| When considering kitchen design ideas, you could use | | | | You could also use the kitchen island as a small dining |
| kitchen design software. But your first step should be | | | | area with the addition of bar stools. |
| to get an understanding of the various kitchen floor | | | | U Shape |
| plans that you could utilize. | | | | The U Shape kitchen is, you guessed it, in the shape of |
| Good kitchen floor plans follow what's called the "work | | | | a letter "U", using three walls for counters and |
| triangle", or the area between the refrigerator, the | | | | appliances. It generally requires an 8 x 8 foot space. |
| oven and the sink. The smaller the area, the easier it is | | | | The main benefit is that there is no through traffic |
| to reach the appliances you need to prepare food, | | | | given that the bottom of the U is a dead end, limiting |
| which is, essentially, at the heart of all good kitchen | | | | interruptions during food preparation. |
| design ideas. | | | | Galley Plan |
| L Shape | | | | The Galley Plan uses two opposing walls for counter |
| Named because it's shaped as a letter "L", this plan | | | | space and appliances. For example, the oven and |
| spreads the appliances out, with the sink, fridge, and | | | | dishwasher could be on one wall, facing the |
| dishwasher, for example, in the top part of the L and | | | | refrigerator on the other. Given the proximity of all the |
| the stove in its perpendicular base. Of course, the | | | | appliances, everything is within easy reach. |
| distance from one part of the L to the other, or in this | | | | Unfortunately, this layout can also be quite crowded, |
| case, from the sink to the stove, can be relatively long, | | | | making it ideal for one cook in the kitchen at a time. |
| creating an inconvenience. | | | | To help determine the best kitchen layout for you, |
| Double L | | | | consider investing in kitchen design software. Why use |
| The Double L shape adds an extra, smaller L to the L | | | | kitchen design software? It will help you to both create |
| Shape above, giving room for an extra sink and the | | | | 3 D models of possible kitchen layouts and estimate |
| oven, creating more counter space in the main L | | | | costs. |
| where the oven would have been. | | | | As you can see, there are a variety of kitchen layouts |
| Kitchen Islands Shape | | | | you can use. The main determinant, other than |
| When your L Shape kitchen is at least 100 square feet | | | | preference, is space and the shape of your kitchen. |
| in area, you can usually comfortably add a kitchen | | | | But remember, the ultimate goal is convenience, |
| island. This would give you both more counter space in | | | | minimizing the work triangle enough so that all your |
| general and the opportunity to move a major | | | | appliances are within easy reach while still giving you |
| appliance, such as the dishwasher, to the kitchen island. | | | | counter space. |