Kitchen renovations are home improvements that add more to a property than anything else. A kitchen is the heart of the home, even more so today when they are often designed as entertainment and gathering areas and not as a room where one person cooks while others assemble in other parts of the home. That might have been the case many decades ago when the kitchen was more of a closed-off area, but the trend in modern kitchens is for them to be expansive and open; part of the dining and entertaining areas and not separate from them.  This all begs the question – is the “kitchen triangle” still relevant in today’s homes?

If you’re considering a major kitchen renovation in Auckland, you’ve probably come across the term “kitchen triangle” or “work triangle”; it’s a concept that dates back to the 1950s and states that the main tasks in a kitchen are done between the cooktop/oven, the sink and the fridge. The imaginary lines from each point form the triangle. The idea was that when these things were the points of the triangle and reasonably close together, the kitchen would be easy and efficient to use, cutting down on wasted steps.

This triangle certainly worked well in older homes simply because the typical layout back in the day was a traditional U-shaped kitchen. But does that triangle still have a place? As you consider your kitchen renovation, is it something to hold into? It’s many decades old, but as a concept, it is still very popular in kitchen planning and design. Keeping the three primary kitchen elements close together is great for a single cook using the space,  but these days there are often two cooks using the kitchen at the same time. Plus, these days, the kitchen is also more of a gathering space for family and friends. What’s more, kitchens are bigger too with more appliances in the mix. Kitchens are more complex than they were when the “work triangle” was formulated so does that mean it has no place in your kitchen renovation?

Not necessarily. While the modern kitchen and old-fashioned work triangle might not be the perfect fit these days, the concept of making the space flow well and easy to use should never be overlooked. While some may think aesthetics overrule everything, we believe the perfect kitchen renovation will also incorporate a layout that makes it easy to move around the room. If you agree with us, contact us today and we’ll work on a kitchen renovation that will perfectly fit your requirements, whatever shape they may be!