Where Style Meets Function
When it comes to creating a new kitchen design, let your lifestyle and your home’s current configuration influence the shape of your new cabinetry layout. Are you an aspiring cook? Do you like to entertain? Is counter space a premium? These are just some of the considerations that will determine which kitchen layout design is right for you.
U-shaped Kitchen Layout
A popular choice because of its efficiency, the U-shaped kitchen offers generous counter space and work areas that are close together. It can however, make the cook feel apart from a group when entertaining, as most tasks will be done while facing one of the three walls. To open the space up more, you could add a half wall or use only two walls with a peninsula island making up the third side.
L-shaped Kitchen Layout
This kitchen layout offers flexibility for both large and small homes. It makes use of only two kitchen walls, providing an open sensibility. The L-shape minimizes traffic through the kitchen and, typically, features larger expanses of countertops, allowing ease of preparation at mealtime.
L-shaped with a Kitchen Island
With the addition of an island, an L-shaped kitchen design offers the added flexibility of providing a space where the cook can interact with others while prepping food, cooking, serving or cleaning up.
G-shaped Kitchen Layout
Featuring a modified “U” shape, the G-shaped kitchen design is very efficient. However, unless one or more of the walls are designed as half or “pony” walls, this kitchen shape can feel confining for today’s cook.
Single Wall Kitchen Layout
With layout positions for all of the appliances on a single wall, this kitchen design would typically be found in a studio apartment or other very small space.
Galley Kitchen Layout
Open on both ends, the galley kitchen design requires a minimum corridor width of 48″ so the cook can easily maneuver during meal preparation. Kitchen appliances are typically laid out near one another, which can be convenient, but due to the corridor shape of the kitchen, all of the household traffic will pass though the space.