PLANNING ESSENTIALS: ZONING & THE KITCHEN TRIANGLE
by Naomi Findlay
The key principle underpinning functional kitchen design for many, many years has been centred around the concept of ‘the working triangle’.
These days, however, most savvy kitchen architects will tell you that applying the working triangle alone is not enough. For a truly multi-purpose, functional kitchen, you may need to involve more modern elements of design as well.
So what is the kitchen triangle?
The kitchen triangle is formed by creating three connecting lines, each two to three metres in length. The sink, oven or stovetop and fridge sit on each of the triangle vertices.
The triangle concept still serves the purpose of designing a basic and functional kitchen.
However, the ways in which we use the kitchen have changed in recent years, which means thinking has shifted on how we should incorporate the working triangle into modern kitchen design.
Our homes are changing!
The reason for this shift is simple, and obvious when we think about the way we live in our homes.
In the past kitchens were substantially smaller than they are now. They were specifically used for the preparation and clean up of meals and constructed primarily to allow one to two people to function in them comfortably.
Kitchens of today are much more than a meal prep room – they’re the hub of the home. They are designed to allow for cooking and eating of course, but also looked at as a work and study space, an entertaining space, and more. The basic requirements of the room ‘kitchen’ have expanded to fit our needs and with that, so has the size of the room.
If we were to apply the traditional triangle template to these new larger open plan kitchens/spaces, it just wouldn’t work. You would need to use multiple triangles to fit the bill.
Kitchens of today are much more than a meal prep room. More than ever they’re the hub of the home.
Zoning – the best way to plan
With this in mind, it seems that the triangle theory has evolved to include the theory of ‘zoning tasks’ in a kitchen.
To use the zoning concept, consider the following points:
1. Work out what tasks you do in the kitchen, examples include: food storage, cooking, cleaning up, administrative work, entertaining, eating
2. For each task think about what you’ll need in that zone
For the ‘cooking zone’, here is an example of what you may include:
These days, however, most savvy kitchen architects will tell you that applying the working triangle alone is not enough. For a truly multi-
So what is the kitchen triangle?
The kitchen triangle is formed by creating three connecting lines, each two to three metres in length. The sink, oven or stovetop and fridge sit on each of the triangle vertices.
The triangle concept still serves the purpose of designing a basic and functional kitchen.
However, the ways in which we use the kitchen have changed in recent years, which means thinking has shifted on how we should incorporate the working triangle into modern kitchen design.
Our homes are changing!
The reason for this shift is simple, and obvious when we think about the way we live in our homes.
In the past kitchens were substantially smaller than they are now. They were specifically used for the preparation and clean up of meals and constructed primarily to allow one to two people to function in them comfortably.
Kitchens of today are much more than a meal prep room – they’re the hub of the home. They are designed to allow for cooking and eating of course, but also looked at as a work and study space, an entertaining space, and more. The basic requirements of the room ‘kitchen’ have expanded to fit our needs and with that, so has the size of the room.
If we were to apply the traditional triangle template to these new larger open plan kitchens/spaces, it just wouldn’t work. You would need to use multiple triangles to fit the bill.
Kitchens of today are much more than a meal prep room. More than ever they’re the hub of the home.
Zoning – the best way to plan
With this in mind, it seems that the triangle theory has evolved to include the theory of ‘zoning tasks’ in a kitchen.
To use the zoning concept, consider the following points:
1. Work out what tasks you do in the kitchen, examples include: food storage, cooking, cleaning up, administrative work, entertaining, eating
2. For each task think about what you’ll need in that zone
For the ‘cooking zone’, here is an example of what you may include:
For the ‘clean up zone’, keep in mind these elements:
You may wish to consider these points for the ‘administrative zone’:
Overlapping zones
Once you have completed a review for each area, you’ll find you now have multiple mini-
There is likely to be some need for overlap between and across the zones so it is a good idea to make sure that areas with similar uses are adjacent to one another, for example – the cooking and clean up zones.
The triangle rule has evolved over time, but its core principles integrate nicely into modern kitchen design. Combined with the concept of zoning, you can achieve a stunning and functional kitchen and entertaining area for your home.
Combine zoning with the kitchen triangle and you can achieve a stunning & functional area.
The triangle rule may be seem a little outdated, but the core principles have evolved organically into a philosophy of zoning can help you create a stunning and functional kitchen space for your home.
Click here to generate an online enquiry. Many of our designers will do free estimates and/or assist with designs and layouts.
CONTACT DETAILS
ADDRESS: PO BOX 16123, PANORAMA, 7506
CAPE: 021 300 1098 BLOEMFONTEIN: 051 004 0119 DURBAN: 031 100 1164 JOHANNESBURG: 011 568 0712 PORT ELIZABETH: 041 004 0007 PRETORIA: 012 004 0239 POLOKWANE: 015 004 0199
FACSIMILE: 086 650 5033 EMERGENCY CONTACT: 082 509 3022