Good kitchen floor plans follow what’s called the “work triangle", or the area between the refrigerator, the oven and the sink. The smaller the area, the easier it is to reach the appliances you need to prepare food, which is, essentially, at the heart of all good kitchen design ideas.

L Shape

Named because it’s shaped as a letter “L", this plan spreads the appliances out, with the sink, fridge, and dishwasher, for example, in the top part of the L and the stove in its perpendicular base. Of course, the distance from one part of the L to the other, or in this case, from the sink to the stove, can be relatively long, creating an inconvenience.

Double L

The Double L shape adds an extra, smaller L to the L Shape above, giving room for an extra sink and the oven, creating more counter space in the main L where the oven would have been.

Kitchen Islands Shape

When your L Shape kitchen is at least 100 square feet in area, you can usually comfortably add a kitchen island. This would give you both more counter space in general and the opportunity to move a major appliance, such as the dishwasher, to the kitchen island. You could also use the kitchen island as a small dining area with the addition of bar stools.

U Shape

The U Shape kitchen is, you guessed it, in the shape of a letter “U", using three walls for counters and appliances. It generally requires an 8 x 8 foot space. The main benefit is that there is no through traffic given that the bottom of the U is a dead end, limiting interruptions during food preparation.

Galley Plan

The Galley Plan uses two opposing walls for counter space and appliances. For example, the oven and dishwasher could be on one wall, facing the refrigerator on the other. Given the proximity of all the appliances, everything is within easy reach. Unfortunately, this layout can also be quite crowded, making it ideal for one cook in the kitchen at a time.

To help determine the best kitchen layout for you, consider investing in kitchen design software. Why use kitchen design software? It will help you to both create 3 D models of possible kitchen layouts and estimate costs.

As you can see, there are a variety of kitchen layouts you can use. The main determinant, other than preference, is space and the shape of your kitchen. But remember, the ultimate goal is convenience, minimizing the work triangle enough so that all your appliances are within easy reach while still giving you counter space.