Guide
How do you plan a kitchen layout that works?
Planning a kitchen layout means choosing a shape that suits the room, usually galley, L-shaped, U-shaped, island or peninsula, then arranging storage, preparation, cooking and washing-up zones so they flow. A good layout leaves enough walkway space, often around a metre, and fixes the positions of sockets, lighting, extraction and appliances before anything is ordered.
Which kitchen layout suits your room?
The shape of the room usually decides the layout. Measure the walls, note the windows, doors, radiators and boiler, and mark where water, waste, gas and the electrics come in. A layout that keeps the sink near the existing waste and the hob near the existing supply will usually cost less to build. The common shapes are:
- Galley: two parallel runs, efficient in a narrow room, with the walkway between them
- L-shaped: units on two adjoining walls, often leaving room for a table
- U-shaped: units on three walls, with plenty of storage but a risk of feeling enclosed in a small room
- Island: a separate block of units in a larger room, needing clear space on every side
- Peninsula: a run projecting from a wall, giving island-style worktop in less floor space
How should a kitchen be zoned?
Most kitchens work well when they follow the order of cooking: food storage, preparation, cooking, then washing up and serving. Keep the fridge near the start of that sequence, with worktop beside it. Put the main preparation area between the sink and hob, ideally on an unbroken stretch of worktop.
Keep the dishwasher next to the sink and close to where plates and glasses live. Put the bin under or near the preparation area. Tall units, such as larders and oven housings, sit well at the end of a run, where they do not break up the worktop.
How much space do you need around units?
Walkways between runs, or between a run and an island, are commonly planned at around a metre, with more where two people cook at once or where an appliance door opens into the space. Check that the dishwasher, oven and fridge doors can open fully without hitting each other, a handle or the island.
Corners need care. Two drawers or appliance doors meeting at a corner can clash, so a filler is used to give clearance. Avoid putting the hob right at the end of a run or beside a doorway, where pan handles can be knocked, and leave worktop on both sides of it for setting pans down.
How much storage does a kitchen need?
More than most people expect, and in the right places. Deep pan drawers under the hob are usually more useful than cupboards with shelves, because you can see and reach everything without kneeling. A larder unit or tall pull-out keeps dry food together. Corner units can waste space unless they have a pull-out or carousel, so think about how each corner will be used.
List what you keep in the kitchen now and where it will go in the new plan: crockery near the dishwasher, pans near the hob, food near the preparation area. Wall units keep everyday items within reach, while open shelves look good but collect grease if they are close to the hob.
Where should sockets and switches go?
Plan sockets for every place you will use a small appliance: kettle, toaster, coffee machine, food mixer and phone charging. Avoid positions directly above the hob or behind the sink. Integrated appliances need an accessible way to isolate them, usually switched fused connection units above the worktop, so they can be turned off without pulling units out.
Adding sockets to an existing circuit is not notifiable in England but must meet BS 7671; in Wales, extending a circuit within a kitchen is notifiable. A new circuit for an induction hob or oven is notifiable in both. In Scotland and Northern Ireland the work must meet BS 7671 and be certified.
How should a kitchen be lit?
Use layers of light. Ceiling downlights or a central fitting give general light. Under-cabinet lights put light on the worktop where you work, without your shadow falling across it. Pendants mark out an island or table, and plinth or cornice strips are decorative. Plan the switching so each layer can be used on its own.
Lighting cables are part of the first fix, so decide before work starts. Downlights in a ceiling below another floor or a loft may need to be fire-rated or covered, and the electrician will check what is needed for your ceiling.
Where should the extractor and appliances go?
A cooker hood works most effectively when it is ducted outside by the shortest, straightest route. A hob on an outside wall makes ducting simple; on an island, the duct has to run through the ceiling void, which needs checking before you commit. In England and Wales, a cooker hood extracting outside needs to remove about 30 litres per second.
Check appliance sizes against the plan early: integrated fridges and ovens need specific housing heights, and the ventilation gaps in the manufacturer's instructions matter. Keep the fridge away from the oven where possible, and the hob away from tall units, windows and doorways. A dishwasher next to a corner needs a filler so its door clears the adjoining units.
When should a layout plan be checked?
Before anything is ordered. A measured survey turns a sketch into a plan that fits the actual room, with the services drawn in. If you are buying a kitchen elsewhere, we can produce a measured survey and layout plan for you and your supplier, typically £300–£900 including VAT. Design is included in the price when we supply the kitchen.
Check the plan against how you really use a kitchen. Where will the shopping be put down? Where do the children sit to eat or do homework? Is there space for recycling bins, a tall broom cupboard and somewhere to charge phones? A layout that answers those everyday questions will feel right for years, long after the novelty of new doors has worn off.
Questions
What is the kitchen work triangle?
The work triangle is a traditional planning idea: the sink, hob and fridge form the three points of a triangle, close enough to move between easily but not so close that people get in each other's way. Many kitchens are now planned in zones instead, but the principle of short, clear routes between the main tasks still holds.
How big does a room need to be for an island?
An island needs clear walkways on every side, commonly about a metre, plus space for appliance doors and drawers to open. That rules out many narrow kitchens. A peninsula gives similar worktop and seating in less space. A measured survey shows whether an island will work without making the room feel cramped.
Should the sink go under the window?
It is a popular choice for the light and the view, and the waste often already leaves the house on that wall. It is not essential. Moving a sink means new supplies and a new waste run, typically £400 to £1,000 including VAT, so weigh the benefit of the new layout against the cost.
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This guide is general information about kitchen fitting in the UK, not legal, tax, electrical or structural advice for your property. Rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; check with your local authority or a qualified adviser before relying on it.