The kitchen, as the most used area in the house, needs to be planned in a way where one’s work process will be as organized as possible. Sounds too technical? Well, planning a kitchen needs to be somewhat methodical. Kitchen remodels are not only about the aesthetics of the room, but is actually more about making it more functional. The kitchen work triangle is in ergonomic principle that places three of the most important work spaces in the kitchen in particular distances from each other, which creates a triangle when plotted. This has been the layout designers follow for a long time. However, modern design perspectives intend to veer away from this principle and develop more practical solutions through individual kitchen workstations. To know more about this, here are a few ideas on how to do a kitchen remodel that is not following the traditional kitchen work triangle principle:
- Store things where you NEED them to be in – The idea of the kitchen work triangle is to group things together based on the three most important elements in the triangle. While this has been the standard for a long time, this means that other work station ideas will not work at all. That countertop space for example above the oven, aside from putting all baking tools and pans on there, you can use this space instead as a place where you roll out pizza though or knead the bread. Put all the kitchen tools and utensils carefully organized in cabinets that are in another place in the kitchen.
- Group equipment according to use – Similar to the tip mentioned above, group equipment into designated work stations according to their use. This, once again, does not have to follow the traditional kitchen work triangle principle. Identify work stations per categories like food preparations, baking, cooking, serving, storing, etc., and dedicate specific counters for these work stations.
- Create a station for the kids – As we know, the kitchen easily becomes a fun hangout for the family. Hence, make this remodel fun for your children too by creating a space especially designed for them. Place this near a pantry where you keep breakfast cereals, cookies and other snacks that they love to have whenever they hang out with you in the kitchen. Repurpose a counter as a mini bar for the kids so they can have fun while observing you work around.
Remodels are not as simple as making something more beautiful through new decorations and furnishing. Most of the time, it is about improving a room’s functionality and convenience for the homeowner. The kitchen work triangle is a great ergonomic principle; however, you do not have to limit yourself to this idea nowadays. There are many ways on how you can make the layout of your kitchen more functional and logical without having to confine yourself with the principles of the kitchen work triangle; and these tips provide you a great starts for that next kitchen makeover.