Time-saving kitchen design with 5-zone principles – your kitchen, your rules

Have you ever found yourself running from one corner of your kitchen to another, doing multiple tasks, and feeling like you’re in the middle of a marathon? You’re not alone.

This is where the 5-Zone Principle, developed by BLUM, can make all the difference. This blog will explain the 5-Zone Principle and how it fits into your kitchen layout.

What are the 5 Zone Principles? 

The 5-zone kitchen concept was developed to make cooking and kitchen work more efficient and comfortable. Back in the 1920s, kitchens were designed around a simple “work triangle”, placing the sink, stove, and fridge at three points of a triangle to reduce walking. 

While that worked well at the time, modern kitchens have changed a lot. We now store more items, use more appliances, and often have more than one person working in the kitchen. That’s why the 5-zone layout was introduced. 

It breaks the kitchen into five practical areas: where you store food, where you keep dishes and utensils, where you clean, where you prepare food, and where you cook. This setup helps organise the space based on real tasks, reduces unnecessary movement, and makes cooking smoother and more enjoyable. Let’s break down these 5 zone principles in more detail below. 

Why use the 5-Zone Principle for Kitchen layout?

The 5-Zone Principle divides the kitchen into five distinct zones, each dedicated to a specific function:

1. Consumables Zone
2. Non-Consumables Zone
3. Cleaning Zone
4. Preparation Zone
5. Cooking Zone

By organising your kitchen based on these zones, you create a workflow that minimises unnecessary movement, enhances safety, and maximises efficiency.

1. Consumables Zone

This is where you store all your food items, like fruits, vegetables, snacks, and groceries. It usually includes the fridge, pantry, and cabinets. Now, think about this: you’re about to cook dinner. What’s the first thing you do? You open the fridge to grab some veggies. That’s why placing the fridge and pantry near the kitchen entrance makes sense. When you return from the market, it’s easier to unload everything right where it belongs, saving both time and effort.

In Modern kitchen designs, this zone is designed for efficiency, ensuring that everyday items like spices, sauces, or snacks are easy to reach, making meal preparation smoother.

2. Non-Consumables Zone

The Non-Consumables Zone is for storing dishes, utensils, and cookware. This area usually includes cabinets for plates, glasses, cutlery, and drawers for pots and pans.

If you’re cooking dinner, you need a saucepan. If your pots and pans are stored far away from your cooking area, you’ll waste precious time searching for them. But when this zone is placed next to the cooking and cleaning areas, you can grab your cookware easily, making the whole process smoother.

Use drawer dividers to keep your kitchen tidy and organised. You can use small compartments to separate utensils, so forks, knives, and spoons are easy to grab when you need them. Overhead cabinets can be great for storing less frequently used items, so your countertops stay clutter-free.

3. Cleaning Zone

The Cleaning Zone in the kitchen is where washing and waste disposal happen. It includes the sink, dishwasher, and recycling bins.

If you are making dinner, and you have just finished chopping vegetables and now need to clean your cutting board. If your sink is centrally located between your preparation and cooking zones, you can quickly rinse vegetables off without wasting time walking around. It makes cleaning up after cooking much easier and faster.

To keep your kitchen tidy, install pull-out waste bins under the sink. Imagine being able to simply pull out a drawer to dispose of vegetable peels, wrappers, or other waste while preparing your meal. 

4. Preparation Zone

The Preparation Zone is for meal prep activities such as chopping, mixing, and assembling ingredients. It typically has countertops, cutting boards, mixing bowls, and the utensils you need.

Imagine you’re getting ready to cook a meal, and you need to chop vegetables. If you have ample counter space between your cleaning and cooking zones, you can prepare your ingredients easily without feeling cramped. This space allows you to work with more freedom, helping you cook without unnecessary distractions.

Choose durable and easy-to-clean materials for countertops to maintain hygiene and enhance the kitchen design. 

5. Cooking Zone

The Cooking Zone is where the actual cooking and baking take place. This area includes the stove, oven, and microwave.

For example, you are making dinner and you’ve prepped your ingredients, and now it’s time to cook. If your cooking zone is placed next to your preparation area, you won’t waste time running across the kitchen to grab a spice or pot. The flow between these two zones makes cooking feel natural and effortless.

Good ventilation is important, so installing a high-quality range hood will help keep the air clean while you cook. And always be mindful of safety, keep flammable items away from heat sources to ensure your kitchen is both functional and safe.

How the 5-Zone Principle makes cooking easier for you

Using the 5 Zone principles, you can transform your kitchens into accessible spaces. 

• Improved efficiency: Streamlining your workflow saves time and effort during meal prep and cleanup.  
• Organised sections: Zones help you keep order, making it easier to find items and keep your kitchen tidy.  
• Personalised Design: Still feels complicated? It’s not just about the 5-Zone layout, zoning simply means placing things where you need them most, based on your cooking habits and lifestyle.

Alternative ideas for your Kitchen

The 5-Zone idea is helpful, but even simple zoning can make cooking easier and faster.
What matters is creating small zones for daily tasks like cooking, cleaning, and storing food. This simple idea can save time and make your kitchen feel more organised, no matter how big or small it is.

For example, in a small kitchen, just keeping the stove, sink, and fridge close together can make cooking faster. If you have a little more space, try keeping your cutting board and utensils near your stove, or your dustbin under the sink, so everything you need is within arm’s reach.

Zoning might sound like a big concept, but it’s just about making everyday tasks easier. Once you set it up, you’ll spend less time walking around and more time enjoying your cooking.

Conclusion

Today, kitchens have evolved into spaces for cooking, eating, spending time with family, and entertaining guests. With all these roles, your modular kitchen design needs to prioritise space and easy access. Join us to explore home designs that combine innovation and elegance. 

Connect with our design experts today at info@saviesahome.com or toll-free no 180 22 5050.

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