Which kitchen layout suits your space?
The layout you choose shapes how the whole kitchen works. Answer five quick questions about your room and how you live, and we'll point you to the layout that fits best — plus a work-triangle tip to make it cook beautifully.
Which best describes the space you have to work with?
Think about the walls you can actually put cabinetry against.
The 'work triangle' is the path between your three busiest points — fridge, sink and cooktop. Keep the total of the three sides roughly 4–8 metres and clear of through-traffic, and a kitchen of any layout will feel effortless to cook in.
The six kitchen layouts, explained
Every kitchen is a variation on one of these. Here's what each does best.
Single-wall kitchen
Everything on one run
All your cabinetry, bench and appliances along a single wall. Space-savvy and clean-lined — ideal for apartments, small homes, sculleries and open-plan living where the kitchen shouldn't dominate.
Galley kitchen
Two runs, maximum efficiency
Two parallel runs of cabinetry facing each other. The most efficient layout for serious cooking — everything is a turn away — and it makes excellent use of a long, narrow room.
L-shape kitchen
The flexible all-rounder
Cabinetry along two walls that meet in a corner. Hugely popular in NZ homes — it's flexible, opens naturally into a living or dining area, and leaves room for a table.
U-shape kitchen
Storage and bench in spades
Three walls of cabinetry wrapping around you. Maximum bench and storage, and it comfortably suits two cooks — great when the kitchen is its own dedicated room.
Kitchen with island
The social centrepiece
A freestanding island adds bench space, storage and casual seating — and turns the kitchen into the heart of the home. The standout choice for open-plan living when you have the floor space.
Peninsula kitchen
An island, without the room for one
A connected bench that juts out from the cabinetry — the benefits of an island (extra bench, a spot for stools, a room divider) in spaces that can't fit a freestanding one.