The Heart of the Home

The Kitchen Triangle

When designing kitchens it is always best to start with the design of the space prior to selecting any finishes. The main reason for this is that the layout of the kitchen and how it functions is actually far more important than how it looks. There are three main zones within every kitchen no matter how large or small the space, these are the food storage area (fridge and pantry) the cooking area (cooktop and oven) and the cleaning & preparation area (the sink). These three spaces need to be functional within themselves whilst also relating to each other, easily accessible as you move from one space to the next during your kitchen experience, not only for comfort but also for safety.

The Kitchen Triangle is the imaginary path which defines how these three working zones connect to each other. The main concept is to ensure there is a clear unobstructed access between the three zones and that these are kept within a realistically close distance. The dimensions of this triangle will differ in almost every kitchen depending upon its layout but being aware of this simple shape is paramount in helping you create a functional and practical kitchen layout.

The Kitchen Triangle Variation

The kitchen triangle was designed to maximise the utility of the kitchen for one person moving around the kitchen.  But in modern times the kitchen has become central to entertaining and socialising.  The kitchen triangle concept can also be applied for designing a kitchen where communal cooking and entertainment is how your kitchen will be used.

In this instance you can use the kitchen triangle to organise the space into preparation zones, cooking zones, and serving zones.

Case Study – The Contemporary Kitchen Redesign

The process

James started by analysing the floor plans, to identify any problem areas, start considering the placement of the key items and ensure there is a comfortable flow through the space. His next concern is how the room is viewed from the rest of the open-plan space and that it doesn’t visually clash with the living and entertaining areas.

Now that you are an expert in the kitchen triangle concept, can you see the problem in the original floor plan for this home?

The before and after images of the floor plan show the subtle changes which opened up many design possibilities. After confirming that James was able to relocate the plumbing points, as well as the electrical layout, some non-structural walls which affected the new layout could be moved.

Whilst every home is different, sometimes one thing stands out as the biggest issue, and in this home’s original floor plan, it was the fridge space – both it’s location and size.

The Fridge Space

In the original design of this home, you can see that the width of the allocated fridge space limited the size of the fridge which could be a problem as such a large house might require a large fridge.

Also looking at the kitchen triangle the original position of the fridge meant you had to walk around the corner of the bench to access the fridge – a small but important detail in designing a functional kitchen.

To fix this issue James flipped the pantry layout and move the door across by shifting a non-structural wall.  This created more space for a larger fridge whilst moving the fridge across making access smooth and easy from both the cooking and preparation zones.  The new position of the pantry door also means that you can easily access dry goods from the pantry as easilty as cold goods from the fridge.

Once the layout was designed correctly, James then went into the selections including cabinets, fixtures, appliances, and tiles.  The resulting kitchen is shown below.

Want more Kitchen Design Tips?

This article was based on just one of the hundreds of practial design tips included in James Trebles “Practical Design” online course.

If you want to learn how to should design your dream kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, loungeroom or even an entire house then why not check out the course – or you can try a figure it out on your own by rearranging the cushions for the 100th time! The choice is yours.

Creating a Focal Point

When creating a room and working out your furniture and décor choices, an important consideration is including one key item that catches the eye when you enter the room, called a ‘focal point’. The concept behind this technique is about creating an immediate strong impression, by directing the eye to one interior’s element or location and raising emotions. It’s setting the mood through first impressions.

Placing a strong artwork on the end wall of a hallway is the perfect way to add a sense of depth and attract you into the space.

Allowing a great view to be clearly visible through the windows is a good way to add a sense of calm and of space to a room.

A claw footed free-standing bath tub, given plenty of space around is bound to immediately raise a strong sense of self-indulging luxury.

The focal point is usually positioned away from the entry door attracting you inside the space.

This article was based on just one of the hundreds of practial design tips included in James Trebles “Practical Design” online course.

If you want to learn how to should design your dream kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, loungeroom or even an entire house then why not check out the course – or you can try a figure it out on your own by rearranging the cushions for the 100th time! The choice is yours.

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