Is the Kitchen Work Triangle an Outdated Design Rule?
The kitchen work triangle has been the standard by which we measure good design and functionality. Whether you paid attention in your trigonometry class or not, you probably knew the basics of the kitchen triangle. It connects the cooktop, refrigerator, and sink. According to guidelines from the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), no leg of the triangle should be less than 4 feet or more than 9 feet. The sum of the three triangle sides should not exceed 26 feet. In addition, no major traffic patterns should flow through the triangle.But do those rules still apply?

Kitchen triangles make prep work easier. Image: Sisoje/Getty Images

Kitchen triangle dimensions are flexible. Image: cr8tivguy/Getty Images
Relevant or outdated?

Multiple sinks make prep work easier. Image: hikesterson/Getty Images

Older homes tend to have a triangle design. Image: Sisoje/Getty Images
Where the kitchen work triangle still applies
Not everyone agrees that the kitchen triangle is obsolete. Eric Sztanyo, a realtor at Keller Williams and founder of We Buy NKY Houses – a Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky cash home buyer, still sees their value.“As a rehabber who buys many older homes with older kitchens, I find the principles of the kitchen work triangle to still apply amazingly well today,” he says. “Yes, we may buy a house and do a complete demo of the kitchen, but more often than not, we end up putting the pieces back together in a way that still fits this time honored tradition.”Sztanyo says the triangle design works well when incorporating stainless steel appliances and a subway tile backsplash. “It looks good. The lines are crisp. And maybe more importantly, it’s efficient in a way that will keep the next owner of the home happy for years to come,” he says.

The kitchen work triangle works for some, but not all cooks. Image: dit26978/Getty Images
Finding the right kitchen layout for you
Lauren Smyth, interior designer at Alturas Homes in Eagle, ID, agrees. “The kitchen working triangle will always be popular since it is a standard in the design industry and is set up this way to make meal prep and cooking easy,” she says. “There are other variances to this working triangle – for instance, in the situation of a linear kitchen layout where everything is on one wall.” In this situation, she says, a different configuration would work better. “It would be ideal to have the sink in the center of the wall with some countertop space on either side and the stove and refrigerator on the ends of the ‘line’ so to speak.”Ultimately, the kitchen triangle should be used as a guideline. That’s according to Susan Serra, certified kitchen designer at Susan Serra Associates. “Many designers now feel that the most important criteria for the kitchen design is the client’s lifestyle,” she explains. “The best scenario is when the designer points out both pros and cons of appliance locations, regardless of rules to meet the specific aesthetic and functional needs of the client.”What are your thoughts on the kitchen work triale? Is your kitchen set up in this way? Let us know in the comments.