THE KITCHENISTA

Expert advice on kitchen design,
trends and innovation

Back to Basics: The Work Triangle

23.02.2010

Designing a kitchen for the first time can be a daunting task, so here’s some advice on the best place to start…

The ‘Work Triangle’ is one of the basic rules of kitchen design and was developed back in the 1950s by the University of Illinois.

The triangle connects the three main work areas: the sink, cooker and fridge, as you can see in the Magnet’s Linton kitchen below.

The principle behind the ‘Work Triangle’ is that you should keep these kitchen appliances no more than 2.7 metres of one another. You should also make sure that the space between is kept clear of obstructions and cabinets. Then, when you’re cooking you’ll have no restrictions of movement around the kitchen.

Of course, in modern homes and the introduction of open plan living, conversions and home extensions, it’s not always possible to stick to the rule, so it’s OK to bend it. For example, many modern apartments have one-wall kitchens where it’s impossible to create a triangle. If this is the case in your home, add a table or island unit  to use an anchor point.

It is also important to make sure that household traffic does not flow through the triangle, as this will increase the risk of food and drinks getting knocked over or spilt.

The red area in this kitchen represents the ‘Work Triangle’

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 6:20 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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