between thesink, refrigerator and range or cooktop. Each one of these areasbecomes a focal point in the kitchen and forms the three pointsof a triangle with different distances between them. Donecorrectly, the kitchen work triangle provides the most efficientfood preparation area layout in the kitchen. Whether you’re remodeling an existing kitchen or building a newone, an efficient design means that your work triangle minimizesthe number of steps the cook must take between the three areasduring meal preparation and cleanup. The total distance from thesink to the stove to the refrigerator and back to the sinkshould be not less than 12 feet total nor more than 27 feet.Each triangle leg should measure between 4 and 9 feet in length.The kitchen isles should be at least 42 to 48 inches wide toallow people to move around easily and for appliances to beopened with ease. Whe...

...n selecting the floor plan for your kitchen, here are basickitchen layouts to consider:* L-Shaped Kitchen - this is the most popular kitchen design. Itconsists of a long leg and a shorter one and this type of designcan be used in small and large kitchens. The L-shaped kitchengives you the possibility of having a center island depending onthe space available. In general, this design will have 2 or 3appliances on one wall. The usual arrangement is to have therefrigerator at one end, the range or cooktop at the other endwith the sink located in the middle. This shape of kitchengenerally provides good traffic flow. * Double L-Shaped Kitchen - this kitchen design has a lot ofcabinet space and plenty of counter space. This design is usedin large kitchens with two cooks, and it has two or moreentering areas, which can cause traffic flow problems. To avoidsome of these problems, create two separate working areas oneach L of the kitchen so that workflow does not get interruptedby human traffic. * U-Shaped Kitchen - this kitchen design shapehas three walls instead of two, and the sink usually is locatedin the middle wall section. The refrigerator and range orcooktop are usually on the side walls opposite each other. TheU-shaped kitchen design gives room for ample countertop space,and you have three walls for cabinets and appliances. Thiskitchen layout tends to create a working triangle that is veryefficient. The only problem with this type of kitchen design is thatsometimes the two U corners are not used appropriately. Makesure you buy the appropriate storage items for the cornercabinets created by the U shape design. The U shape design canalso create dark kitchens because of the shape and the amount ofcabinets. Using skylights, large windows, lots of under-cabinettask lighting and light colors will help keep the kitchen brightwith sufficient light to see what you’re doing.* G-Shaped Kitchen - this type of kitchen shape is becoming verypopular, and it gives you a fourth wall to use. The G-shape canbe used if you have more than one cook in the house. This fourthwall section can be used for a counter, island and storagespace. With this kitchen layout you can have two sinks, perhaps twocooktops or two ranges. You could have two working triangles --one for sink, cook top or range and refrigerator and a secondworking triangle with another sink, built-in grill and cooktop.It allows two cooks to do different things at the same time andentertain large groups of people. * Single-Wall Kitchen - if you do not have much space, you mayonly be able to have an I-shaped kitchen. No problem. Just besure the sink is placed between the refrigerator and the stove.Locate the refrigerator so that the refrigerator door opens awayfrom the kitchen sink. This is a very common arrangement forsmall kitchens in narrow spaces. * Galley-Shaped Kitchen - this type of kitchen design is morecommon in apartments or in homes where space is limited -- it isoften called the corridor style. The kitchen cabinets and theappliances can be located on opposite walls for better work flow-- place the range or cooktop on one side of the kitchen alongone wall and the refrigerator and sink on the opposite wall. To eliminate traffic issues in this type of kitchen design, oneentry is often closed off. This type of layout should only beused by one cook. If you want to maintain both exits, place therefrigerator near the end of the galley kitchen for easy access-- this way, your family and friends can reach the refrigeratorwithout interfering with the person who is cooking. If you need extra storage in the galley kitchen, install tallkitchen cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling. Wallstorage is crucial -- buy a stepladder to use when you need toreach the upper shelf of the cabinets, and place the items youuse less frequently on the upper shelves. By understanding the kitchen work triangle concept and how youwant your kitchen to function, you’ll be more likely to createthe kind of kitchen you’ve always wanted. Today, kitchens areoften viewed as the hub of the home as well as a social centerfor family and friends. Planning your kitchen can be achallenge, but the rewards you’ll receive are very much worththe time and effort....