Making The Kitchen Triangle Work for You

Your kitchen needs to be a comfortable, useful and well-designed space.  Apart from the actual appliances and features in your kitchen, a smart design is necessary.  One of the most popular and useful design strategies is the “kitchen triangle”.  This rule includes these three important kitchen elements: the refrigerator, sink and stove or cooktop.

The rule states that the perimeter of the kitchen triangle between these three elements should be equal to or less than 26 feet.  Each side should be between 4 and 9 feet long.  When using this principal, the kitchen design  is ensured to be an efficient space.

Some considerations when applying the triangle are:

Who’s in your space?

The tighter the triangle, the less possibility that someone will walk through your workspace.  Although a smaller triangle will keep movement within your workspace to a minimum, it also means that it will be more difficult to accommodate additional cooks in the kitchen. If you frequently have more than one cook in your kitchen, consider forming a triangle on the larger end of the range suggested.  This will assure that you and your cooks can work comfortably without bumping elbows.  Also make your plan based on your kitchen’s function.  If your kids need homework space in your kitchen, be sure to make sure you include a space that’s not in the middle of your work triangle.  Also avoid eating spaces in the middle of your triangle.  The far side of a kitchen island is a great option for incorporating eating or homework in your kitchen.

Kitchen shape

For additional help in searching for the best design for your kitchen, use your kitchen shape as a reference when searching for triangle implementation layouts.  The shape will depend on the countertop space that you are planning for your kitchen.  Some typical layouts are L-shaped, U-shaped, G-shaped, galley and peninsula.

The island

If the island is causing trouble to plan and form your triangle the way you’d like, consider incorporating it by including one of the elements on the island.  The easiest would be the sink.  You could also consider using a rolling island so as not to interfere with your triangle.

Refrigerator

Try to make sure your refrigerator opens up into the triangle.  This will make your space less awkward and require less maneuvering on your part.

Cooktop area

When planning your cooking area, take into account that you’ll need some space surrounding your cooktop for basic cooking tools. This may include storage for pots and utensils. Your spices should also be located close-by for easy access while cooking. Some kitchen remodels even include an additional tap for filling pots close to the stove.  On either side of the stove you’ll need some counter space for food prep.

Sink

Planning to place your sink below a window will give you plenty of natural light and a nice view outside while washing dishes or fruit and vegetables.

Dishwasher location

Be sure that your dishwasher is located close to a sink for easy clean-up.