what is the kitchen triangle?
You may have heard the phrase 'kitchen triangle' during casual conversations with friends or colleagues. If you are unsure what they were referring to we are about to provide you with some clarity. The kitchen triangle refers to the imaginary line the links your stove to your sink to your refrigerator. These are the three areas of the kitchen that you will frequent or use most often during any give day.
ThE kitchen triangle in detail
The kitchen triangle was implemented in the 1940's when kitchen designs consisted of small and often boxed in areas where one person did most of the preparation and cooking. It dictates that the kitchen sink, refrigerator and stove are between 1.2 and 2.7 metres apart, forming an equilateral triangle. This helped the cook to maximise efficiency in the kitchen.
There are some basic rules to the kitchen triangle:
If you choose to include the kitchen triangle in your kitchen plans you will enjoy these benefits:
This design element is still used by kitchen designers, however with modern kitchens becoming larger and moving away from the traditional U-Shape or G-Shape it could make more sense to design a taskcentric kitchen...
There are some basic rules to the kitchen triangle:
- Maximise the cooks movements by keeping large cabinets or islands out of the triangle points.
- Make sure objects only intersect the triangle lines by up to 300 mm.
- Keep the total distance of all three triangle sides between 4 and 8 metres.
- Ensure traffic flow from other users is diverted away from the triangle.
If you choose to include the kitchen triangle in your kitchen plans you will enjoy these benefits:
- Being able to cook in space allocated just for you.
- Everything you need will be in close proximity.
- The design allows you to prepare and cook a meal without others intruding on your space.
- Cooking a meal will become an efficient process.
This design element is still used by kitchen designers, however with modern kitchens becoming larger and moving away from the traditional U-Shape or G-Shape it could make more sense to design a taskcentric kitchen...
Task-centric instead?
You may have seen a taskcentric kitchen or even experienced one. A taskcentric kitchen is where the kitchen design focuses on the varied tasks you perform in your kitchen and clusters the equipment and appliances based on their use.
For example; planning your kitchen may include identifying that you rinse dirty dishes and stack them straight into the dishwasher - a task-centric design would have the sink and the dishwasher clustered together to improve the efficiency of this task for you.
Choosing a taskcentric model when planning your kitchen will allow you to:
For example; planning your kitchen may include identifying that you rinse dirty dishes and stack them straight into the dishwasher - a task-centric design would have the sink and the dishwasher clustered together to improve the efficiency of this task for you.
Choosing a taskcentric model when planning your kitchen will allow you to:
- Focus on your culinary task, while entertaining your guests or allowing others to use the kitchen.
- Achieve task efficiency, giving you more time for other activities.
- Keep all the mess in one spot, instead of spreading it all over the kitchen.
- Present a clean and tidy kitchen to your guests, even if you are still in the middle of preparing the meal.
Ask KICH
If you are still unsure which model suits your needs, you can ask the experienced kitchen designers at KICH. They with spend time with you analysing your kitchen tasks and how you operate in your favourite space. They will then help you make the RIGHT choice for you.