Functional Kitchen Shapes and Designs

The kitchen shape and design will greatly influence the placement of different interior decorating components. There are several kitchen shapes and designs that can be worked with to ensure a proper kitchen layout and easy flow between the different working stations. A kitchen triangle, which is the connection between the cook top, refrigerator and the sink, must be kept clear whichever shape the kitchen takes. A most common kitchen shape is the U-shape, which works best with a square or almost square kitchen. In this shape the cook top, refrigerator and the sink are on different walls with the extra side opening up to the breakfast room.

Kitchen shapes and Kitchen Triangle

Another kitchen shape is the L-shape which uses two walls of the kitchen for the kitchen triangle. This shape has the refrigerator at one end and the sink near the middle of the long leg of the ‘L’. The cook top is then placed at the shorter leg of the ‘L’, making it a compact triangle with little interference from room traffic. This shape works well in a large room that has space for a family room. The G-shape places two appliances on two separate walls and the third appliance on a peninsula or island separating the work area from other area of the room. The best appliance for the peninsula should be the sink as the cook top and the refrigerator may present safety concerns.

Whichever shape the kitchen takes it is important to have the sink in the middle of the triangle for ease of movement since it is the most used appliance. The refrigerator should also open into the triangle and not out of it. Enough counter space has to be allocated in between the different appliances with heat-resistant material that complements the interior decorating used near the cooking appliances.