The Kitchen Triangle
The Kitchen Triangle
You may have never heard of such a thing (unless you are a designer yourself, a chef, a contractor or a kitchen savvy design client who has redesigned a kitchen work space) but the kitchen triangle is one of interior designs oldest concepts developed in the early 20th century. It is an imaginary straight line from the kitchen sink to the stove top to the refrigerator and back to the sink. The kitchen triangle is used to determine an efficient layout that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional.
Why We Love The Triangle:
- Efficiency is the main goal when adding a triangle to a kitchen’s design as it keeps the chef’s work space within a reasonable distance (not to close, yet not too far), allowing the chef to easily transfer from one station to another. It makes for faster retrieval of food, peel and chop of veggies, to sauteing and cooking execution.
- The triangle creates a rotational movement from one point to another and influences the traffic flow within a kitchen, aiding in keeping out unwanted guests in the chef’s space.
- The triangle makes the most of a cramped kitchen. Since the design keeps everything in close proximity, the triangle works well in smaller spaces like studio apartments and guest houses.
- It allows for more than one chef in the kitchen if needed. One chef can be working at the range while another can still easily transfer from the refrigerator to a sink or chopping station.
General Triangle Design Rules
- Each (imaginary) segment should be between four and nine feet wide, meaning there should be no more than nine feet separating the refrigerator and the sink or the sink and the range.
- The sum distance of the triangle should be between 13 and 26 feet. The triangle doesn’t work well in a space much bigger than that since the three components would be too far apart to be efficient.
- The triangle should not cut through a kitchen island or peninsula.
While the kitchen is often the heart of the home and a space for gathering these days, the triangle remains ever important in kitchen design as it is a time saving concept and one we recommend considering in the kitchen planning process.
For more on kitchen design styles and layouts, read our posts Kitchen Cabinetry Design: A Crash Course on Kitchen Layouts and Backsplashes – The Kitchen Focal Point.
For some inspiration for your own dream kitchen, visit any one of our cabinetry companies for drop dead gorgeous design ideas.
