The five common kitchen layouts are one-wall, L-shaped, U-shaped, galley and island. The work triangle between sink, cooktop and fridge keeps each leg 4 to 9 ft and the total under 26 ft (NKBA). Below, all five drawn by the editor and measured; open any size and change it.
Floor plan of a 10 × 10 ft L-shaped kitchen: kitchen runs along two walls with sink, cooktop and fridge.
The five kitchen layouts
Five layouts, drawn by the editor. Each link opens this kitchen in the editor, with the runs, sink base, cooktop and fridge in place; then change it to fit your room.
From the editor: counter with the corner counted once, 24″ cabinets, triangle measured at the front of each appliance
Five kitchen layouts
Layout
Counter
Base
Wall
Triangle
NKBA
One-wall, 12 × 8 ft
9′
5
5
17′ 2″
within
L-shaped, 10 × 10 ft
15′
8
8
17′ 10″
within
U-shaped, 10 × 10 ft
20′
10
5
15′ 11″
within
Galley, 8 × 12 ft
18′
9
9
16′
within
Island, 14 × 12 ft
19′
10
6
17′ 10″
within
Swipe for more →
The work triangle
The National Kitchen & Bath Association recommends that each leg of the triangle between the sink, the cooktop and the fridge is 4 to 9 ft, and that the three together are no more than 26 ft. It is a recommendation, not code; the check in the editor tells you, it never blocks you.
In the L-shaped kitchen above the legs are 5′ 5″, 7′ 9″, 4′ 7″, together 17′ 10″.
The wall with wall cabinets and backsplash
A kitchen run has base cabinets with a counter, wall cabinets and a backsplash. The wall elevation draws them at their height with the cooktop on the counter, and Quantities and costs counts the counter feet, the cabinets and the backsplash area.
Wall D of the L-shaped kitchen, drawn by the editor: base cabinets, counter, backsplash and wall cabinets, with the cooktop.
One-wall, L-shaped, U-shaped, galley (two parallel runs) and a kitchen with an island. This page has all five drawn to scale, with the counter length and the work triangle.
What is the proper layout of a kitchen?
One where the sink, cooktop and fridge form a triangle with legs of 4 to 9 ft and a total under 26 ft, with room to walk between runs. Which shape fits depends on the room.
Is there a free app that can plan my kitchen layout?
Squaremetry runs in the browser: drawing a kitchen is free and needs no account. A clean export costs $5 per home after the beta, or Pro per month.
How wide should a galley kitchen be?
Wide enough for two runs of cabinets and a walkway between them. In our 8 × 12 ft galley the walkway is 4 ft between the cabinet fronts.