Are you planning your new kitchen? We’re certain you’ll have many questions coming to mind, so we will review the main features and requirements of the different kitchen layouts so you can choose the best one for you.
Basoko Altzariak
One-wall Kitchens
Is the space you have for your kitchen small and narrow? What you need, if you have a space like this available, is a kitchen that is distributed along one wall.
Something you will have to make sure of with this type of kitchen is the spacing between the cooktop and the sink. They need to be far enough apart to avoid accidents. There should be at least 60 centimetres between the two.
If the width of your kitchen is no longer than 150 centimetres, this layout is for you. It is also a great option if you are going to bring together the kitchen and the living room in an open-plan concept in a room with limited space.
If this is what you’re working with, we recommend you try and make the kitchen blend in and “go unnoticed” in the space by extending it along a single wall. How? Handleless, gloss cabinetry in a single colour. This way it is easier to make the kitchen and the living room work together.
U-Shaped Kitchens
If you are the extreme opposite and have a large space available for your kitchen, we recommend a u-shaped kitchen. This is probably most functional out of all the kitchen types. It allows for a separate work-space arrangement for cooking, cleaning, and storage. You're able to move between the different spaces easily thanks to the u-shape design.
A type of u-shaped kitchen is the peninsula kitchen. There is an island that works like a peninsula can also serve as a boundary that divides your meal prep area from the rest of the room but leaves the space open. Although it reduces storage space, it opens the space visually and a fantastic bar space if you work in some stools. Peninsula kitchens help to break up the space without disrupting the flow. There are so many advantages to this kitchen layout that it can even work in a smaller space.
L-Shaped Kitchens
The most common kitchen layout is the L-shape layout as they are the most versatile. It can be worked into all spaces: open, closed, small, large... The L-shaped kitchen really does do it all!
In L-shaped kitchens, you can “draw” a triangle between the two workspaces and movement between the two is fluid. Additionally, by separating the sink and the cooktop, it leaves a lot of worktop space free increasing the food prep areas.
This layout creates a feeling of a wide, open space, making it perfect for kitchens open or semi-open to the living room. It creates the perfect connection. Because of how this kitchen layout works, it is easy to incorporate an island or table into the space.
If you're interested to know more, don’t miss our article on L-shaped kitchen designs.
Galley Kitchens
Finally, we want to talk about galley kitchens. A galley kitchen design layout (also known as the corridor of Pullman kitchen layout) is when we have a walkway situated between two parallel walls or runs of cabinetry.
The main pre-requisite for this kitchen layout is that the central aisle must measure at least 120 centimetres wide. This distance is needed for the simple reason that if you want to open both doors at once, this will allow for ample space to do just that, but also to ensure smooth and safe movements between the two sides.
The minimum width of your kitchen should be about 2.5 metres. If the space you have available is smaller but you still like the idea of a galley kitchen (which makes good use of the space), you can choose to group all the furniture that needs a standard depth in one of the cabinets and then have a breakfast bar and furniture with reduced depth.
If you plan to open up your kitchen to the living room or dining room, a good way to do it is to put in a peninsula or an island.