Kitchen Planning Guide

Kitchen Planning Guide

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Kitchen Planning Guide


New Kitchen Planning Guidelines

Kitchen Planning summary of guidelines by National Kitchen Bath Association.




Kitchen guidelines stated are starting points rather than the rule. They may apply to your kitchen, while others may seem irrelevant. Do not get hung up on a guideline if you think of a better way to address your needs.

NOTE - The guidelines may go into too much detail for you, depending on how involved you want to be in the actual measuring and space planning of your kitchen.

Kitchen's Work Triangle
The NKBA defines the work triangle of the kitchen as an imaginary straight line drawn from the center of the sink, to the center of the cook top, to the center of the refrigerator, and finally back to the sink.

The triangle formed by these imaginary lines should total 26 feet or less, with no single leg of the triangle shorter than 4 feet or longer than 9 feet. The work triangle should also not intersect an island or peninsula by more than 12 inches.

If the kitchen has only one sink, it should be placed between or across from the cooking surface, preparation area, or refrigerator. Such standards are meant to ensure that the cook won’t be cramped, waste steps, or be interrupted by traffic through the kitchen. The work triangle has been criticized for being too restraining for kitchens where another arrangement may be more appropriate, particularly in kitchens with more than one cook.

Two countertop heights should be offered , one 28 inches to 36 inches above the finished floor and the other 36 inches to 45 inches above the finished floor. The different countertops make the kitchen more convenient for cooks of different heights, for seated cooks, and for bakers who can more comfortably roll dough at the lower height.

Verify no entry, appliance, or cabinet doors block each other when open. In a kitchen with an island, an appliance or cabinet door on the island shouldn’t hit an appliance or cabinet door across from it.

To improve the function and accessibility of the kitchen, include at least five storage or organizing items, such as roll-out shelves, lowered wall cabinets, raised base cabinets, tall cabinets, appliance garages, storage bins, cutlery dividers, swing out pantries.

Microwave ovens should be placed so that the bottom of the appliance is 24 inches to 48 inches above the floor. The final placement should be based on the cook’s physical abilities. If a seated cook or a child will use the microwave, for example, it may need to be lower.

Windows and skylights should equal at least 10 percent of the total square footage of the separate kitchen or of the full living space that includes the kitchen.


Kitchen Planning Guide