Kellerman Kitchen & Bath

Your budget and priorities will really dictate most of the decisions regarding your kitchen layout.

While it is hard to comment on specific layouts due to the unique size and configuration of each and every kitchen, several common things should be kept in mind when laying out your kitchen design.  If you have not yet read the BUDGETING section or the SETTING PRIORITIES section of this website, now would be a good time to do so.  The budget and priorities should drive most of the layout decisions.  A well laid out budget, and really knowing your priorities, will almost help in each and every decision you will make with regards to your kitchen remodel project.

If at all possible, make sure you have enough room to fit a nice sized island into your kitchen.  To fit a 3' wide island in a U-shaped  kitchen, your kitchen must be at least 13' wide - preferably 14' or 15'.  The base cabinets around the perimeter of the kitchen are 2' deep, and you will need a MINIMUM of a 3' aisle space between the base cabinets and island.  This is the absolute minimum, and should really be 42" to 48".  Other than a galley kitchen, you should really try your best to fit in an island.

Next, layout the kitchen so that is flows well with the adjacent rooms.  Kitchens once where isolated to the rest of the home, but today are the center of the home.  Views and traffic patterns should be optimized, and special attention should be given to where the cook will be facing when cooking.  This is a personal preference for each cook, but it needs to be well thought out.

An obvious layout consideration is the placement of the kitchen sink and appliances.  The cook top, sink, and refrigerator should all be within adequate proximity to one another.  Also consider where the main food items will be stored.  If it's in a pantry cabinet, it's easy to place it where you need to.  If it's in a built-in, walk-in pantry, then pay careful attention to the location of this.  A built in pantry needs to be accessible to the cooking area, and is also ideally located near the back door of your house - this makes unloading your groceries easier.