Kitchen Work Triangle.

Let’s face it; the kitchen happens to be the most used room in the house, mainly because it is the center of food and drinks. When guests are over visiting your house, they are instantly attracted to the room with the food and drinks. Before the guests arrive, you are in the kitchen preparing the food and drinks. Due the fact that so much activity takes places in the kitchen, a special design called the “kitchen work triangle” was developed to make moving around in the kitchen much more efficient.

More specifically, the work triangle refers to the triangle created between the stove, the refrigerator, and the sink. Other major work stations exist within this triangle, such as your countertops, microwave, dishwasher, etc. The idea behind the work triangle is to create a short and comfortable distance between all the major areas of the kitchen in which you will be moving back and forth from. Keep in mind; smaller kitchens often pose the problem of not having enough space to maneuver within the triangle. Likewise, larger kitchens often provide too much space requiring one to run themselves to death with dishes and food in hand.

Designers have been studying the day-to-day kitchen activity for years now. What they have come to realize is that there is a natural triangle of traffic within the kitchen, typically for those who are cooking meals. Years of research has lead to innovative kitchen designs that create the ideal kitchen work triangle. Below are some of the design rules that designers try to follow when it comes to creating a kitchen work triangle.

• All sides of the triangle should be less than nine feet and greater than four feet.
• The triangle should not be interrupted by traffic, an island or cabinetry.
• The outer limits of the triangle should measure no more than 26 feet and no less than 12 feet.

If your current kitchen design makes you feel like you are in a constant fight with the kitchen just to make a sandwich, then you may want to look into a kitchen remodel. Sometimes, a simple change can be made to make the kitchen more user-friendly. However, sometimes a major change must be made such as moving your sink or range. If so, much more planning will need to be put into the new design.

The flow of traffic in your kitchen poses another problem in many kitchen designs. You may have the perfect kitchen work triangle, but due to your kitchens design you have people cutting you off as you cook because they are trying to get through the kitchen with an island in their way. Sometimes simply hacking off part of the island or peninsula can create the proper flow and change everything. However, you will be losing some of your countertop space by doing so. If it’s the refrigerator or pantry that is attracting most of the traffic, consider moving it to a better spot.

Getting Started With Your Work Triangle

• Determine how well you get around in your current kitchen design. If it seems difficult to maneuver around it, consider what elements are contributing to its difficulty. Are there obstructions? Is there too much traffic with poor traffic flow? Are work stations too close or too far apart?
• Measure and define the actual sides and perimeter of your kitchen work triangle; stove, refrigerator, and sink.
• If you do have obstructions or poor traffic flow, consider what could be moved or removed with little expense or effort. Keep your budget in mind when doing so.
• Decide on whether you want to do a complete kitchen remodel or simply a small make-over to improve its user-friendliness. What can your budget allow you do?

Investing in a kitchen remodel is almost always a very wise decision. Not only will you get a great return on your investment, but also your day-to-day life will be dramatically improved. The truth is that you are in the kitchen every day without exception. Just imagine the stress that would be wiped away if your kitchen was set up so that you could work effortlessly and hassle-free.