Working triangle in the kitchen

What is a working triangle?

Working triangle in the kitchen - location of activity zones at a comfortable distance from each other. The term was first voiced in the 40s, and the areas of activity were considered to be the sink, stove and work surface. Today there are three points of the triangle:

• refrigerator;
• sink;
• plate.

Regardless of how often work in the kitchen takes place and what kind of dishes you make, it should be convenient for you to take food from storage, transfer them to the processing area (wash, cut), and cook.

• The refrigerator can be compact (built-in under the tabletop), one-door or two-door. Make sure that nothing interferes with opening the doors. If you placed it in a corner, the door should open towards the wall for ease of use.
• The sink is chosen based on the size of the kitchen. Any shape and size is suitable for spacious rooms, compact but deep is ideal for small ones. For angular placement, there are special sinks that fit correctly into the provided module.
• The stove can be solid or consist of a separate hob + oven. It is more convenient to install independent appliances: a cooker on one side of the sink, and an oven in a pencil case at eye level or any lower section. The oven does not have to be located next to the hob, it does not affect the working triangle.

In the photo, a variant of a triangle with a refrigerator in the center

What is the best distance?

The distance between the central elements depends on the area, but the minimum is 120 cm, the maximum is 270 cm. This rule applies to small and large kitchens. Try to place the vertices as close to 120 cm as possible so that you don't have to wind miles while cooking.

Draw a visual line between a couple of objects, remove any obstacles found - tables, chairs, various pedestals. The corner of the kitchen island must not fit into the free space of the triangle> 30 cm.

Also important is the width of the aisle between furniture in two-row U-shaped kitchens. It is 100-120 cm.

The photo shows an example of the implementation of the rule using the island

Features for different kitchen layouts

The design primarily depends on the arrangement of the furniture. In one, instead of a figure, a straight line will turn out, in the second - a regular equilateral, in the third - an isosceles triangle.

In addition to the location of the kitchen unit, the number of people who usually prepare food should be considered. Collisions are dangerous, so it is important that your trajectories do not intersect. In spacious kitchens, a second sink is installed for this purpose.

Working triangle in linear kitchen

Single-row arrangement is the most inconvenient to use. It is either too small - you have at least 30-40 cm between work areas, or long - you have to arrange races while cooking. Within the linear layout, there are 3 ways to create a triangle:

• Installation in a row of a refrigerator, sink, stove. The sink is in the middle. According to the rule of the triangle, the working surface between the sink and the stove should be 80-90 cm, 45 cm between the sink and the refrigerator.
• Removing the refrigerator to the opposite wall.Place it closer to the sink.
• Placement of an additional work surface - islands. This solution is suitable for large kitchens by reducing the distance between the corners of the triangle. Install a stove on it, and build the sink and refrigerator into the headset.

Working triangle in the corner kitchen

Designers often offer exactly L-shaped kitchen interiors, because they have no equal in ergonomics.

Standard placement according to the principle of a working triangle - sink in the corner, stove, refrigerator on either side of it. Above the sink, you have a place for storing dishes, between it and the hob - a working surface for cutting, and near the refrigerator - an empty countertop for defrosting food, storing what you need.

If desired, slide the sink out of the corner, but leave the rest of the areas on the left and right as well.

Placement rules for a U-shaped kitchen

In the kitchen, with the letter P, ergonomics suggests itself. We put a sink in the center, and under it you can organize a dishwasher. This will simplify the process of loading and unloading the dishes. Place the rest of the points on two sides to get an isosceles triangle.

If you plan to put a stove in the center, place the sink and storage place on both sides of it. But this option will be much less convenient.

Ergonomic parallel kitchen layout

A two-row arrangement of furniture involves the distribution of work surfaces on both sides. Leave the sink, the stove on one side, and the refrigerator on the other. You will not be constantly spinning, running between the rows.

Installing a refrigerator and a sink in the same row is a long time ago, this model turned out to be extremely inconvenient.

In the photo there is a competent arrangement of zones: the sink and the stove together

Kitchen layout with an island

Dreams of a dining island in the kitchen, like in American movies, can be realized if the kitchen area is more than 20 square meters. But it can greatly simplify the placement of the working triangle.

If you do not have a miniature refrigerator model, then place a cooking or washing zone on the island. The second option is easy to implement in your home, having installed communications in the right place in advance. In the apartment, the transfer of pipes must be coordinated, in addition, the aesthetics of the kitchen will suffer.

When placing a stove on an island cabinet, take care of an extractor hood - built into the island or hanging from the ceiling. Modern cylindrical models will perfectly fit into high-tech, modern and other modern styles.

Whatever zone you take to the island, place the other two opposite.

In the photo there is an island with a hob

When planning a rework, consider the triangle rule in the kitchen, try to recreate it in your space. When you can cook quickly and conveniently, you will begin to enjoy the process, maybe even master a few new recipes.