You ever walk into a kitchen and be like, oh wow,this just works? Then you get home to your own kitchen and it seems to be an obstacle course to make a plain sandwich. I know this because I have been in that position and it is not about fancy appliances or granite counter-tops. It is just the matter of arranging your kitchen layout.
I was working fours years in a kitchen where the refrigerator was right behind me when I was cooking. Wish to get milk as you stir your pasta? Good luck with that move! That is when I realized that selecting a correct kitchen design does not only involve the appearance, but also preserving your sanity (and shins to avoid cabinet edges).
Understanding Kitchen Layout Basics
Let’s talk function before we dive into the fun stuff in the kitchen layout. The kitchen work triangle – linking your sink, stovetop and fridge – should be your BFF. This isn’t some trendy design schtick, it’s just the way you actually cook and move around a kitchen.
The perfect triangle maintains these 3 points in a range of 4-9 feet between themselves. Any nearer and you are bumping along everywhere. Any further and you may as well be making marathon training trips each time you cook a meal.
This is what I would tell myself now: your layout depends on your lifestyle not vice versa. Do you start your weekends as a meal-prep warrior or go by the weeknight fast dinner? The question is, do you entertain often or you like to have close family meals? The relevance of these questions is more than you can imagine.
The Galley Kitchen: Narrow but Mighty
Ah, galley kitchen, also referred to as, desperation kitchen, hallway kitchen, or the why is everything so far away kitchen. layout. Don-t brush me off yet.
Galley kitchens work brilliantly for:
- Small spaces (obviously)
- Serious cooks who want everything within arm’s reach
- People who don’t need tons of counter space
- Homes where the kitchen isn’t the main gathering spot
I even like galley kitchens as far as cooking convenience is concerned. All that is needed rests within the confines of a two-sided wall providing a natural working process flow. No futile foot steps, no expendable motion, exactly just cooking concentration.
The downside? Never think of having assistants in the kitchen. Two in a galley kitchen is like an uncomfortable pas de deux with each treading on the other. And, of course, in case your galley lacks a connection at both ends, you can feel rigid at times when you are busy with cooking.
Making Galley Kitchens Work Better
Wish to get the most out of your galley? Put the sink and stove on different walls. This forms that work triangle we mentioned [previously], only in one-dimensional form. Make sure that you have frequently used items in the midst of your counters: reaching to the extremes will get dull pretty soon.
L-Shaped Layouts: The Crowd Pleaser
L shaped kitchens are the golden retriever type to kitchen layouts, everyone loves them, and rightly so. You have good counter area, seats several people, and you have that so-desired corner. (Corner cabinets are storage nightmares, by the way.)
The layout is especially suitable in open floor plans in which the kitchen leads to other areas, such as living or dining rooms. You have the ability to cook and at the same time participate in the discussion, which is practically a must-have in case you are the family chef.
Corner placement in L-shape kitchens is logical, so it is where sink or cooktop should be. I have experienced both and they both have worked, I prefer, however, to position the sink in the corner, which doubles the views in front of you and makes dishwashing a bit less routine.
L-Shaped Layout Considerations
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Good traffic flow, Multiple work zones | Corner storage challenges, Potential for dead space |
Something to consider here: beware that your L-shaped kitchen does not end up too far apart. When the legs of the L are excessively long, however, you run into the same marathon-running problem as before.
U-Shaped Kitchens: Maximum Storage and Counter Space
U shaped kitchens are the all stars of the layout family. Cabinets and counters give storage and workspace in tons of ways. This is ideal for you, in the event you are someone who uses all those gadgets in your kitchen area year after year.
U-shaped kitchens have the work triangle that is more like a work zone and this actually is quite sensible. It is possible to allocate specific sites to prep, cooking and cleaning up whereby there is no overlap.
However (and there is always a however), U-shaped kitchens may become isolated even when one occupies them in smaller areas. When you intend to remodel, ensure that you have 8 feet setback between conflicting counters. Less than that and you have the impression of cooking in a cave.
Have you ever wondered why professional kitchens very frequently utilize the U-shaped or like design? It is due to the fact that they can be most efficient when you are either working in absolute solitude or with a highly coordinated team.
U-Shaped Success Tips
In the middle area of the U be sure to use your most active appliances and storage. This saves you the need to always make trips to the other ends just to pick up a spatula. Also, think about installing a peninsula or an island to interrupt that closed-in effect should your space permit.
Island and Peninsula Layouts: The Social Butterflies
Kitchen islands are the cool kid in school everyone covets them, but they do not fit or suit every one or every situation. Islands require space and that is minimum of 3 feet all around. Any lower and you have that squirm-filled kitchen dance again.
Transforming islands into workspace and storage central hubs are great ideas and islands are natural places to gather. I love that they can hold all the extras like extra sinks and wine storage and casual seating. They are really good in entertaining people because guests may linger without disturbing you in the kitchen.
Similar advantages apply when the space must be smaller with peninsulas (effectively, islands fixed to existing counters). They offer more countertop space, as well as storage, than simply having a peninsula but less in terms of floor needed than a true island.
Island Layout Reality Check
Some truth telling, here: islands are fabulous to see in photos, but alter the way your kitchen works. You will have to change your approach to cooking, and cleaning becomes more extensive. The lush waterfall-edge everybody swoons over? It presents all fingerprints and water spots 🙂
One-Wall Kitchens: Minimalist and Functional
One-wall kitchens are forgotten, but they are highly efficient when its owner is the right individual. All the necessities are presented on a single wall one after another, and pragmatic even in a small apartment or a studio.
The trick to one-wall kitchens is efficient location of the appliances. Place your refrigerator on 1 end, sink in the middle, and cooking space somewhere sensible in the middle. This retains some sort of work triangle, in a linear pattern.
One-wall design brings into serious question the matter of storage. You will have to think 3-dimension and utilize every cabinet. Your appliances will be under-counter and pull-out drawers.
Choosing Based on Your Lifestyle
So what is the real question: what actually suits your life design? This is where majority of the people get it wrong in my opinion. They do so on the basis of what becomes good to view in magazines as opposed to how they really cook and live.
Choose galley layouts if you:
- Cook alone most of the time
- Prefer efficiency over entertaining space
- Have limited square footage
- Actually enjoy focused, uninterrupted cooking time
Go with L-shaped layouts if you:
- Want balance between function and socializing
- Need flexibility for different activities
- Have medium-sized spaces
- Like having helpers in the kitchen occasionally
Consider U-shaped layouts if you:
- Cook frequently and seriously
- Need maximum storage and counter space
- Have adequate square footage
- Don’t mind a more enclosed cooking environment
Island layouts work when you:
- Love entertaining and socializing while cooking
- Have plenty of space (seriously, measure twice)
- Want a kitchen that doubles as a gathering spot
- Don’t mind the extra maintenance and cost
Common Layout Mistakes to Avoid
To spare you some of the painful (and not cheap) mistakes I have seen over the years, here is a list of some of these mistakes. Do not place your cooktop in direct line with your refrigerator (less than 4 feet apart). You will always be smashing into someone as you cook in order to get snacks.
As well, avoid the temptation to over stuff your layout. I have come across kitchens where kitchen islands almost provide no viable space to walk around and trust me, it is not practical no matter how much the aesthetic value seems to go well on paper.
Lighting is important than you imagine. Design it so that you have task lighting. You do not want to have shadows around your work place whenever cooking.
Making Your Choice Work
Which ever layout you decide on, it is imperative to have smart storage solutions as the key to your kitchens success. Vertical dividers, lazy Susans and pull-out drawers can transform even the most difficult plans into extremely useful spaces.
And do not underestimate a good planning of the workflow. Consider: the way you really cook Do you do all the preparation in advance or do you chop to order? Your responses are to affect the location of your appliances and storage in the layout of your choice.
The Bottom Line
Selecting the proper kitchen layout is not about fluctuating with the fads or imitating your neighbor with his/her wonderful remodeling. It is about realization of the mode of cooking, the mode of living, and what would actually ease indulging in daily life.
Your ideal kitchen layout must be one that makes you feel that it was tailored to your specifications- which it was in the best-unrealistic case. The beauty of the correct decision, however, is that you end up with something that makes you feel excited to cook (or at least that you do not wish to make a takeout daily).
Spend some time observing in detail how you use your current kitchen, possibly a less than ideal kitchen. Now these insights will go as gold when it comes to making layout decisions. And consider- that a small kitchen carefully and properly planned will have more merits than an ill-designed larger one. Don t trust me on that!