Standard Kitchen Ground Plan Concepts and Easy methods to Use Them

What’s one of the best kitchen structure on your dwelling? These kitchen ground plan concepts will make it easier to plan your kitchen rework to be good and space-efficient with our information to kitchen configurations together with L-shaped, U-shaped, galley, one-wall and extra kitchen layouts.
Get extra kitchen rework inspiration with our favourite kitchen earlier than and afters plus low-cost DIY kitchen countertop concepts and 22 methods to replace your kitchen island.

MOST POPULAR KITCHEN LAYOUTS
and Easy methods to Use Them
by visitor creator Juliana Gordon
Transforming your kitchen is an thrilling prospect and an enormous choice that may change the texture of your total dwelling. Your new design must replicate the constraints of your home (together with sq. footage), whereas additionally offering you with the counter and cupboard area you’ll want to make use of the kitchen the best way you need to.
Earlier than you make the ultimate name, check out these six in style kitchen layouts that householders and designers are utilizing to provide their houses a contemporary, new feeling. The 5 commonest kitchen ground plans are one-wall, galley, L-shaped, U-shaped, and G-shaped, and any of those may also incorporate a kitchen island.
First: The Kitchen Work Triangle / Kitchen Zones
One of many largest concerns in a kitchen rework is the visitors and performance of the area. Enhancing your kitchen structure to create a ground plan that saves steps and makes kitchen work extra environment friendly will make it easier to LOVE your kitchen! The important thing to an environment friendly kitchen ground plan is utilizing kitchen zones to kind a work triangle.

What’s a piece triangle?
A kitchen working triangle is a design technique that claims that the three predominant work areas ought to kind a triangle between 1) the sink (and dishwasher), 2 ) the range/oven, and three) the fridge.
This triangle design maximizes effectivity by centralizing the workflow of the commonest kitchen duties, which is particularly necessary for dwelling cooks in a small kitchen. (That’s me 🙋 and possibly you!)
As you’re planning an environment friendly kitchen triangle (or “golden triangle”), listed here are the foundations designers comply with:
- All sides of the triangle ought to be 4-9 toes — not too compact, however not too unfold out.
- No kitchen fixture (comparable to an island) ought to minimize into the triangle greater than 12 inches. Bear in mind, that is about strolling visitors, not simply distance.
- The sum whole of all of the triangle sides ought to 13-26 toes – once more, smaller dimensions for fewer steps between zones.
- No different visitors patterns minimize throughout the triangle.
Now, bear in mind, these are extra like pointers anyway. 🏴☠️ Create a structure and kitchen zones that give you the results you want and the best way that you just use your area. The kitchen triangle maximizes effectivity for ONE cook dinner within the kitchen, so if you’re recurrently cooking with a accomplice or host friends usually, the visitors patterns shall be totally different. Bigger kitchens might have 2 triangles, the place every features a sink, a space for storing (fridge/pantry), and a prep/cooking space.
Is the kitchen triangle outdated? What about kitchen zones as an alternative?
Many fashionable dwelling cooks discover it extra significant to make use of the kitchen triangle as a place to begin and spend extra effort organizing the kitchen in zones for widespread duties. The 5 kitchen zones mostly used are:
- Consumables zone: the place you retailer most of your meals. This shall be cut up between and embody each contemporary meals (fridge/freezer) and different meals within the pantry or a meals cupboard.
- Non-Consumables zone: the place you retailer recurrently used day by day dishes, glasses, silverware, and so on.
- Cleansing zone: your sink and dishwashing space. You’ll need to find your non-Consumable zone close to the cleansing zone.
- Preparation zone: the place you do most meals prep, comparable to a piece of countertop or kitchen island. Embrace space for storing for reducing boards, knives, bowls, and so on.
- Cooking zone: range, vary, oven, and presumably microwave space. The cooking zone and prep zone ought to be close to to one another. Embrace space for storing for pots, pans, and utensils.
Considering by way of work paths (together with the triangle) between these zones may help you design a kitchen structure that is smart for the way you cook dinner and clear up. In your kitchen rework planning, hold these concepts in thoughts and take into consideration the way you’ll use the redesigned area. Usually, altering the position of simply one of many three fixtures (or one of many 5 zones) could make an enormous distinction.

The One-Wall Kitchen Structure
Probably the most primary kitchen structure is a one-wall kitchen. This straightforward kitchen ground plan places the entire counter tops, cabinetry, and home equipment on a single wall. This can be a good structure for smaller homes, flats, studios, and lofts the place there’s little or no area accessible. Placing every thing on one wall frees up extra room for eating area, and doesn’t block the home windows.
However what in regards to the kitchen triangle?
It’s primary geometry: a line is NOT a triangle. A single-wall kitchen can nonetheless create a “triangle” within the strolling paths of the cook dinner — simply with longer paths between. This can be a time when it’s extra useful to htink in ZONES as an alternative of the kitchen triangle. The only technique to make a one-wall kitchen extra environment friendly for the cook dinner is so as to add an additional workspace to kind the prep space zone of the triangle.
Since there’s restricted counter area is offered, it’s a good suggestion to make use of a excessive eating desk that may double as an additional countertop. Additionally, contemplate a smaller rolling desk or kitchen island which you could simply pull out whenever you want an additional work floor and put away later to avoid wasting area.






The Galley Kitchen Structure
The galley kitchen, or walk-through kitchen, consists of two partitions with a walkway in between. It might be open on only one finish, or open on each ends — a hallway kitchen, principally. This ground plan maximizes the area accessible in such a hall, and retains your cupboards and home equipment inside straightforward attain.
Galley kitchens additionally are likely to phase the cooking area away from the eating room and the remainder of the home, vs an open kitchen ground plan that’s widespread in L-shaped or U formed kitchens.
This can be a good kitchen structure concept for use by a single chef, or two on the very most until the kitchen could be very lengthy. With workspaces on either side, a cook dinner can simply arrange a primary cooking triangle work zone by having two parts on one wall and a 3rd centered between them on the alternative wall.
The downsides to a galley kitchen ground plan embody the dearth of room for a kitchen desk in between the partitions, and crowding if too many individuals are shifting via it.



The L-Formed Kitchen Structure
Additionally good for smaller kitchens, the L-shaped structure concept places the kitchen workspaces on two adjoining partitions, forming an L. This design helps hold visitors out of the kitchen, varieties a pure triangle work zone, and provides you sufficient area for a eating desk and chairs (or an island).
This pure work movement setup makes an L-shaped kitchen structure a fantastic possibility for smaller houses, together with remodels the place you take away a wall to open up the kitchen.
Having a kitchen wall that’s not less than 15 toes lengthy will assist hold issues inside attain in an L-shape kitchen ground plan, serving to you to cook dinner extra effectively. If in case you have loads of room, you might need to contemplate a distinct structure that might higher make the most of your area.
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The U-Formed Kitchen Structure
The U-shaped kitchen design, usually known as a horseshoe, makes use of three partitions that kind a “U” form. It’s an excellent structure to make use of should you want a big area to prep or cook dinner on or when there shall be a number of cooks in a single space.
No less than 10 toes of area between partitions is required to make a U-shape kitchen ground plan a sensible possibility, although you possibly can see the structure in each small and huge kitchens within the photographs.
The horseshoe design makes it straightforward to create work triangles for making ready and cleansing, however particular care must be taken when contemplating the situation of cupboards and home equipment.
If cupboard doorways or home equipment are too shut to one another on the corners of the U-shaped structure, the doorways will collide when opened. Having two corners additionally makes it necessary to maximise the area in your nook base cupboards so you’ve loads of storage with out useless area.





Kitchen Island Structure Concepts
The kitchen island is changing into a extra in style selection in the present day. It consists of a free-standing workspace that gives extra performance to a kitchen and can be utilized in a wide range of methods.
Home equipment, kitchen cupboards, and even sinks might be included right into a kitchen island, or only a easy countertop. They will additionally make good kitchen tables, or cell tables if they’ve wheels, supplied there’s sufficient room.




The G-Formed Kitchen Structure
Peninsula kitchens add an additional leg to a single kitchen wall. This transforms the area into an “L” form, or an current “L” form right into a horseshoe structure, or from an L-shaped kitchen right into a P-shaped or G-shaped kitchen. This structure is finest for an oblong kitchen, and it may be scaled to suit kitchens of many sizes.
The peninsula gives further countertop, cupboard, and equipment area. It additionally permits a number of individuals to assemble across the similar space, maximizing the quantity of area accessible. Like an island, you possibly can pull chairs as much as the peninsula and use it as a eating desk.

Kitchen Structure FAQs
Have a query about kitchen ground plans? Depart us a remark beneath!
What’s the most useful kitchen structure?
Whereas any kitchen might be useful, the L-shaped kitchen structure is the simplest ground plan to create a piece triangle in a small area. An L-shaped kitchen can be probably the most versatile. For these causes, it’s the commonest and the most well-liked for smaller kitchens, particularly kitchens with adjoining eating rooms or open kitchens.
What kitchen structure is in style in small houses?
In small houses the place area is at a premium, a galley kitchen is the small kitchen structure to decide on. This compact ground plan retains every thing shut at hand.
In a small dwelling with just a little bit extra sq. footage, an L-shaped kitchen is usually a good choice to optimize area for each kitchen and eating room wants mixed.
What kitchen structure is in style in giant houses?
For houses with giant kitchens, one of the best kitchen layouts are U-shaped and G-shaped. These layouts take advantage of the area by including further base cupboards for storage and extra countertop area for meals preparation. Many giant kitchens even have room for one (and even two!) kitchen islands or peninsulas to maximise storage and dine-in area.
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About The Creator: Juliana Gordon has cherished inside adorning since she was a baby; you could possibly at all times discover her rearranging the furnishings in her dollhouses. From a younger age, she knew inside adorning was her calling. Gordon obtained a level in inside design from the Rocky Mountain Academy of Artwork and Design, and presently plans and decorates homes for a bevy of non-public shoppers. She is extraordinarily passionate in regards to the design and residential enchancment business, and chooses to share her information on-line. Juliana contributes to a number of publications and blogs in her spare time, together with Kitchens by Wedgewood.
First revealed 19 July 2014 // Final up to date 14 Apr 2023
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