Hi Reader,
One of the most enduring principles in kitchen design is the idea of the “kitchen work triangle.”
If you’ve done even a little Googling about designing or renovating your kitchen, you’ve probably come across it.
The concept was developed in the 1920s and 1930s as a way of making kitchens more efficient. The idea was simple: keep your three main work areas — sink, stove, and refrigerator — close together in a triangle formation to minimize the number of steps you'd take while cooking.
It made perfect sense for the small, single-cook kitchens of that era.
But since then, the way we use our kitchens has changed completely.
For most of us, the kitchen is the most important room in the entire house. It’s a gathering place, an entertaining space, the spot where your kids do homework or you connect with your spouse after a long day.
Not to mention, we have more appliances, storage, and stuff.
The way we live in our kitchens has completely changed — so the way we design them has changed too.
The classic kitchen triangle has evolved into designing for 5 zones:
- Cold food storage — Your fridge and freezer area
- Pantry storage — Dry goods, canned items, and small appliances
- Food preparation — Counter space for chopping, mixing, and assembling
- Cooking — Your range, cooktop, and/or wall ovens
- Cleanup — Sink, dishwasher, trash, recycling, and cleaning supplies
The goal is the same as the original triangle: keep related tasks close together so you're not running back and forth across the kitchen. But this approach does a better job of planning for how modern homeowners use their space.
Even so, zones are just one part of the kitchen design puzzle.
If you have a renovation on the horizon — or just want to spend the Christmas holidays dreaming about what your kitchen could be! — you’ll want to check out the newest House Confident blog post.
I've written my version of Kitchen Design 101 for Homeowners, a massive post with the most important design principles I follow on every project, including:
➡️ The #1 job your kitchen design should achieve
➡️ Tips and considerations for planning out each of the 5 major kitchen zones
➡️ Guidelines for planning out your floor space
➡️ A reality check on popular storage trends, with my verdict on what’s worth it and what’s not
It’s a long one, but it's packed with tips and advice I find myself giving clients on virtually every project. Be sure to save it or pass it on to someone you know!
Till next time,
Gerald
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