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The kitchen is one of the hardest-working rooms in the house, so it needs to be as functional as it is stylish.
Carefully planning your kitchen layout is the key to creating a space where you can cook, socialise and keep things clean and organised without too much effort.
This guide will explain some of the key kitchen planning and layout considerations.
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The planning process is the key time to consider big changes to your kitchen's design, so think carefully about how you use your current space and how you would like to use the new one.
Ask yourself these questions before you start:
Remember to consider your kitchen's constraints, such as its size and the positions of doors, windows and plug sockets. If you're not planning any structural work, you'll need to be realistic about what your space can accommodate.
Read our guide to the best and worst kitchens to find out which brands performed best in our lab tests and consumer surveys.
Before you start planning your kitchen layout, you will need to choose the type of kitchen that you want to install.
The most common type of kitchen is a fitted kitchen. Kitchen companies have ranges of pre-designed kitchen cabinets that can be configured for your space and fitted to your kitchen.
This type of kitchen allows you a degree of customisability while still keeping costs down.
Bespoke kitchens are tailored to your space, your needs, and fully customisable, which also makes them very expensive.
Finally, a freestanding kitchen is made up of lots of different pieces of furniture, which are not fitted into the space.
This is generally cheaper if you have a lot of existing pieces you wish to reuse, and gives you the freedom to rearrange things if your needs change.
Freestanding kitchens generally have a lot of character, but they can also be difficult to keep clean. Plus, installing water, gas or electricity can be costly.
There are five main types of kitchen layouts:
Kitchen layouts – in pictures
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A large collection of images displayed on this page are available at https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/fitted-kitchens/article/planning-a-kitchen/kitchen-planning-a9rwq2W0JCbB
A centralised kitchen island works well with most kitchen layouts.
They are a great way to add extra storage and worktop space, zone your kitchen, and create a working triangle if your layout doesn’t naturally lend itself to one.
In addition, they can make your kitchen feel more sociable, as the person cooking does not have to stand facing a wall while preparing the food.
Islands can be as big as you want, but if you're tight on space there are also slimline versions. You can also get kitchen islands on wheels so that it can be moved out of the way when needed.
A kitchen peninsula is another option for smaller spaces. This is essentially an island attached to one wall.
For kitchen island design ideas, visit our kitchen design guide.
The working triangle, or the kitchen triangle, refers to the optimal layout of your refrigerator, hob and sink.
Ideally, they should be roughly laid out in a triangle, since these are the three areas of your kitchen that you will use the most, and often use in tandem.
To make your kitchen as easy to use as possible, each side of the triangle should be no longer than around 1.2m.
Shopping for new appliances? Our large appliance survey reveals the most – and least – reliable appliance brands.
Most of the national kitchen companies have online design tools that allow you to visualise different kitchen layouts and designs.
Many of these companies also offer a kitchen planning service, where you will be able to discuss your requirements with a designer who will create a digital plan of your kitchen.
These companies have both a design service and an online planner:
You can only use a design service with one of these companies if you book ahead. All of them offer a free first appointment, with the exception of John Lewis.
It's worth noting that, while independent kitchen companies might not have an online planning tool, their designers are more likely to offer specialist expertise than general DIY stores.
Map out your current kitchen layout (or empty kitchen if you plan to start from scratch) on graph paper. Use metric measurements, as this is what kitchen manufacturers use.
Take a look at these images for an example of how to measure your kitchen.
The first shows an overhead plan of the whole room.
This image shows how to measure your walls and plot the location of windows, cupboards and appliances.
Take measurements from the ceiling to the floor and across each wall. It's worth taking the measurements of the same wall or floor at a few different points, as rooms can be slightly asymmetrical and not completely square at every point.
For the width across the walls, measure along the floor, half way up the wall and near the ceiling. For the ceiling, measure at three points across the wall from the floor to the ceiling. It's a good idea to note down the measurements for each wall individually and name them, for example 'wall one, wall two' etc. Make a note of any architectural features, such as cornices.
Note the location and size of windows and doors. Add in the distance between them and the floor, as well as between each other. When measuring windows and doors, you should include the door or window frame (sometimes called the trim) in the measurement, so measure out from these.
Also make a note of which way they open and how much room they need to open fully. Name all the windows and doors too, for example 'window one' and 'window two'.
If there are any kitchen units you want to keep, add these to your plan with their measurements – width, height and depth – and distances between them and the walls and floor where it makes sense to add this.
For example, if a unit is on the floor in a corner, you would only measure the distance to the other wall. If it's a unit fixed to the wall, you would want to include measurements to the floor and other walls.
Highlight where the electric sockets are, the cable routes from them to the relevant appliance, and where the plumbing and waste pipes are. Moving these will add to the costs, so keep them where they are if possible.
If you can, measure the height, width and depth of these too, and ideally how far they are from other walls, the floor and ceiling. Make sure you note anything else that is a fixed feature, such as radiators.
If you have a boiler in the kitchen, highlight where and what type of boiler it is.
If you're upgrading your boiler, read our boiler advice guides.
Mark which kitchen walls are external or internal.
Using the dimensions of your kitchen you’ve mapped out, take a look at the typical kitchen unit dimensions in the table below to see how much you can fit into your kitchen and where things will need to go.
A lot of the big-name kitchen brands sell kitchens pre-assembled, to the standard measurements below. If you have the budget, you could consider getting storage made to your home's exact specifications.
Even if you don’t opt for bespoke design, many kitchen companies have design services to help you come up with the best design for you and your lifestyle, including which types of storage could work best.
Visit our kitchen costs guide to learn more about how much you can expect to spend on a new kitchen or kitchen repairs. Our kitchen cabinets advice offers tips on replacing or painting kitchen doors.
If you want to add detail to your measurement plan, or use an online planning tool, it's worth keeping these factors in mind:
Ready to get started? Discover the best kitchen fitters, plus everything you need to know about kitchen installation.
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