Have you ever spent time in a kitchen, maybe at a friend or relative’s house, that just seemed really awkward / difficult to work in? Something didn’t seem ‘quite right’ but you couldn’t put your finger on what it was? I have a guess about what caused the problem….
THE LACK OF A WORK TRIANGLE
What the what?! Has Angela lost her marbles? No. Well, not all of them anyway!
When it comes to functional kitchen design, the triangle is KEY. And I’m about to tell you why.
The quest for efficient kitchen design is not a new one. In fact, the idea of optimizing the layout of the kitchen in an educated way dates back to the 1920’s with a woman named Lillian Moeller Gilbreth.
As an engineer, psychologist and mother to twelve (TWELVE!), she had a very unique perspective to offer on the function and efficiency of the home. In 1929 her ideas were introduced at a Women’s Exposition.
These ideas on motion and efficiency were groundbreaking and she was hailed as ‘a genius in the art of living’. It is Lillian who is credited with developing the basic work triangle.
Fun fact: She can also be thanked for other modern kitchen conveniences such as the foot pedal trash can, shelves on inside of fridge doors (including the butter tray), and wall light switches!
In the 1940’s, the University of Illinois continued to research kitchen efficiency and developed the fundamental kitchen design principles that are still in use today.
SO… WHAT EXACTLY IS THE WORK TRIANGLE?
The kitchen is an absolute workhorse in the typical American home. Imagine yourself in your own kitchen. Of all the things that go on in that space, can you agree that the primary tasks are carried out between the cook-top/oven, sink and refrigerator?
Three major stations – the sink, the fridge and the oven. THREE. The idea behind the work triangle is this: You are going to be walking between these stations repeatedly during your time in the kitchen. In order to produce efficiency, there should be no obstructions that could make it difficult to get from one station to the next. Likewise, the distance between the stations should not be so great that you tire of walking, or too close that if two people are working in the room together they are constantly bumping into one another.
Consider the center face of each of these stations as one ‘point’ on a triangle. Those points and the space between them make up the work triangle.
BASICS OF THE KITCHEN WORK TRIANGLE
The principles of the work triangle are used by architects and interior designers when creating residential kitchens. There are some basic rules that need to be followed for the triangle to work properly.
LENGTH OF SIDES: No leg of the triangle should be less than 4′ in length, or greater than 9′. The sum of all three sides combined should be between 13 and 26 feet.
SPACING: There needs to be adequate space between stations to eliminate congestion. The average distance of separation is as follows:
Between the fridge and sink stations: 4 to 7 feet of separation
Between the sink and oven stations: 4 to 6 feet of separation
Between the oven and fridge stations: 4 to 9 feet of separation
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OBSTACLES: Cabinets, counters, or other obstacles should not intersect any leg of the triangle by more than 12 inches. In addition, there should be no major traffic flow going through the triangle.
WORKERS: The work triangle is best optimized for one person working in the kitchen at a time. Some of the efficiency will be lost if the triangle is shared by two or more people.
It should also be noted that a kitchen with a work triangle isn’t the ONLY option. If your space dictates that all three work stations be positioned along one wall, for example, it is not the end of the world. There are plenty of high functioning kitchens that do not employ these principles.
EXAMPLES OF KITCHENS WITH WORK TRIANGLES
I mentioned in a previous post that our new kitchen at Arrow Hill Cottage will utilize these principles – but since it isn’t built yet, I thought I would share a few images of kitchens that are rocking the triangle.
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So now you know! Next time you hear someone complain about their awkward kitchen, ask them if they know about the work triangle – or better yet, share this post!
