For years homeowners have heard all about the work triangle. The work triangle has been around for a while and was designed in the 1940’s to help people work more efficiently in the kitchen. 

Today as the size and layouts of our kitchens have increased people are finding that the work triangle doesn’t necessarily work for all of today’s kitchens. Kitchens are no longer used just for cooking.  Many kitchens today are not only larger but are open to other living areas such as the family room. There are many more activities that occur in the kitchen in addition to having a lot more appliances.  Designers are finding work zones for most kitchens to be a much more effective use of space.

The Work Triangle

The concept was to connect the sink, range and refrigerator so things were more efficient in the kitchen. There were certain guidelines that required a certain distance between these three areas so the overall workflow wasn’t interrupted. The original reason for the work triangle was that kitchens were a lot smaller and tended to have bigger appliances back then. These three areas were placed in a neat triangular shape, hence where the name came from.  If these three areas didn’t have a certain amount of space it led to traffic jams in the kitchen and other problems.  

Work Zones

Work zones are a modified version of the work triangle in the kitchen. Designers went to work zones, because it became more difficult to place the larger and increased number of appliances in a triangular shape. With the size of the kitchen and layouts changing it became necessary to make some changes. Instead of having one area to work, homeowners needed to have 2 or 3 work areas in the kitchen. Designers began grouping these different appliances and fixtures based on their use. For example it makes sense to place your sink next to the dishwasher with a trash bin near by. 

Another important thing to consider with work zones is storage. You will want to have easy access to items that will be used in a particular work zone. You may opt for a pull out spice rack next to your cooktop.  It is also important to consider the counter space next to certain appliances. You wouldn’t want to walk across the kitchen to set a hot dish down that has just come out of the oven. 

Deciding on which one will work best for your kitchen will depend on the size and layout of your kitchen. Both are meant to help you avoid those unwanted kitchen traffic jams and keep your kitchen functioning as the heart of your home.  Our design experts can guide you through this process.  If you would like to talk to one of our design experts about questions you may have you can contact us here.

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