Working Out of the Triangle

by Gabby Hyman
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

Since 1949, American kitchen remodeling projects have been organized around the "work triangle." The triangle concept was developed by the Small Homes Council of the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois. Successful kitchen remodeling ideas should reflect the fundamental notion of renovating the old kitchen into three work centers: the locations for your stove, refrigerator, and kitchen sink. And you need ample space between them.

Bigger Is Not Always Better

According to the Small Homes Council:

• Each leg of the triangle should range between 4 feet and 9 feet.
• The sum total of all three legs should be between 12 feet and 26 feet.
• Cabinets shouldn't intersect any leg of the triangle by more than 12 inches.
• Family traffic should not pass inside the work triangle.
• Any island or peninsula may not intersect any single triangle leg by more than 12 inches.

Of course, if you're scaling up for a major kitchen renovation, you may have to knock out walls to preserve the scale of the work triangle. If not, you may end up creating a family Bermuda Triangle where your kitchen once thrived under its original dimensions.

The dimensions might have been a brilliant idea in 1949, but since World War II, kitchens have swelled 50% in size with each decade. And appliances are bigger, too. If you're knee deep in a kitchen renovation, think about the difference between a 1950 refrigerator and contemporary two-door models that come with built-in ice machines, latte makers, and television units.

So be sure to diagram the precise space you need to fit the appliances you own. Otherwise, "honey," you might tell your spouse, "I shrunk the kitchen."

About the Author
Gabby Hyman has written for print and online media for more than 20 years. He has created online content for eToys, GoTo.com, Siebel Systems, Avaya, and Nissan UK. He has also been a web consultant to the Governor of California. As an author of fiction, journalism, and poetry, Gabby is a former English professor for the University of Illinois, University of Alaska, and Old Dominion University. He holds an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Alabama.