The kitchen work triangle as the name suggests is basically a theory that suggests the best design layout of a kitchen considering the three important work places namely:-

1) The cooking area or the hob

2) The sink area or the cleaning area

3) The storage area or the refrigerator

The Kitchen work triangle is a theory that suggests that the most appealing layout for a kitchen wether reach wise or look wise would be correctly defined by an imaginary line that forms a triangle between these three work areas. This triangle then helps to find out the most suitable placement of work areas for optimal kitchen designing. Since, early 1900’s this theory has been used to define the spacing between the three areas in an efficient manner.

The Work Triangle Theory Elements:-

1) The Sides of the triangle should be between 1.2 m to 2.7 m. Where the distance between two work areas is very small it may feel congested. For example when the distance between hob and sink is very small, it may hinder both the washing and the cooking process on the other hand where the distance between sink and the fridge is very large, it may hinder quick and easy work flow.

2) The Sides of the triangle should add up in the range of 4m to 7.9m

3) There should be clear ways for traffic flowing between the triangles. No obstacles or cabinets should block up the path by more than 1 ft. High traffic flow should not happen between the imaginary triangle lines

Kitchen work triangle theory has certain drawbacks:-

1) It is geometrically impossible for the straight kitchen to have a work triangle.

2) Open kitchens or kitchen was small islands for leisure may find it difficult to inculcate the triangle based upon the island location

3) Sometimes traffic is large in the triangle due to constraints of space or number of people.

4) The theory though popularly used, is quite old and modern kitchens with new design elements continue to evolve