Top 10 organised layout inspiration for kitchens

Kitchens come in all shapes and sizes. You may be refitting an existing space, or perhaps extending or remodelling your kitchen. For all of these projects, organised layout is absolutely central. As well as being a beautiful, calming and social room, your kitchen must be functional. But how do you make the best decisions when it comes to laying out your ideal kitchen, while being mindful of the space that you’re furnishing? Traditionally, we’d look to the ‘work triangle’ – the path between cooking, cleaning and food storage areas as a starting point. But nowadays we demand so much more from our kitchens! With shape, function, flexibility and even light to consider, we check out the best organised layout inspiration for kitchens.

Layouts for Space

Are kitchen design decisions easier with more space? Not necessarily. Your most organised layout will depend on how you use the kitchen, preference of style and the number of people who use the space. There’s a delicate balance between function and aesthetic. Your space must avoid becoming too confused or feeling too cavernous.

1. U-Shape

With the advantage of a very large space, a classic U-shape layout with a central island is a go-to. Cabinets across three walls accommodate a huge amount of storage, allowing you to keep all your appliances out of sight. It also showcases quartz, granite or marble worktops perfectly, offering sleek lines and uninterrupted surfaces. An island is a multifunctional surface, which allows the modern kitchen to fulfil a number of identities; from a daytime cooking and homework space to an evening social zone.

2. G-Shape

With the layout lining and then extending into the room, your worktops are formed like a ‘G’. This is a great layout if you need the functionality of a kitchen island within one continuous stretch of worktop space. This layout maximises cabinet storage and is popular for kitchen layouts with a separate dining area.

3. L-Shape

This is a more open-plan layout that facilitates flexible living and dining. An L-shaped configuration allows dining and lounge areas to become included within a kitchen space. There’s lots of scope to move freely around the space, so it’s functionally great for busy families. 

When Space is Tight

If space is limited, your choice of structural layout is narrowed. What becomes more important is vertical layout and storage. These aspects are more flexible and can make the difference in giving a kitchen an organised layout.

4. Storage

With a finite floor area, it’s what’s going on under your worktops that can make the real difference. Great storage will prevent those lovely new granite worktops from becoming cluttered and disorganised. This makes the workflow of your kitchen more effective. Use optimising solutions to access the back of corner units. Utilise each and every corner of space, from hanging spices on the back of cabinet doors to hanging cups or utensils from the underside of cabinets.

5. Vertical Solutions

To really maximise organised storage in a kitchen design, the height of a room should be embraced. It can be easy to ignore height if it means that units are hard to access. However, all that’s needed is to plan your storage content. Think about seasonal items – turkey platters, fondue sets and pumpkin carving utensils. Store these things at height and they’ll be there when you need them without getting in the way day to day. Older houses and flats may tend towards smaller kitchens, but they often also benefit from high ceilings. Build up cabinetry to make the most of that space. Or for something completely different in a traditional kitchen, something a Victorian sheila-maid can become a feature.

6. Lighting

How can light help with organisation? By creating the illusion of space! Reflecting natural light will help a smaller kitchen space to feel larger, which is why many choose lighter quartz worktops. Whether your room benefits from abundant natural light, or you include lots of lighting in your design, keep your worktops organised and uncluttered to help reflect that light around the room.

Layout Must Haves

These most popular organised kitchen layout features are a great starting point when you’re looking for inspiration. By keeping your room organised and functional, these key layout features are absolutely timeless. 

7. Kitchen Islands

The kitchen island is now a classic design layout. This area supports the practical flow of a kitchen, whilst also being a casual social space. In this way, a kitchen can become the multi-functional room that we all want. Islands have become deeper and larger, offering a wealth of storage and flexible worktop functionality. They’re a wonderful way to show off a stunning stone worktop, too.

8. Pull Out

For any kitchen layout, investing in pull-out storage utilises maximum under worktop space. Deep drawers are a great substitute for cupboards to offer optimal organisation. These under counter drawers can house anything from refrigerators to pans to waste organisation. Viewing from above gives you easy access to more of the space. Full height pull-out pantry cupboards, open both sides, will mean you never lose ingredients at the back of a cupboard again!

9. Display

By carefully choosing items to display within your kitchen layout, you can keep high use items within easy reach. Not only this, but with the ongoing design trend for the visible, you can actually turn this into a decorative feature. Open shelves to store jars of dry ingredients near your cook zone, for example, look great as well as being organised and accessible.

10. Zones

A more complex version of the work triangle, zoning takes into account all of the uses that you expect from your kitchen. Grouping like items – cleaning, bakeware, crockery, pans, appliances – into zones will help to maintain clarity and free up space on your granite, quartz or marble worktop. The zones should be practically placed; so pans near the hob, crockery near your table or under a breakfast bar. You’ll spend less time criss crossing your kitchen and feel far more organised and in control.

A well organised kitchen is one that achieves balance. A balance between efficiency and elegance, design and function. And now more than ever, we need a balance between our different ‘lives’ – family, working and social. When your organised kitchen layout is made real with an amazing stone worktop, you’ll never want to leave the room again!