Here's Exactly Where Your Refrigerator Should Be Placed In Your Kitchen
Have you ever been in a kitchen where it felt awkward to move about the space? Nothing seemed to be in the ideal spot, and their locations might not have made logical sense. To avoid this frustrating design flaw, you'll want to do some research on the best spot for your refrigerator. Luckily, there are a few rules you can follow that will help you achieve optimal kitchen flow and assist you in your search for the perfect placement.
One of the most commonly recognized rules of kitchen layout and design is the kitchen work triangle, explains Cliq Studios. This is a rule used by designers to ensure a space is optimized for use and that each element within the kitchen is set up to make working with it easy. The standard requires that the points of the triangle line up with the cooktop, the refrigerator, and the kitchen sink. So that the area does not feel cramped and there is plenty of space to move around, each leg of the triangle should fall between 4 and 9 feet long. Major household traffic patterns should exist outside of the triangle, and no leg of the triangle should be blocked by an island or free standing countertop by more than a foot. Of course, these are guidelines, and depending on the amount of space you have available, you may or may not be able to change certain aspects of your kitchen.
Keep it near the cooking area
Aside from the kitchen work triangle, it's best to consider how you use your kitchen before deciding on where to put the refrigerator. For example, if you do a lot of food prep, you'll want to ensure the refrigerator is near a large prep area, like a countertop space, suggests Designer Kitchens. That way, when you're carrying over all your ingredients, you can more easily reach in and pull everything out without having to walk across the kitchen multiple times.
Similarly, when you come home with an arm's load of groceries, it can be annoying to walk back and forth between the pantry, the refrigerator, and the countertop. Designer Kitchens says putting your refrigerator near the pantry will make it easier to put everything away. This saves your own time and reduces the amount of time the refrigerator door is open. Keeping the fridge near the pantry also helps when cooking. You can read the ingredients you need and grab everything at once.
Avoid traffic paths
A critical rule of the kitchen work triangle is keeping the triangle clear of traffic paths. There's nothing worse than trying to get dinner ready when partners and kids keep walking through the kitchen and getting in your way. It slows everything down, and it can even be dangerous. Say you're cooking pasta and carrying the boiling water to the sink to drain, you certainly don't want someone bumping into you.
Study the pathways that people use to navigate the kitchen and ensure that your refrigerator is out of the way, advises Kitchen Seer. Can the doors open and still allow someone to walk past? This is typically why refrigerators are placed in the corner (via Designer Kitchens). While this might not work best for the kitchen work triangle, it keeps them out of the way.
Refrigerators are also the tallest item in the kitchen. Keep this in mind when deciding where to place it. If it's right next to an entry point, it can make the kitchen feel cramped. If it's next to other tall items like pantry cabinets or double wall ovens, everything will feel built-in and cohesive.