If you’re planning your kitchen replacement, then you need to know about these layouts so you can make the right choice for your home. We’ll explain the strengths of each option and why you should choose them.
1. Island
An island is a staple in kitchen design in open plan properties, allowing an extra isolated surface within the kitchen for food preparation, storage or sitting down for a family meal. It creates a great opportunity for contrasting or complementary design by providing that separate space within the room, allowing you to add a pop of colour, or continue the design through to the adjoining rooms. This will ensure that your kitchen has a stylish and practical design that makes it stand out. While the island kitchen does require a bigger space than most others, this extra room allows traffic to flow better and enables a great separation of spaces.
2. Peninsula
Similar to an island, but requiring less space, a peninsula works in all the same ways, providing a way to interact with and see the adjoining room while preparing food or cleaning, a separate space away from the main run for food prep, and an extra space for seating. If you live in a smaller open plan apartment this could be a fantastic option, allowing for increased storage and an island-like design.
3. Single Wall
Perfect for a small or narrow kitchen, this aims to fit every required amenity along one wall. This design can look very modern and stylish if approached correctly and is surprisingly efficient, creating a nice flow of work from one end to the other. We would recommend using a handleless door in these configurations, as this reduces the depth of the installation slightly, which increases the width of your walkway. Additionally taller units are great for making the most of the space you have, greatly increasing your storage capacity and enabling the use of integrated appliances.
4. L-Shape
Beautifully simplistic, the l-shape kitchen allows for a spacious room with plenty of storage. Ideal for square rooms, the l can allow for an easy work triangle, with the hob, sink and fridge-freezer in a nicely spaced format. It contains all the advantages of a single-wall kitchen, only you get the great benefit of an extra wall to take advantage of. The extra space you have in the corner opposite the installation can be left free to provide an open feel or filled with a small table and chairs for dining, reading, or chatting.
5. U-Shape
U-Shape kitchens provide an extension to the L-Shape design by bringing the kitchen installation around to all but one of the walls within the room. Generally, this is best used in larger rooms, to ensure that the area of traffic between the units is sufficient. An advantage you gain from the U-Shape over the L-Shape, is the ability to have multiple users at once. Due to the opposite sides being a good distance apart and having multiple worktops to prep and cook on, you can ask for the help you need preparing the family meal without the fear of collisions.
6. Galley Kitchen
A brilliant option for kitchens on a budget, the galley is essentially a single wall kitchen, but doubled. This means it makes use of only straight units and has no closed off corners for your things to get lost in. Where single wall intentionally leaves a wall bare for extra walkway room, this fills both long walls, giving you a massive amount of storage space, and doubling your work surface, providing enough space for a family kitchen even in a smaller room.
Overall then we see that the different types of kitchens are great for different scenarios. We hope that this has helped you figure out which one would be best for you! If you feel like you need pointers and advice on planning you new kitchen, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Our dedicated office team can provide the help you need. Contact them either via phone or email