Are you satisfied with your current kitchen layout? Do you find it difficult to reach the fridge while you are cooking or wash your dish before serving lunch? Do you feel your stove is not precisely placed? That is because the law of the ‘Golden Triangle’ is not applied in your kitchen. This law is a must in designing the kitchen due to its flexibility in movement and a perfect ergonomic experience.
What is that one common feature we observe in all of the sketches above? The placement of the sink, fridge and stove are directly proportional to each other. A pattern can be observed which has a much deeper underlying fact than known. This theory dates back to the early twentieth century when the designers observed three different work zones for a kitchen – cooktop, refrigerator and sink. These three have to be strategically placed so the kitchen user doesn’t have to move a lot to get their work done. Mathematically, each side of the triangle is supposed to be a maximum of 9 feet, and a minimum of four feet. Adding all the segments of the triangle should result in a dimension between 13 and 26 feet. The theory behind these numbers lies totally on the accessibility in a kitchen and the concept of a comfortable environment for the user.
Ever thought of why do we target these three particular uses? It is classified as an essential and a must in any and every kitchen. Raw ingredients are stored in the fridge, whereas the sink serves the chopping and cleaning. After the basic early cooking tasks, the cook top is used to cook and this whole process makes a clean, clutter-free work environment. Another important point to note is that the triangle should be free of obstruction. That fulfils the whole purpose of designing the triangle. You could use other equipments like Microwave, Oven or a mixer and that should to be strategically placed within the triangle. This reduces unnecessary circulation in the kitchen.
The golden triangle is viable in all kinds of layouts other than the straight layout kitchen. In the case of straight layout, due to the presence of only a single countertop, the equipments have to be aligned in a single row. In this scenario, it is ideal to place the stove in the centre; the sink is one corner (mostly adjacent to a window) and refrigerator on the other. A minimum dimension of 2 to 3 feet should be observed between all of the mentioned.
The kitchen should be a fun place for the people where they can enjoy cooking or baking as a hobby and not a burdensome experience. Keeping in mind the golden triangle it is important to note your personal requirements and needs. Ergonomics is a necessary element while designing the kitchen to have an ever-lasting fun environment without any major alterations in the future. The golden triangle increases the most-needed efficiency in your kitchen to make it a better place to work