A Kitchen’s Design Begins With the Layout
The kitchen is the heart of the home and every kitchen has its own layout. A luxury kitchen is not defined by the best design, appliances, fixtures, or features but by the layout. Industry professionals say there are six different categories the layout of a kitchen falls under.
1. The Island
This style type of kitchen will fit most home designs. It gives additional counter, cabinet, and appliance space. There will need to be a large footprint allotted to the kitchen as the island will take up a good bit of space. An island requires space for itself and space for walking room around the island.
2. The Peninsula
A peninsula kitchen works great in a home with a kitchen that has many walls. Benefits include an extension of cabinet space and counter space that looks out into open space. Similar to the island, the peninsula is not free-standing and takes up less space. It does close off part of the kitchen almost like a wall would.
3. The One-Wall Kitchen
A one-wall kitchen is the best layout for saving space. This is a great layout for lofts, studios, or extremely long kitchens. In this style of kitchen, everything is fixed to a singular wall. This creates a very clean design with plenty of room. The only downside is the lack of prep space. An island can be added in front of the wall to create more prep space but this takes this layout and changes it to more of a galley kitchen.
4. The L-Shaped Kitchen
An L-shaped kitchen is the best layout to get the most corner space and fits into any home design. This layout can limit foot traffic in a large kitchen. The space made by the L can have many unique features such as a large kitchen island.
5. The Galley Kitchen
A galley kitchen is a little bit on the smaller footprint side. There can only be one cook in the kitchen so to speak. This layout maximizes functionality in a narrow space. The only home design this layout will not work in is a layout with a great room or keeping room concept. It is not functional as an eat-in kitchen and is isolated from the rest of the home.
6. The “U” Kitchen
A “U” kitchen is great for creating an open cooking space with tons of cabinetry, prep space, and functionality for multiple cooks. This type of kitchen can have an eat-in kitchen or huge island. This layout is perfect for a large footprint and it needs at least 2 walls if not 3.
