An L-shaped kitchen layout is one of the most classic. It works just as well in a small flat as it does in a much bigger home. It is easy to create the perfect working layout within this type of kitchen, making sure your kitchen is effortless to use and will work for you and your family for years to come.
An L-shaped kitchen is a very straightforward design. It involves a long run of cabinets and a shorter run at a right angle, forming an L-shape in the room—hence the name! This layout means that the room will still have an open feel and avoid any thoroughfares within the room. This layout is also perfect if you want to incorporate a kitchen table or island.
See all my interior designer secrets to planning the ideal L-shaped kitchen below.
L-shaped kitchen layout
Take stock of the space you are starting with
The first thing to do when designing a new kitchen is to take a good look at the space you have and work out if there are any architectural features, such as windows or doors, you want to highlight or ones that will cause you a problem. For instance, if you have a large window, consider placing your sink underneath it to take advantage of natural light. It is also a good idea to note where any services, such as water, gas, etc., are, as keeping these in the same place will make your renovation much cheaper. If you have an open plan space, you will need to work out the best place for the kitchen and how it will relate to the rest of the space.
Time to plan your kitchen layout
Working out your kitchen layout will be much easier now you have a good idea of how your space works. As with all kitchen designs, you will need to consider where you will put the different zones: preparation, cooking and cleaning. The preparation zone is where you will prep any food. It is also a good idea to put your pantry and fridge/freezer close to this zone, making using the kitchen easier. The cooking zone will house your hob and oven, while the cleaning zone will have the sink and dishwasher.
These zones work best when the preparation and cooking zones are next to each other and the cooking and cleaning zones are nearby. This will make moving through the kitchen and using it much easier. So, placing the prep and cooking zones along the longer side of an L-shaped kitchen with the cleaning along the shorter side will always work well.
Think about adding an island
It is worth considering adding an island to an L-shaped kitchen layout. Once everything is in place, L-shaped kitchens can have very little surface space. An island is also a great way to separate a kitchen from the living area in an open-plan space. An island in your kitchen is a great way to add more surface space, storage, or seating area. You will also be able to add a lot of personality to your kitchen with your island, as it is a place where you can really make a feature of the room.
Pick your colour palette
Once you have decided on your layout, you can move on to the colour palette you will use in your kitchen. This is where you can add your personality to your kitchen. If you are worried about making a room look smaller, or the longevity of the colours you choose, a lighter colour is the way to go. You can always add pops of colour with the styling or artwork. If you want to make a statement with your kitchen, a bold colour on the base cabinets will achieve this without making the room feel closed in. Adding in open shelving is a great way to balance out the bold colour of the base cabinets. If you have chosen to have an island, then changing the paint colour or material it is finished in can change something practical into something beautiful.
Related Post | 15 Interior colour combinations to give your home a designer look
Time to choose your materials
When picking the finishes for your L-shaped kitchen, it is important to consider where you would like the room’s focus to be. If you have an open-plan room, it is better to keep the flooring the same throughout. In this instance, it is better to use wood-effect flooring, as it can work equally well in many different spaces. Adding a different material to the island doors can help make it the statement of the room. Varying the finish of the worktop on the island to the rest of the kitchen is a lovely way of creating a subtle feature in the room.
It is also important to consider the finish you will use on the splashback. This could match the worktop finish you have picked. But you could make it more of a feature and use a tile to create a pop of colour or an exciting finish to draw the eye to it. It is important to make sure that whatever materials you choose are easy to clean and durable enough for your kitchen.
Related Post | 11 beautiful types of tiles to use around your home
Add in personal details
Adding personal details to your home makes it feel individual and lets you put your style into a room. This can be tricky in a kitchen but is just as important as in any other room. A simple and very effective way to bring individuality to a room is to hang artwork or family photos. These will immediately make sure that your style is shown in the room. Another way to bring some personality to the room is with your chosen kitchen table. An L-shaped kitchen layout is a fantastic one to include a dining table as it can wrap around the table, making it part of the room. A round table will work best in this instance. You will need to choose one that will work with your kitchen. Keep in mind that a reclaimed table will add more interest to the room than a new one.
L-shaped kitchen layout ideas
Here are 4 different of a 3.5m by 3.5m L-shaped kitchen layouts to inspire you to create the perfect kitchen in your home.
Option 1
This layout is the most simple L-shaped kitchen layout. Although it does work well, it has little worktop space (shown in light green). With the prep are far away from the fridge/freezer (shown in dark green). This may make using the kitchen a little more difficult as you will have to move around the space more. Once food is prepared, moving from the cooking (shown in pink) to cleaning zones (shown in purple) will be easy with this layout.
Option 2
This second L-shaped kitchen layout has added an island to give you more worktop space for preparation. It has also increased the storage space in the kitchen, as you can use the entire underside of the island for storage. The sink and dishwasher have been moved to the island, so the food prep area is now next to the fridge/freezer. When adding an island to your kitchen, you need to be aware of the space around it. You will need 1.2m between the island and the wall cabinets to ensure there is enough room to move around.
Option 3
This layout includes a bigger island that has been left clear. This means it can be used as a preparation area, which will work especially well in this layout as the fridge/freezer is nearby. Having a bigger island also means you will be able to add a breakfast bar seating area to the kitchen. These work really well in so many different situations. Such as helping your kids with homework. Or cooking dinner or catching up with friends at the beginning of a dinner party. Making your kitchen a much more sociable space.
Option 4
The L-shaped kitchen layout shown here is perfect for a small home or flat. This layout has a reduced amount of worktop space, and the prep space is further from the fridge/freezer. This is balanced out by having the kitchen table so close, as it can be used if more worktop space is needed. This layout is easy to move around and use and sociable, as it can be combined in a kitchen/living space.
This post has been about creating your home’s perfect L-shaped kitchen layout.
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