to the sink to rinse your food,  on to the cooking area, then back to the sink with your dirty pots all of this is made much simpler if you can avoid any thoroughfares intruding on the work triangle. Another thing that will aid the economy of movement is locating your dishwasher as close as possible to the sink so that any pans left to soak have to travel the shortest distance possible afterwards.

What is the kitchen work triangle concept?

Created in the early twentieth century, the working triangle - also known as the "kitchen triangle" - also known as the "golden triangle" - suggests that the three main working areas of a kitchen should form a triangle. In particular, the sink, refrigerator and stove. Some of them are mentioned below

 

U-shaped (right)  (used above image)

The three sides of a U-shaped kitchen create a clearly defined area for the work triangle, safely away from other thoroughfares. Position an appliance on each side of the kitchen, or two on one side with the other opposite.

 

L-shaped 

In an L-shaped kitchen where the cabinets run along two adjacent walls,  two points of the triangle should be located along one wall and the other along the second wall. Think carefully about which appliances should go together.

G-shaped 

A G-shaped kitchen can be laid out much like a U-shaped kitchen,  with an appliance on each of the three sides, or alternatively, you can position one of the points of the triangle within the peninsula.

Island feature 

If you add an island feature to an L or U-shaped kitchen, you can either use the island as the site for the sink or range or else put the appliances against the walls and simply position the island so it does not encroach on the work triangle.

Also read: G Shaped Kitchen Layout: Merits and Demerits | Where to use it

Also read: U Shaped Kitchen Layout: Merits and Demerits | where to use it

Also read: L-Shaped Kitchen Layout: Merits and Demerits | Where to use it

Also read: Galley Kitchen Layout: Merits and Demerits | Where to use it

Also read: Single Wall Kitchen Layout: Merits and Demerits | Where to use it