3 Floor Plan Favorites for the Kitchen

Deciding between wine wall sculptures ortree wall hangings for you kitchen is simply a matter of personal style. Designing an effective and attractive floor plan, however, goes beyond style because floor plan is essential to kitchen function. Not only will the right floor plan add to the overall beauty of the room, but it is absolutely essential for ease of use and productivity. When the kitchen floor plan has an efficient and well thought out design, you'll find it much easier and more enjoyable to work in the kitchen. Although there are many different layout possibilities, here are three floor plans that work well.

L-Shaped Kitchen

The L-shaped kitchen is a perennial favorite, primarily because it is so convenient. Its compact shape can be utilized even in the smallest of kitchens, providing a triangle of work space that can be very efficiently used. Because two adjacent walls are utilized, you can create different work stations while still keeping everything nicely connected. When this style is used, the refrigerator and the sink are commonly located on one wall, with the stove and oven on the other. This style of floor plan can eliminate a lot of needless steps in the kitchen, since it keeps the appliances and the sink in a nicely designed triangle work space. This style of layout also leaves one kitchen wall free, allowing space for a kitchen table.

U-Shaped Kitchen

The U-shaped layout works well for both small and large kitchens. With this style, the cook is surrounded by countertop, appliances and storage on three sides of the room, providing an ample amount of space in which to work. It's a great way to utilize the most amount of work space in the kitchen. Since this style creates so much countertop space, it's also a great layout to use if you want to create individual work stations within the kitchen. For example, you could create a baking area on the countertop close to the oven, and a food preparation area close to the sink. It's also a great style to use if you like to cook together as a family, since everyone can have their own work area without getting in anyone else's way. This style of layout is also a good choice if you need a lot of storage options in the kitchen since it provides plenty of upper and lower cabinets. When designing a U-shaped layout, the stove and refrigerator are usually positioned on parallel walls with the sink on the remaining wall, creating a nice triangular work area.

Galley Kitchens

The galley kitchen, sometimes referred to as a "corridor" kitchen, usually works best when there is only one cook. This layout places countertop, cabinets and appliances down two parallel walls. This layout is extremely useful for small narrow kitchens, since it effectively maximizes the space. When this style is used, the refrigerator and the stove are often placed on one wall, with some work space between them. Then, the sink is located midway between them on the opposite wall. Of course, this arrangement can be altered to whatever works best. However you arrange the sink, stove and refrigerator, make sure to keep them in a triangular shape for maximum efficiency.