The Basics of a Kitchen Layout – Part 2
There are a couple of theories that designers use for locating your appliances in your kitchen layout.
The Magical Triangle
This theory relates to keeping your cooking, cleaning, and food storage areas within a reasonable number of steps so you’re not traipsing around your kitchen for no good reason. There are four main points to this concept.
The three main elements (cooktop/range, sink, and refrigerator) must be laid out in a triangle pattern, and each leg between (or the distance between them) should be 4’ to 9’ apart. And the total length of all three sides of this imaginary triangle must be no less than 13’ but no more than 26’.
Cabinets, islands, tables, and other partial-height obstacles must not stick into the triangle by more than 12”.
Full-height obstacles, such as floor-to-ceiling cabinets, should not intrude into the triangle at all.
You should avoid having traffic come through the middle of your triangle, i.e., foot traffic from one door to another or one space to another.
Magic triangle kitchen layout
The most obvious shape to utilize this triangle is the traditional “U” shaped kitchens. But “L” shaped kitchens generally can also retain these core placements, as well an open concept space with an island (as long as the island houses the sink or a cooking surface in it). The galley-style kitchen breaks the traffic flow rule but can still maintain the others.
Functional Zones
Our kitchens are no longer just a sequestered utilitarian type of space and have multiple activities and often multiple cooks at the same time. This more modern theory is to divide it up into functional zones, each containing everything that you need for that task or series of tasks.
The common core zones would be:
Food Storage – refrigeration, freezing and maybe a pantry
Food Prep – range, microwave, small appliances, cutting boards, mixing bowls, etc.
Pots & Pans, cooking spices, oils, etc.
Clean-up – sink, dishwasher, garbage, recycling
Flatware, glasses & cutlery – this can include some more mixing bowls if needed, and some serving dishes
Depending on the size of the space, what your needs are, the layout and how you will be populating the cabinetry, it could also include zones for:
Baking – measuring cups and spoons, may even have a lowered countertop if you are really into kneading bread dough.
Small appliance garage – for appliances like your mixer and food processor that you use quasi-regularly but maybe not every day
Coffee/Tea station
Office/Homework area
Family Hub – mail, keys, notices, calendar
Magic triangles can contain functional zones!
The triangle guideline is often layered into the zones, especially in larger kitchens. Supporting infrastructure is incorporated in the form of additional sinks, under-counter fridges, wall ovens, or multiple dishwashers. The idea is to help minimize traffic and the number of steps required between activity centers.
Functional zones of kitchen layout
The National Kitchen & Bath Association has additional recommendations.
Keep 42” in between countertop edges. For example, if you have an island and a perimeter run of cabinetry, you want to have 42” in between those two.
Keep 48” from the face of your fridge to a countertop, to allow for space to open your fridge door while standing in front of it.
Walkways should be a minimum of 36" wide.
Create countertop landing zones beside appliances:
On one side of the fridge keep at least 15” so that you can open the fridge and set something aside, or place grocery bags there to unload them.
18” and 24” on each side of sink
12” and 15” on each side of your cooktop surface or range
30” food prep area for cutting and chopping that’s adjacent to the sink
Locate the dishwasher within 36" of the sink, and not tight into a corner. If the dishwasher is perpendicular to the sink, make sure that the door doesn't block access to the sink when it is open.
You need to know the rules before you can break them.
Some of these rules are really obvious, and others are there simply as guidelines. If you end up with slightly different dimensions, I'm happy to put that in for you as long as you're happy with it.
Now that we’ve got our anchor items in place and we have a general idea of the size of areas beside them, we’re going to infill the cabinetry. This will be done thoughtfully and in a designed way so that we can provide the functional storage that your kitchen needs to make it a joy to work in.
For more information, check out our podcast All Things Renovation at www.AllThingsRenovation.com . The second series of episodes focuses on kitchen renovations.