Kitchen Design Principles: The Work Sequence and The Kitchen Triangle

Kitchen Design
Principles
the work sequence and the kitchen triangle.
Focus on Kitchen Zones
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
❏ The two main principles in kitchen design are the work sequence
and the kitchen triangle.
❏ These are not building regulations that you absolutely must follow –
just think of them as design guidelines to help you design a more
efficient kitchen.
❏ To help us understand these principles a little better, we’ll be using

the kitchen floorplan below as our example.
Floor Plan (scale 1:20)
1. WORK SEQUENCE
❏ The work sequence is the order of activities involved in

preparing food.
❏ This means all the steps from walking in with the

groceries, storing the produce, to prepping, cooking,
eating, and to eventually cleaning it all away.
❏ We can break these down into six main steps, which

are explained below;
❏ STORE – unloading and unwrapping of food, storing in
refrigerator/freezer/ larder/cupboards
❏ WASH – washing, peeling, chopping, sieving food, dishwashing
❏ PREPARE – weighing, mixing cake and pastry making
❏ COOK – hob for boiling and frying, grill for grilling and browning, oven
for baking and roasting, microwave oven for defrosting, fast cooking
and heating.
❏ SERVE – dishing up food, keeping food hot, toasting bread, storing

cutlery, crockery and condiments
❏ EAT – table laying and eating

WORK SEQUENCE:
1- Store
2- Wash
3- Prepare
4- Cook
5- Serve
6- Eat
Once these steps are completed, you usually go through the return
sequence as follows;
Clear – removing dirty dishes to sink and dishwasher, returning uneaten

food to refrigerator and cupboards.
Wash up – waste disposal, loading dishwasher, hand washing, draining,

putting away
So how does all this effect the design process?
Well, the idea is to design a layout where cross circulation is as minimal as

possible. In other words, to arrange the kitchen in a way that the listed
tasks can be carried out with least possible effort.
❏ Having said that, there’s always going to be crossing some of the
activities.
❏ For instance, the sink is used both for preparation and washing up,
and the flow of tableware and crockery to and from the dishwasher
and the table.
❏ The distance between the preparation area (number 3) and the wet
zone (number 2) should be minimal.
❏ This is because nobody wants to carry around heavy pans from

sink to the hob longer than they have to.
❏ The recommended distance between the two is no longer than 1.8

meters.
2. WORK TRIANGLE
❏ The work triangle is the relationship between three of the main

appliances used in the kitchen – the refrigerator, sink, and the
cooker.
❏ As a rule of thumb, when we add the lengths together, the sum

should not be less than 3.5 meters, and no more than 6.5 meters.
❏ Shorter distance means that we don’t have enough work surface

space, whereas longer distance means that we’ll just end up
walking around too much every time we cook a meal.
❏ So even though we are working on a fairly large family kitchen
layout, we can keep it efficient by following the kitchen triangle rule.
❏ The triangle lengths are calculated from the centre of each

appliance, as shown in Figure.
❏ We can quickly check if our triangle satisfies the recommended

distances by adding up the lengths;
2410 mm + 2245 mm + 1210 mm = 5865 mm (5.9 m) which falls

between 3.5 m and 6.5 m.
Kitchen Dimensions
Kitchen Aisle Width Scenarios
1. Kitchen dimensions for a row of kitchen units opposite a wall
with no other circulation
❏ This scenario would also apply for other

layouts where the obstruction doesn’t
have any units.
❏ For example here it is with a breakfast

bar.
❏ Added a wall of thin units at the other

wall of the kitchen for extra storage.
A minimum aisle width of 40 inches
(102cm) also applies for a run of units
opposite the end of an island.
2. Kitchen dimensions for two rows of facing units with one
cook (watch out for door swings)
So the standard advice is that if you have a kitchen with one cook
working in the kitchen at any one time then you need 42 inches
(107cm) of clearance between two runs of units.
3. Kitchen dimensions for two rows of facing units with two cooks
(all door swing combos fit)
❏ If you have two cooks at any one
time in the kitchen you need 48
inches (122cm) of clearance
between two runs of units.
❏ Now when they say two cooks in

my mind this means two people
in the kitchen at the same time.
❏ Plus there's no problem with ❏ Someone might be cooking while

clashing door swings. someone else is chopping
vegetables or making a snack.
4. Kitchen dimensions for a run of units opposite a table
This is the scenario that’s applicable to a galley or L shaped

arrangement opposite a table.
Kitchen Dimensions - Counter Eating
❏ When you’re looking at
kitchen counter stools make
sure you buy the right height
– 24 inches (62cm).
❏ And leave at least 15 inches
(38cm) leg space.
❏ A kitchen eating counter is at the

same height as the countertop.
❏ So it’s 36 inches (92cm) high.
❏ ach person needs 24 inches (61cm)
width and 15 inches (38cm) depth to
eat comfortably.
Kitchen dimensions - Doorway Area
❏ The doorway to the

kitchen should be
at least 34 inches
wide (86.5cm).
❏ The door swing

should not be in
the way of
appliances or work ❏ If the door swing is taking up too much space
areas. you could put a pocket door in instead, or
remove the door altogether.

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What are the two main principles of kitchen design discussed in the document?

What are the two main principles of kitchen design discussed in the document?

What are the six main steps of the work sequence?

What are the six main steps of the work sequence?

Kitchen Design

❏ To help us understand these principles a little better, we’ll be using

❏ The work sequence is the order of activities involved in

❏ This means all the steps from walking in with the

❏ We can break these down into six main steps, which

❏ WASH – washing, peeling, chopping, sieving food, dishwashing

❏ PREPARE – weighing, mixing cake and pastry making

❏ SERVE – dishing up food, keeping food hot, toasting bread, storing

❏ EAT – table laying and eating

Clear – removing dirty dishes to sink and dishwasher, returning uneaten

Wash up – waste disposal, loading dishwasher, hand washing, draining,

So how does all this effect the design process?

Well, the idea is to design a layout where cross circulation is as minimal as

❏ This is because nobody wants to carry around heavy pans from

❏ The recommended distance between the two is no longer than 1.8

❏ The work triangle is the relationship between three of the main

❏ As a rule of thumb, when we add the lengths together, the sum

❏ Shorter distance means that we don’t have enough work surface

❏ The triangle lengths are calculated from the centre of each

❏ We can quickly check if our triangle satisﬁes the recommended

2410 mm + 2245 mm + 1210 mm = 5865 mm (5.9 m) which falls

❏ This scenario would also apply for other

❏ For example here it is with a breakfast

❏ Added a wall of thin units at the other

❏ Now when they say two cooks in

❏ Plus there's no problem with ❏ Someone might be cooking while

This is the scenario that’s applicable to a galley or L shaped

❏ A kitchen eating counter is at the

❏ The doorway to the

❏ The door swing

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