It is not often that one gets to completely gut their kitchen and start over, with the ability to determine how they would like their kitchen layout to be. But if you are one of the lucky individuals, or you are shopping for a home in the real estate market, then this is the post for you.
Kitchen layouts are more than optimizing the aesthetic appeal, but are also about functionality and optimizing the space for the size of your home, and to suit your lifestyle.
Let’s see what the most popular kitchen layouts are, and which is the best for you!
One-walled Kitchen
Starting strong with the one-walled kitchen. This is a very popular choice for small spaces, and has become increasingly popular in condos all around Toronto. Essentially, all the kitchen appliances and cabinetry are lined up against a single wall. This allows the floor area in front of the kitchen to be maximized to create more space, and can even be ideal for enhancing open-concept living.
The challenge of this small kitchen layout is that it does not make use of the triangular workflow that makes your cooking in the kitchen more optimal (essentially, this is organizing your kitchen into distinct workspaces in the shape of a triangle – cooking, storage, and prep – to smooth workflow for an easy meal preparation and clean-up). All the work stations are organized linearly.
This can be mitigated by considering a rolling island that can be used to provide extra prep space and that can be put away when not in use. However, this kitchen layout is great for opening up to a living or dining area, creating more opportunity for social interactions with friends or family as you cook!
Galley Kitchen
Galley kitchens are also a great contestant for smaller homes and apartments, as they make the most efficient use of small or narrow spaces. A galley kitchen is essentially one with parallel counters opposite one another, and a narrow walkway between them. They certainly provide more storage and prep space than a one-walled kitchen, but are still only ideal for one cook at a time.
A triangular workflow can be achieved in a galley kitchen using this simple layout – place your fridge and stove on opposite ends of a single counter, with the sink in the middle of the parallel counter. This creates a great ease of movement in your kitchen and is very useful even in professional settings.
The challenge with galley kitchens is that there isn’t much room to create social interactions, as walls would typically close in the kitchen on multiple sides. This also may affect the amount of natural light that may come into your kitchen, depending on where the kitchen is placed relative to windows.
Despite all of this, the galley kitchen is definitely a lifesaver when it comes to making good use of a small floor area!
L-shaped Kitchen
L-shaped kitchens are also a very popular style because they are useful for creating open-concept living spaces, but with more storage and prep space. As the name suggests, L-shaped kitchens are typically aligned against two adjacent walls, creating an L shape.
L-shaped kitchens are fantastic for small to medium spaces. Additionally, they allow for the triangular workspace flow to be achieved if you put your fridge and sink at the edges of each counter, and your stove diagonally from either of the two!
Generally, due to the increased counter space, L-shaped kitchens can support having more than one cook in the kitchen without causing too much congestion or interruptive traffic. Despite the L-shaped kitchen’s versatility, these are not ideal for very large spaces, as they can feel empty and under-utilized.
U-shaped Kitchen
U-shaped kitchens are the optimal choice for storage and prep space optimization. These kitchens are typically aligned against 3 adjacent walls and create a beautiful workflow. The triangular workspace configuration can easily be achieved in this kitchen by placing each of the work stations against different walls.
This kitchen layout is great for medium to large kitchens, and can easily accommodate multiple cooks at once by giving everyone his/her own prep space.
Because of how desirable this kitchen layout is, many people mistakenly implement it in a space that is too small, which can result in it feeling quite cramped, which completely defeats the benefits of this kitchen layout, so that is something to watch out for! Additionally, depending on whether the kitchen is totally enclosed, there may be limited opportunity for social interaction with anyone outside of the kitchen.
Peninsula/G-shaped Kitchen
Peninsula and G-shaped kitchens are achieved when you take an L-shaped kitchen and a U-shaped kitchen, respectively, and the extension of a third or fourth partial wall. Not only does this allow for there to be more available storage space, but it naturally creates a social area within the kitchen where seating can be added for casual dining, or just casual conversations whilst you cook. It is a simple way of adding more seating without taking up too much additional space.
This kitchen layout is suitable for medium to large-sized kitchens and is great for families. One criticism that the peninsula gets is that it may not be as flexible as an island, and has the potential to interrupt traffic flow because it is more enclosed. A good trick for this, however, is to place the fridge near the kitchen entrance in order to avoid disruptions while you cook, as people reach for the fridge for snacks and beverages.
Island
Lastly, the esteemed kitchen island! It is a great addition to almost all of the kitchen layouts mentioned above – provided there is enough space to house it. Kitchen islands can enhance your kitchen in several ways – they can enhance seating and social interaction, provide additional storage space and prep space, and are generally great to have for entertaining! Islands are also quite flexible in that you can opt for a movable island in your kitchen, or you can have one built in as well.
Overall, there are not many drawbacks to having an island, except perhaps that not everyone can fit one into their kitchen without there being sufficient space, as forcing one into a small space can easily make it feel congested and reduce the ease of workflow.
Things to Consider When Deciding on a Layout
To summarise what you should be looking for when deciding on a kitchen layout for your kitchen renovation, there are three basic things to consider.
1. Your Cooking Habits
Are you a passionate cook who likes to cook elaborate meals with multiple ingredients and parts simultaneously that will need a decent amount of prep space? Then ditch the one-wall kitchen if possible and consider more counterspace, generous options. They will also provide more storage for all of the pans, food processors, and whatever else you may use! If you only cook out of necessity and are not a cooking enthusiast, then the simple one-walled kitchen will definitely satisfy your needs.
2. User Flow – How Many Cooks Will Be in Your Kitchen?
Are you clingy towards your kitchen and like to be the only person at any time using it? You’re not alone, so when deciding on the best kitchen layout for you, things like this matter. If Sunday lunch is a ritual in your family where your mom and aunts like to make big, hearty meals for the family to enjoy, then you’d want to consider a layout with enough prep space, such as a U-shaped kitchen. However, if you are the solo, self-certified chef of your household, then a galley kitchen will do just the trick! It’s all about ensuring that your kitchen – the heart of your home – fits well with your lifestyle.
3. Budget
Naturally, all of our kitchen renovation dreams will be limited by the number of resources we have available. It’s important to consider carefully what is within your means of spending when determining a kitchen layout. If you do not know how much you can expect to spend, then feel free to reach out to a contractor who can work through a great plan with you to make the most out of your kitchen renovation.
At JG Contracting, we do more than just the labor. We want to be able to work closely with you to discuss your needs and desires and help you reach the best possible outcome. Whether we are advising you on the best kitchen layout for your space, or whether we are simply giving your already-existing kitchen a facelift, we are more than willing to see you through your dream kitchen renovation from start to finish, so don’t hesitate to contact us today and find out how we can make your dreams become a reality!
📧 Email: jgcontractingyyz@gmail.com
📞 Phone: 437-259-9632
🌐 Website: https://jgcontractingyyz.com
