Kitchens: Beyond the Triangle

The kitchen is one area of the home that continues to go through cosmetic transformations. There was a time when kitchens were closed off from the rest of the house. They were designed for one cook doing one duty at a time. They included a separate dining area for entertaining and one for daily dinners.

A recent evolution in kitchen design was the introduction of large, commercial, stainless steel appliances and sinks that commanded attention. Now a kitchen is less its own room and more an integrated part of a house. “The kitchen is becoming the focal point,” says Elaine Cecconi, principal, Cecconi Simone in Toronto, Ontario. “It’s no longer a separate room. It is integrated into the dining and living room or even the family room.” Kitchens are less formal because they’re integrated into the rest of the house, which also tends to be less formal. They feature an open floor plan that flows to the adjoining room, emphasizing integration. Because the kitchen now features an open design, more people are socializing, entertaining and relaxing in the kitchen. “The kitchen is command central, the social center of the home,” says Mary Jo Peterson, CKD, CBD, CAPS, principal of Brookfield, Conn.-based Mary Jo Peterson Inc.

Children are doing their homework in the kitchen while dinner is being made, or guests socialize with the cook while the food is being prepared. “When people are entertaining, they are preparing as guests arrive and it becomes the social space,” Cecconi says.

Zoning the kitchen

Traditionally, kitchen design relied on a triangle layout that included the sink, oven and refrigerator. This design works great when only one person uses the kitchen. However, now there usually is more than one cook. “The kitchen needs mini triangles or mini circles so that people can work without running into each other,” says Connie Mann, CKD, Dream Kitchens in Madison, Wis.

More cooks and more socializing in the kitchen equals more zones. “Because there are more people in the kitchen, there are more things going on,” Peterson says. “Kitchens are getting bigger and we need to provide multiple zones with greater clearances and greater walkways.”

The kitchen zones include: beverage center, preparation center, baking center, cook center and clean-up center. “There is frequently multiples of one zone,” Peterson says. “There will be two prep zones because there are usually two people creating meals.”

The baking and cooking zones will be near the ovens, refrigerator and clean-up area. Because there is usually more than one cook and cooking style, it’s important the design allows for two people to work without disrupting each other. “The design is a primary kitchen triangle with a secondary cooking center,” says Mark Morris, owner, San Francisco-based Mark Morris Design Group.

Preparation centers feature a large one-level island intended as a working surface. It also might include a cooktop, sink, butcher block and independent refrigerator drawers. “[Years ago,] we had to break up the island so it didn’t look huge but now people want that again,” Peterson says. “The main island will feature a furniture appeal to resemble a table more than an island.”

Michael Neumann, principal of New York-based Michael Neumann Architecture, adds that the main island replaces the kitchen table. “The working island with a sink and cooktop is a functional interpretation of the old kitchen table.” A secondary island can sometimes be found on the edge of the kitchen that includes the beverage center. This island might include a separate sink, wine rack, wine refrigerators, coffee maker, ice maker and dishwasher. “Most beverage zones are close to the dining or living area,” Morris says. “It’s at the end of the floor plan so someone can get a beverage without going into the kitchen and disrupting the work going on there.”