Explore the Kitchen Triangle: Pros and Cons of Kitchen Triangles

A kitchen work triangle is a design concept used to determine the optimal layout of a kitchen that addresses both aesthetics and efficiency. The triangle references three points: the refrigerator, the sink, and the stove/oven. It can promote economical design and usage by limiting the steps the cook needs to reach each area. However, even with bigger and more modernized kitchens, architects and home renovators can still alter and adapt the triangle concept to find the most efficient kitchen layout.

The kitchen triangle theory, which dates back to the 1920s, states that the three parts of the kitchen that are used the most should form a triangle to maximize the efficiency of the space for the cook. This theory was created to help cooks in smaller kitchens maximize their space’s efficiency through “circular routing.”

Developed by industrial psychologist and engineer Lillian Moller Gilbreth, and in partnership with the Brooklyn Borough Gas Company, this concept attempted to determine the most optimal layout of major kitchen zones: food storage, food preparation, and cooktop. By the 1940s, a specific model for the kitchen triangle was created and reduced building costs by standardizing the construction of these most frequently used work zones.

The work triangle is an old kitchen design rule that many have customized and adapted for their own modern kitchens. The rules of the kitchen work triangle are as follows:

1. 1. The triangle legs should be clear. Each leg of the triangle should not have any obstructions. The cook should move around the kitchen between each point of the triangle uninhibited, which includes through-traffic. Cabinets, countertops, tables, and other partial-height obstacles should not protrude more than 12 inches into the triangle. Full-height obstacles, like floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, should not obstruct the triangle at all.
2. 2. The proportions should be balanced. The sum of the triangle sides should be between 13 and 26 feet, with each side no less than four feet and no more than nine feet.
3. 3. Use the triangle on a smaller scale. The kitchen work triangle can also apply to other parts of the kitchen as well. For instance, keeping the sink, dishwasher, and garbage in relative proximity to one another can make post-meal cleanup easier and more efficient.

There are many benefits of having a kitchen triangle, such as:

• They help optimize your kitchen. The kitchen triangle can be greatly beneficial to your U-shaped or L-shaped kitchen design by creating designated main work areas and an optimized route between your major appliances.
• They give you space to work. If you’re in the kitchen often, the triangle can help keep your main cooking space devoid of obstacles or traffic, leaving you free and clear to move around the area.
• They discourage cross-contamination. Another benefit is that it can help keep areas where there are more germs—the food prep and sink area—close enough to deter cross-contamination.

As efficient as the kitchen triangle can be, there are also disadvantages to this concept’s structure:

• They’re not ideal for multiple cooks. The original kitchen triangle design was mainly beneficial for a single-cook household. However, now that today’s kitchens are more social and can involve multiple people cooking at once (like family members), the triangle may not be the most optimal kitchen layout.
• They don’t work with every layout. Another disadvantage is that the triangle does not work with every kitchen layout. Due to a lack of adequate space, a galley kitchen may not work with the triangle concept. For extra-large or open concept kitchens, the triangle may not be an efficient layout either, as many come with kitchen islands or independent food prep areas, increasing the number of dedicated work stations.
  

Learn interior design from award-winning designer Kelly Wearstler. Make any space feel larger, cultivate your own distinct style, and create spaces that tell a story with the MasterClass Annual Membership.