Q–I am designing my new kitchen. A friend told me about some mystical triangle that needs to exist between the sink, cooktop and refrigerator. Is this true? My kitchen measures 10 feet, 6 inches by 14 feet. Are there minimum planning standards that will maximize the utility of the kitchen space? Do you think I can include a small sit-down eating area in one corner of the space?
A–The mystical “work triangle” is a reality; make no mistake about it. This concept of linking the major components of a kitchen was developed nearly 50 years ago by the University of Illinois Small Homes Council. Although kitchens in some of today’s largest homes would dwarf your kitchen and those in 1950s homes, the basic principal of the work triangle is still valid.
The thinking behind this most basic concept of kitchen design is simple. The sink, refrigerator and the cooktop represent the most used centers of activity in the average kitchen. The efficiency of a worker in the kitchen is drastically reduced if these activity centers are spread far apart.
Ideally, the distance in a straight line from the front center point of one of these three centers of activity to another should be between 4 and 9 feet. The sum of the three triangle legs should be no more than 26 feet.
All kitchens contain invisible throughways. These are the connecting routes between other rooms and doorways. A collision on these high-speed highways involving a kitchen worker walking with a hot pot of water and an express child or teenager can be disastrous. For this reason, no single leg of the work triangle should cross these invisible pathways.
The National Kitchen and Bath Association would consider your kitchen a small one. Detailed studies and design competitions they sponsored allowed them to develop minimum standards regarding cabinetry, drawer space and countertop requirements.
For you to gain the maximum utility from your space, it is suggested that you have a minimum of 13 lineal feet of base cabinets. The total length of your wall cabinets should not be less than 12 lineal feet. Drawer space is very crucial in kitchens. The total combined width of all drawer fronts should be a minimum of 120 inches. A small kitchen like yours might have an average of 8 drawers. Your final design should contain a minimum of 11 lineal feet of open countertop space.
Including a small sit-down eating area in your kitchen may be impossible. You will most likely find this out when you draw a simple plan that incorporates all of the above-mentioned planning criteria.
After you draw the kitchen plan, pencil in the invisible high-speed routes. On a separate piece of paper, draw a 6-foot diameter circle to the same scale as your kitchen plan. If you are using a scale of one-fourth inch equals 1 foot, this disc will be 1 1/2 inches in diameter. This disc represents a 4-foot diameter circular table and the space needed for the chairs around the table.
Place the disc on the plan. It should not cover any of the high-speed routes, walls, or be near any of the kitchen cabinet or work areas. The only hope you may have is to include a very small cafe-style table that will seat two people. To get the best return on your investment dollars that you are about to spend, I urge you to consult with a Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD). These individuals can help you maximize the function, form and appearance of your new kitchen.
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Have questions about the remodeling process? Write to Tim Carter, c/o The Chicago Tribune, P.O. Box 36352, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0352. Questions will be answered only in the column.
For a list of sources for free kitchen design literature, 20 design suggestions and other tips on kitchen planning, send $2 and your name and address to Tim Carter at the above address. Ask for Builder Bulletin No. 188.
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