The work triangle: the secret of a kitchen that is easy to use
How to place the sink, hob and fridge so you move around your kitchen with the least effort, with the measurements designers rely on.
The three points you move between most in a kitchen are the sink, the hob and the fridge. The lines joining them are called the “work triangle”, and the better balanced this triangle is, the easier and faster cooking becomes.
The commonly used measurements: each side roughly 1.20 to 2.70 metres long, and the three sides adding up to between 4 and 8 metres. Shorter than that and the space feels cramped; longer and you walk more than you need to.
Leave a worktop next to each point: space beside the fridge to put shopping down, a preparation area between the sink and the hob (preferably no less than 60 cm), and space beside the hob for hot pans.
Aisles: leave at least 90 cm between facing units, and preferably 100 to 120 cm if more than one person uses the kitchen at the same time. Try not to let the main walkway of the home cut through the work triangle.
In small or single-line kitchens the full triangle may not be possible; the answer is to arrange the points in the natural order of work: fridge, then sink, then preparation surface, then hob.
Send us your kitchen measurements and the positions of plumbing and electrical points, and we will suggest the most suitable layout before design starts.
