How to plan a kitchen layout that works in daily life

The short answer

There is no single correct kitchen layout. A good one is the one that matches your room and your habits: it keeps the working parts close and unobstructed, gives everyday tasks a sensible order, and leaves the space feeling calm rather than crowded. Start with use, not with a template.

Start with how the room is used

Before any shape is drawn, the useful questions are practical ones: who cooks, and is it usually one person or several? Is this a quiet family kitchen or one built for entertaining? How does it connect to dining, the garden, a utility or the rest of an open-plan space? At Keston, the kitchen and living area were planned together as one connected space, so the layout had to serve cooking and relaxed family life at once. The answers shape everything that follows.

Movement and working zones

The old “work triangle” (sink, hob, fridge) is a starting idea, not a rule. In practice we plan around zones — storage, preparation, cooking, and cleaning and waste — and the short paths between them. The aim is that the cook can move between them without crossing the room or backtracking, and without colliding with someone else passing through. In a busy household, planning two people working at once matters more than any geometric triangle.

Islands and peninsulas

An island earns its place when there is genuine room around it and it does real work — extra prep, seating, storage, or housing a hob with downdraft extraction. Where space is tighter, a peninsula can give many of the same benefits without the clearance an island needs. At Hammersmith, a compact terrace kitchen, the layout is built around a stainless-steel island that works hard in a smaller footprint; the key is honest clearance, so doors, drawers and appliances open fully and people can pass behind comfortably (we generally plan around a metre of clear space where it is used as a walkway).

Open-plan and connected rooms

When the kitchen is part of a larger room, the layout has to manage sightlines, noise and the boundary between “working” and “social” space. Downdraft extraction keeps an island clear and the view open; a considered position for the bin, dishwasher and prep keeps mess away from where people sit. At Clapham, an apartment kitchen, the design connects through to the lounge with a coordinated media unit, so the kitchen reads as part of one living space rather than a separate utilitarian room.

Utilities, hidden storage and service areas

Much of what makes a kitchen calm is what is kept out of sight. A separate utility, a pantry or tall larder, and well-planned internal storage take pressure off the main run so the kitchen itself stays uncluttered. At Hever, a concealed passage door in the cabinetry wall leads through to the utility, so the working support space is there but invisible. At Oxted, a wider HUF HAUS project, the kitchen was planned alongside connected service spaces as part of a larger scheme. Deciding what to hide — and where — is a layout decision, not a later add-on.

Dining and entertaining

How you eat shapes the plan: island or peninsula seating for casual meals, a clear route from hob to table, and somewhere for drinks or coffee that does not clog the main prep zone. The goal is that the cook stays part of the gathering rather than shut away — which usually means separating the social edge of the kitchen from its working heart.

What to bring to the showroom conversation

The most useful first conversation is in the showroom, with rough room dimensions, any architect’s plans, photos of the existing space, and an honest description of how you live in it. From that we can sketch zones and test whether an island, a peninsula or a simpler run suits the room — with the trade-offs visible — before any detailed design begins. Visits are by appointment so there is time to do this properly.

A layout checklist

• Who uses the kitchen, and how many at once?
• How does the room connect to dining, garden, utility and the rest of the home?
• Where are the fixed constraints — windows, doors, services, structure?
• Island, peninsula, or a simpler run — and is there honest clearance for it?
• Where do the bin, dishwasher and recycling sit, away from where people gather?
• What can be hidden in a utility, pantry or internal storage to keep the main run calm?
• Is there a clear path from hob to table?

Common questions

Do I need an island? Only if the room has the space and the island does real work. Where it is tight, a peninsula often gives the benefits without the clearance an island demands.

Is open-plan always best? No — it suits sociable, connected living, but some households prefer a defined kitchen. The layout should follow how you actually live.

How much space should I leave around an island? Enough to open appliances and drawers fully and pass behind someone comfortably — we generally plan around a metre where it is used as a walkway, adjusted to the room.

Where should the bin and recycling go? Close to the prep and sink zone and away from seating — planned into the cabinetry from the start.