| Understanding The
Work Triangle |
The Work Triangle is the distance between the three primary work
centers of the kitchen drawn in the form of a triangle. For
years, kitchen designers have used the Work Triangle as a guide for measuring
the efficiency of a kitchen. There are three areas that
make up the work centers of a kitchen. These three areas
consist of the food preparation center (stove area), the food
storage center (refrigerator area) and the clean-up center (sink
area), all making a triangle shape. The total footage of
the three sides of the triangle should measure between 12' and
26'. A work triangle measuring less than 12' would make a
cramped kitchen because your appliances are too close together.
More than 26' indicates that there is space being wasted,
causing more steps to be used walking from one work center to
another and meaning more time being used to create your family
meals.
Note: the Work Triangle is highlighted in red in
each example. |
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| The 6 Basic Floor
Plans |
While there are infinite variations on ways to design your new
kitchen, most designs should be located centrally around one of six basic floor plans. The diagrams
below show these plans and give you insight to the advantages
and disadvantages of each design. Take a look and decide which
design best suites your family's own personal needs. |
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| The
Straight Kitchen |
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The Straight Kitchen is a design that places
all work centers on one wall. This is a popular choice in
smaller homes, apartments, or office spaces. This is the
simplest of all the designs, although it may be difficult to
provide ample countertop and storage space with all work centers
against one wall.
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| The
Galley Kitchen |
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The Galley Kitchen is a design that provides
two walls of cabinet space. This is a great improvement
over the straight kitchen. This creates much more valuable
counter space and distance between work centers is also reduced.
Aisle space should be at least 48' for one cook, and for two
cooks 60'. This cuts down on wasted footsteps, and helps
prevent bumping or running into each other. Heavy traffic
can occasionally be a problem in this design type. |
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| The
L-Shaped Kitchen |
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The L-shaped Kitchen is a good option for a two
cook kitchen. It is a very good design, providing ample
counter space, and good access to work centers, and a much
better traffic flow than some designs. This layout unused
corner to be utilized as a dining area. This is a
wonderful choice 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. This design is a great
option for a larger kitchen.
It has lots of counter space, good access to work centers, and plenty
of room for two cooks. This layout gets rid of household traffic
through the kitchen giving the cook plenty of room to work.
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| The
Peninsula Kitchen |
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The Peninsula Kitchen is also a good
design for larger kitchens. This layout gets rid of
household traffic through the kitchen and gives the
cook plenty of room to work. A wide bar top can
be put in to the peninsula that will give an ideal
breakfast bar for kitchen
seating or a large work and
serving area. Similar to the U-Shaped kitchen it
provides lots of counter space, good access to work
centers, and plenty of room for two cooks.
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| The
Island Kitchen |
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The Island Kitchen is similar to the
L-shaped kitchen with a little added flare.
Notice how the island helps define the perimeter of
the kitchen. It also offers possibilities for
positioning the cook top or sink in the middle of
the room. Also, the addition of a wide island
top can provide a seating and eating area.
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