Kitchen Design: Golden Triangle or Zone Concept
Several decades ago the “golden triangle” was all the rage for kitchen designs. It required a well-designed kitchen to have its sink, refrigerator and range located in a triangular proximity. This design worked great provided there was only one cook. Our lifestyles have changed, most families have two wage-earners, both returning home late from work and often sharing the cooking and cleaning duties at dinner time. This means at least two people trying to work in the same space that was probably designed for a single cook.
Restaurants primarily use a ‘zone” concept for kitchen design because they have multiple cooks. The zone concept refers to a kitchen design that divides the area into works zones, for example, you like to make pastry and your partner takes care of the beverages. Your kitchen should be designed around one area or zone of the kitchen designed specifically for making pastry. You might put in a marble countertop to roll out dough and a sink that can be filled with ice cubes to keep the dough cold. At the other end of the kitchen, you would design in a wet bar with glass and bottle storage. In the center you might place your range and dishwasher. The point of the zone concept is that you personalize the design of the kitchen based on how you and your co-cooks work.
Things to keep in mind about zone design:
1. Take inventory of how you cook and how other cooks will use your food prep space. This way you can prevent that pre-dinner minuet of dancing around each other to get your tasks done.
2. Take inventory of your cooking equipment. This way you’ll know exactly what your storage needs will be and how much cabinetry you must have versus how much counter space you require.
3. Assess your space. Must you have more, or can you make do with what you have now provided you avail yourself of better organization?
4. Juggle the five main work areas until you find the right match for you and your co-cooks. The five areas are:
- fridge/food storage
- sink/clean-up
- stove/cooking
- food prep
- serving centers
Experiment on paper to determine the right fit for your family’s cooking and entertaining needs.
See Kitchen Design Considerations and Survey for more information and ideas.