Kitchen Floor Plan Basics

Kitchen floor plans can take on almost endless variations. Here's a look at several of the most useful configurations.

The U-Shape Plan

The versatile U-shape plan.

This efficient, versatile plan usually puts one workstation on each of three walls.

Pros: Storage and counter space on three sides maximize efficiency, and the dead-end floor plan ensures that traffic doesn't interrupt the work triangle.

Cons: This isn't the best plan for entertaining or for accommodating multiple cooks, however.

Other considerations: An 8 x 8-foot space is the minimum needed for a U-shape kitchen; anything less won't provide the minimum 4 feet of work space recommended for the center of the room.

For maximum efficiency in a large kitchen, locate one workstation in a freestanding island.

Continued on page 2: The L-Shape Plan

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