For years the work triangle has been the standard design principle that defined kitchens. The concept for the work triangle dates back to the late 40’s and was the result of a study by the
University of Illinois school of Architecture.
Let’s focus on what the environment was like then. In the late 40’s, women had returned home from building the bombers and tanks that won the war- in 1948, 17MM women were part of the workforce. The vast majority of kitchens only had a stove and refrigerator. The dishwasher and garbage disposal were just being introduced to consumers around this time, and the microwave oven was still a couple of decades from being commercially viable. In 1950 the average house size was 983 square feet.
It was against this backdrop that the work triangle concept for designing kitchens was developed. The kitchen work triangle is a set of design principles that are used to place the stove, refrigerator and sink.
(See more about the work triangle)
So what’s changed?
In 2008 the average house was over 2,500 square feet. In 2008 there were more than 67MM women in the workforce which means there are many more two income households. People are more on the go and often busy lives mean often there are multiple people in the kitchen at meal time preparing the meal. The National Association of Home Builders
A Century of Home Building provides an overview of the changes.
And then there are the appliances. Dishwashers are now built in instead of countertop units. Cook top and double oven are a popular option in place of the traditional stove. Microwave ovens are central to most family meals. Coffee makers, espresso machines, bread makers, food processors, wine coolers, cell phone chargers …
Just about everything has changed.
