| Understanding The
Work Triangle |
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| For years kitchen
designers have used the Work Triangle as a guide for measuring
the efficiency of a kitchen. The Work Triangle is the distance
between the three primary work centers of the kitchen drawn
in the form of a triangle. The work centers consist of the food
storage center (refrigerator area), the food preparation center
(range area), & the clean-up center (sink area). The total
footage of the three sides of the triangle should measure between
12' & 26'. Less than 12' means your appliances are to close
together & you may have a cramped kitchen. More than 26'
means you may be wasting time & steps walking between the
work centers. Note the Work Triangle is highlighted in red in
each example. |
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| The 6 Basic Floor
Plans |
| While there are endless
variations on ways to design your new kitchen, most designs
should be centered around one of 6 basic floor plans. The diagrams
below illustrate these plans & give insight to the advantages
& disadvantages of each design. Take note of which design
might best fit your new project. |
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| The
Straight Kitchen |
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The Straight Kitchen
is the simplest of all designs & is usually found in smaller
homes, apartments, or office applications. All work centers
are located on one wall. It is difficult to provide ample countertop
& storage space with this type of design. Use it only when
space is limited. |
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| The
Galley Kitchen |
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The Galley Kitchen
with two walls of cabinetry is a vast improvement over the straight
kitchen. There is much more valuable counter space & distance
between work centers is reduced, cutting down on wasted footsteps.
Isle space should be at least 48" for one cook. If there
are two cooks isle space should be increased to 60" to
avoid bumping or running in to each other. Heavy traffic flow
can sometimes present a problem in this type of kitchen. |
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| The
L-Shaped Kitchen |
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The L-Shaped Kitchen
is a great design, providing ample counter space, room for two
cooks, good access to work centers, & better traffic flow.
This layout allows the unused corner (lower right hand area
of drawing) to be used for a dining table. This layout is good
for medium sized kitchens. |
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| The
U-Shaped Kitchen |
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The U-Shaped Kitchen
is also a great design, especially for larger kitchens.
Lots of counter space, good access to work centers, & plenty
of room for two cooks. This layout eliminates household traffic
through the kitchen giving the cook plenty of room to work within.
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| The
Peninsula Kitchen |
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The Peninsula
Kitchen is also a good design, for larger
kitchens. Similar to the U-Shaped kitchen it provides
lots of counter space, good access to work centers,
& plenty of room for two cooks. This layout eliminates
household traffic through the kitchen giving the cook
plenty of room to work within. A wide bar top can
be added to the peninsula providing an ideal kitchen
seating & eating area or a large work &
serving area. |
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| The
Island Kitchen |
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The Island
Kitchen takes the L-Shaped kitchen a step
further. Notice how the placement of the island helps
define the perimeter of the kitchen, while providing
extra counter space& storage. The island offers
possibilities for positioning the sink or cook top
in the center of the room. The addition
of a wide island top provides a seating & eating
area. |
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