When you think of a kitchen, you think of food, family, and cooking. It is essential to have a kitchen that can accommodate all of these. That is why the “kitchen work triangle” is something to take into consideration.
What exactly is a kitchen work triangle? It is the shape that forms when you connect the three main work areas of a kitchen. These are your refrigerator, stove, and sink. This is where most of your prepping, cleaning, and cooking takes place. You want to be sure that you can efficiently navigate from appliance to appliance.
This formation became popular in the 1940s. During that time kitchens were small, and appliances were large. This forced the concept to evolve as a general guideline to create ideal proximity. Each leg of the triangle should be at least 4 feet long, no longer than 9 feet. Cabinets should not intersect any of the legs of the triangle by more than 12 inches.
Major household traffic should avoid cutting into the triangle as well. Creating the structure is the most difficult when the kitchen or island is a general hang out location. To allow an island to coexist in the triangle, try making it smaller or add curved corners rather than sharp corners. This will add more functional space.
It may seem like this is complicated to create and leaves little room for design. But the truth is that there are endless workable options. You can keep your taste and style while still abiding by the rules of the kitchen triangle.
Take a look at your current kitchen and see what your triangle situation is like!
