Expert Contribution

The Ideal Kitchen Design

and How Your Kitchen Compares

Whether you’re an aspiring gourmet chef who likes to spend hours in the kitchen, or a busy parent who prepares meals for your family every night, you want a kitchen that looks good and functions well. Do you often find that cooking takes longer than you’d like or crossing back and forth to get everything done? These are all signs that your kitchen design is not quite right.

The Most Important Features in Your Kitchen

Your kitchen has many components, such as appliances, cabinets, and countertops. However, the three most important features, at least when working in the kitchen, are the sink, the refrigerator, and the stove/oven. This is because you store perishable cooking ingredients in the fridge. Most people visit the sink to wash fruits and vegetables. Health-conscious cooks also visit the sink more often to wash their hands. And of course, all that cooking happens at the stove-top and in the oven.

The “Work Triangle”

The sink, refrigerator, and stove (or oven) are the three most important components people visit in the kitchen. These three points and the imaginary lines between them, make up what kitchen experts call the work triangle. The idea is that when these three elements are close (but not too close) to one other, the kitchen will be easy and efficient to use, cutting down on wasted steps.

When designing, there are some rules to keep in mind. For instance, it’s helpful if each side of the triangle is somewhere between four and nine feet long. This should then amount to, at most, twenty-seven feet total for all three sides. It is important to design the layout so that there will not be any other household traffic patterns that cut through it.

Giving Your Kitchen a Personal Touch

Beyond the necessity of a properly designed “work triangle,” modern kitchens can have many other features to match your personal style. When you start designing or remodeling a kitchen, it’s helpful to begin with the “work triangle” and work outward. A design build firm can help you choose the best layout for your kitchen space. Contact us at (925) 885-3770 to discuss your kitchen layout.

By Gordon Reese, Gordon Reese Design Build, Resident since 2008


About The Author

Design, Build, and Remodeling
Gordon Reese
Gordon Reese Design Build
925-481-9111

With over 35 years in business, our National Award-Winning Design Build firm has abundant experience with creating your dream spaces as your friend in the remodeling business! We design and remodel kitchens, baths, whole houses, and additions; from concept through completion, our highly skilled team of professionals are knowledgeable when it comes to transforming your living space. Great ideas, communication, and execution distinguish our process with award-winning results!

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