Kitchen Floor Plan
You judge a kitchen floor plan by how well it works while you cook: counter on both sides of the stove, a short walk between fridge, sink and stove, and aisles wide enough to open the oven while someone passes. This page covers kitchen sizes, the main layouts, the aisle and work-triangle guidance designers use, and the mistakes to avoid. The example is an L-shaped 3 × 4 m (10 × 13 ft) kitchen you can open and change.
An L-shaped kitchen
Drawn to scale. The links open this room with the same furniture, ready for you to add doors and windows and resize anything.
Typical kitchen sizes
| Metric (typical) | Imperial (typical) | Fits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galley | 2.3–2.4 m wide, 3.0–4.0 m long | 7 ft 6 in–8 ft wide, 10–13 ft long | Two parallel runs of counters with a 42–48 in (1.07–1.22 m) aisle |
| L-shaped | 3.0 × 3.0 m to 3.0 × 4.0 m | 10 × 10 ft to 10 × 13 ft | A corner run, with room for a small table |
| U-shaped or with island | 3.6 × 4.2 m and up | 12 × 14 ft and up | Three runs, or two runs and an island |
What sets the size of a kitchen
A kitchen is sized by its runs of counter and the aisles between them. Base cabinets and counters are commonly about 60 cm (24 in) deep, so a galley with two runs and a 1.2 m (4 ft) aisle needs about 2.4 m (8 ft) of clear width. The length follows from the appliances and the counter you want between them.
The sizes in the table are typical ranges. A kitchen that is also where the family eats needs room for a table and chairs on top of that.
Kitchen layouts
For side-by-side plans of each type with notes on their aisles, see the kitchen layout examples.
One wall
Everything on a single wall. Compact and simple to plumb, but with little counter space; common in studios.
Galley
Two facing runs with an aisle between. Efficient for one cook; a through-route makes it busy.
L-shaped
Two runs meeting in a corner, leaving the rest of the room open for a table. The example plan uses this layout.
U-shaped and island
Three runs, or an island facing a main run. The most counter space, as long as the aisles stay wide enough.
Doors, windows and appliances
Doors and windows decide where the runs can go, so draw them first. A door in the middle of a wall splits that wall’s counter in two; a window over the sink is traditional because it keeps the window wall useful without tall units in front of it.
Keep the stove away from a door and from the end of a run, with counter on both sides for pans. Put the fridge at the end of a run so its tall side does not break up the worktop, and turn its door so it opens towards the counter you will unload onto.
Aisles and the work triangle
The US National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) recommends work aisles of at least 42 in (107 cm) for one cook and 48 in (122 cm) for two, and at least 36 in (91 cm) for walkways that are not used for cooking. Behind seating at an island or table, NKBA suggests 36 in (91 cm) from the counter edge for someone to edge past and 44 in (112 cm) to walk past.
The work triangle is an older rule of thumb that NKBA guidance still uses: each leg between sink, stove and fridge roughly 4–9 ft (1.2–2.7 m), the three adding up to no more than 26 ft (7.9 m), and no through-traffic across it. In the example, front to front, the legs are about 1.6 m (5′ 2″) from fridge to stove, 2.5 m (8′ 1″) from stove to sink and 3.1 m (10′ 4″) from sink to fridge, 7.2 m (23′ 6″) in all: the stove sits between two counters and the fridge and sink at the two ends of the L, at the cost of one leg over 9 ft. Use the measure tool (M) to check yours.
Kitchen items in the library
The library has these kitchen pieces at common sizes, all in its Kitchen section.
Counter
180 × 60 cm (5′ 11″ × 2′). Resize the length to each run of base cabinets; the 60 cm (2 ft) depth is a common counter depth.
Stove
60 × 60 cm (2′ × 2′). Leave counter on both sides for pans and ingredients.
Fridge
70 × 70 cm (2′ 4″ × 2′ 4″). Put it at the end of a run so its door opens away from the work area.
Sink
70 × 45 cm (2′ 4″ × 1′ 6″). Set it into a run of counter, ideally between the stove and the fridge.
Washer
60 × 60 cm (2′ × 2′). In many homes the washing machine goes under the kitchen counter.
Dining table
160 × 90 cm (5′ 3″ × 2′ 11″). Resize it to a small table for an eat-in kitchen.
Storage and the rooms around the kitchen
Storage in a kitchen is mostly wall and base cabinets, plus a pantry or tall unit if there is space. Plan a full-height unit at the end of a run rather than in the middle, where it would cut the worktop.
The kitchen usually sits next to the dining area, with a short route to the back door or garden and, where possible, near the laundry and bathroom so the plumbing runs stay short. Avoid making the kitchen the only route between the front door and the rest of the home.
Common kitchen planning mistakes
Appliance doors that collide
An oven door, a dishwasher door and a fridge door opening into the same small space make the kitchen hard to use with two people.
No landing space
Leave counter beside the fridge, the sink and the stove so there is always somewhere to put things down.
Stove in a corner
A hob tight against a corner or a wall leaves no room for pan handles and makes cleaning the wall harder.
Island squeezed in
An island with narrow aisles around it costs more space than it adds. Check the aisles first, then size the island.
Plan your kitchen in the editor
Draw the room
Open the example or draw your kitchen with R; type exact wall lengths from your measurements.
Fix doors and windows
Add them before the counters: they decide where the runs can go.
Lay out the runs
Drag counters against the walls, resize them to the run length and drop the stove, fridge and sink into place.
Check heights in 3D
The fridge, counters and window sills show at their heights in the 3D view.
Kitchen examples, templates and tools
- Kitchen layout examplesGalley, L-shaped and other kitchen plans with notes on their aisles.
- 3-bedroom template with separate kitchenA closed kitchen next to its own dining room.
- Studio template with kitchenetteA small kitchenette beside the shower room.
- Restaurant templateA commercial kitchen next to a 32-seat dining room.
- Walkways in front of counters and tablesCommon spacing in front of kitchen counters and around a dining table.
- Room size calculatorArea and perimeter from the width and length you measured.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most efficient kitchen layout?
For one cook, a galley or L-shape keeps everything within a few steps. With more space, a U-shape or island gives more counter, provided the aisles stay around 1.05–1.2 m (42–48 in).
How wide should a kitchen aisle be?
Guidance from the US National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is at least 42 in (107 cm) for one cook and 48 in (122 cm) for two. Narrower aisles work in a small galley but leave no room to pass an open oven.
Is the work triangle still relevant?
As a check, yes: it keeps sink, stove and fridge a few steps apart and out of the walkway. Kitchens with several cooks or an island are often planned as zones instead, but the same distances still help.
Can I draw kitchen cabinets?
Yes. Use the counter for base cabinet runs and resize it to each run, and the Wall cabinet (80 × 35 cm, 31 × 14 in) for upper units. The Kitchen section also has a tall cabinet, a drawer unit and a range hood.
How do I plan a kitchen island?
Drop the Kitchen island (120 × 80 cm) or the Large kitchen island (160 × 90 cm) into the room, or resize a counter to your island size, then check the aisles around it with the measure tool.