Laying Out Your Kitchen...

Today we are going to talk about Ergonomics in the Kitchen. Basically this making your kitchen
work efficiently.

An efficient kitchen has a Good Work Triangle. The points of your kitchen triangle are the stove, the fridge and the sink. These are the most common working areas of your kitchen.

You want these areas to be the optimum distance apart (meaning you don't want to walk to far between them nor do you want them to be so close that you are tripping over yourself with NO space to work.)


Ergonomics says that each leg of the triangle should be between 4 and 9 feet. The total of the legs should be between 12 and 26 feet. NO obstructions (cabinets, island, etc.) should intersect a leg of the work triangle. Household traffic should NOT flow through the triangle either.

You can now use this knowledge to find a kitchen design that works for your lifestyle and budget. Here are some examples of ergonomic kitchen layouts:

The Galley or Corridor Layout:

This layout is most efficient for a thin kitchen space. It consists of work space on 2 opposing walls with a single traffic lane between them. There is an opening at one or both ends. This kitchen can be as long as you want. Place your work triangle wherever you like.

The U-Shaped Kitchen Layout:

This layout is useful and versatile for a small, medium or large kitchen. It consists of your work space on 3 adjoining walls, 2 parallel walls perpendicular to the 3rd wall. No traffic flows into this space (a big plus). The base of the U-shaped kitchen is best when it is 10-18 feet wide. It can even support an island.

The L-Shaped Kitchen Layout:

This is layout is the most popular and versatile kitchen layouts. The work space consists of 2 adjoining walls that are perpendicular to each other and No traffic lanes through it. It is an excellent choice for open space dwellings.

Just some ideas to keep in mind as you build your new home or remodel your old one. Come on down and SEE us at YOURPLUMBERSCRACK on highway 111 south of Sparta and Cookeville, Tennessee. We can supply your kitchen and bathroom needs. More Later.

Bye for now!