Kitchen Remodeling Design Alternatives

Choose your kitchen remodeling style

This article explores the many kitchen remodeling design alternatives you could incorporate into the kitchen remodeling plans for your home. Planning ahead is of utmost importance as this will determine not only what your finished kitchen will look like, but how you are able to work in the finished product.

Five traditional layouts ( or kitchen layout names ) are discussed in this article: Cabinets Along One Wall, Galley Kitchen, L Shaped Kitchen, U Shaped Kitchen and Islands. The layout you use will depend on the shape and size of your room. Floor plans for food preparation, eating/dining, and appliance areas are also covered.

How to Find the Best Kitchen Floor Plan

One of the most vital aspects of a kitchen remodel is deciding on the floor plan. When choosing ways to lay out your kitchen, you’ll want to definitely take time to consider the way your family uses the area and select a plan that is most sensible for your needs.

The floor plan in a kitchen is made up primarily of the cabinets and an island and possibly another eat-in area. There is essentially 5 different “shapes” for which you can arrange your cabinets.

Cabinets Along One Wall

In a basic kitchen layout you’ll find cabinets along one wall only. This might be useful when you have a long narrow kitchen but can be a challenge to organize for optimized efficiency. If you need to have this kind of plan, ensure that the sink is near the center while the oven and fridge is nearby so that the cook will be able to prepare the food. At the same time be sure to have plenty of counter area between appliances.

A typical problem is to put only 8″ to a foot between appliances and there’s very little that can be done with that amount of space. This sort of layout isn’t favorable for family get-togethers in the kitchen if you don’t have a bigger area to put a table and chairs. Even then, your back will be to everyone while preparing the food.

Our Recommendation:

Galley Kitchen

This kind of kitchen is usually found in apartments and smaller homes and is made up of a rather narrow kitchen with cabinets along 2 opposing walls. Even though this plan can use space effectively it’s not easy to prepare food when there activities taking place around you.

The arrangement can make it easier to prepare food around the “one wall” setup, however it doesn’t leave much room for family or friends to take part in the fun. The standard galley kitchen is narrow with walls on either side. In this type of kitchen it is advisable to position the sink and stove on one side of the galley with the fridge on the other.

L Shaped Kitchen

An L shaped cabinet layout is an excellent choice for using space efficiently and ends up being far easier to work in. Aim to locate the appliances near the center of the L, but leave lots of counter space in between each appliance so that the cook has space to operate.

If one end of the L is next to another room, you can also add barstools and make it a counter – this kind of kitchen is perfect for having family and friends get together while you are preparing food. And if there is also a beautiful kitchen backsplash, everything is perfect.

U Shaped Kitchen

A U shaped kitchen calls for plenty of space – 8 feet by 8 feet at the very least. This particular layout efficiently utilizes storage but may be a challenge for more than one cook. Placing a table at the opening of the U may add seating for family gatherings.

Another choice is to open up one side of the U and place bar stools on the opposite side of the counter. In a U shaped kitchen, the most important appliances (sink, fridge, stove) should all be placed on one leg of the U.

Kitchen Island

Islands are fantastic enhancements to any style kitchen provided you have the room. An island may be considered for any of the above kitchen floor plans and will improve the overall ease of cooking in kitchens which are fairly large since you can easily locate a sink or stove on the island and also have it close to the other appliances for conveniently cooking and preparing food.

As a way to add an island into your kitchen you should have 42″ of aisle space on all sides. Should your kitchen be too small to accommodate this, get a mobile island that you may move in and out as required. Islands are excellent places to put an extra appliance or to add an eating counter.

BONUS: Decorating A Country Style Kitchen

Decorating a country style kitchen is a great way to get a designer look that has a warm and comfortable feeling. The country kitchen fame is very popular today as it makes the kitchen seem open and friendly while combining earthy colors and comfortable furniture.

Here’s some things you want to think about when decorating your kitchen with a country style theme.

1. Color

Country colors should be warm fresh and clean. Colors like browns, brick reds, greens and yellow and gold’s all go great with the country style.

2. Furniture

You want your furniture to have a country farmhouse feel and buying vintage or antique furniture is always a good way to go. Large wooden tables work great and you can get ladder backed chairs or go with upholstered ones for maximum comfort but use kingdom or floral tie patterns to accentuate the country style.

3. Accents

Keep your accents light and airy, baskets, flowers, fruits and vegetables as well as plans will help add to the country kitchen look.

4. Floors

It’s great if you can get a natural wood floor in the kitchen, but if that isn’t in your budget you can go with laminate and use country style braided rugs or drugs to get the look you want.

When coming up with a design for your country style kitchen, you want to focus on comfort as well as functionality. Look through books and magazines that focus on the country theme. Don’t be surprised If you see many different variations and choose the one that suits you in your kitchen layout the best.