Good kitchen layout ideas start from the room you already have, and I'd let the walls pick the shape. A long, narrow room wants a galley, a corner wants an L, and three walls can take a U. An island only works when there is open floor on every side of it.
A kitchen layout is the arrangement of counters, cabinets and the three main work centres: the sink, the cooking surface and the fridge. Once the shape is settled, a few spacing numbers decide whether the kitchen is easy to cook in or a daily squeeze. I'd keep the walk between sink, cooktop and fridge to 26 feet or less in total, and leave an aisle of at least 42 inches for one cook. Then plan the cabinet run around the real widths of the appliances, not the round numbers in their names.
The spacing figures come from the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), a trade body that publishes planning guidelines for kitchen designers. At Merit Home Furniture on Vancouver Island, the appliances named here come from the kitchen appliance range at our Campbell River and Port Alberni stores. The counter stools and kitchen tables are listed for Duncan, where I work.
Which kitchen layout is right for your room?
The right kitchen layout for a room comes down to how many walls can take cabinets, and how much floor is left once they do. These seven are the common ones, with what each asks of the room and where each tends to go wrong.
| Layout | The room it suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| One-wall | A suite, studio or cabin with a single usable wall | The work centres sit in a line, so the walk grows on a long wall |
| Galley | A narrow room with cabinets on two facing walls | An aisle under 42 inches, or a galley that doubles as a hallway |
| L-shaped | A corner, often with a table in the open part of the room | The blind corner cabinet, and a dishwasher jammed into the corner |
| U-shaped and G-shaped | Three walls with room to stand in the middle; a G adds a short peninsula | Arms set too close, and corners that swallow storage |
| Island | An L or one-wall kitchen with floor for an aisle all the way round | An island so big the aisles shrink |
| Peninsula | An L or U with a counter running off one end, where an island won't fit | A dead end at the tip, and stools that block the way out |
| Open concept | A kitchen open to the living or dining room | Household traffic cutting through the cooking area |
When the walls stay put, they make the first choice for you. A layout change that moves the sink or the range also moves plumbing, a gas line or a 240-volt circuit, and that work adds to the remodel budget.
Galley, L-shaped and U-shaped kitchen layout ideas
A galley kitchen layout puts cabinets on two facing walls with one aisle between them, so everything sits a step or a turn away. The NKBA asks for a work aisle of 42 inches for one cook and 48 inches for two or more, measured between counter fronts, tall cabinets and appliances. Its guidelines also keep major traffic out of the work triangle, which a galley leading to the back door can't do. Put the sink on one wall and the range across from it. With a single sink, the NKBA places it next to or across from both the cooking surface and the fridge.
An L-shaped kitchen wraps two walls around a corner and leaves the rest of the room open, often for a table. The corner is the weak spot. The NKBA recommends that at least one corner cabinet holds a working storage fitting, such as a carousel or a pull-out. It also wants 21 inches of standing room from the dishwasher's edge to any cabinet at a right angle, which keeps the dishwasher out of the corner.
A U-shaped kitchen runs cabinets along three walls, and a G-shaped kitchen adds a short peninsula as a fourth leg. Both give a lot of counter, and both trap the cook if the arms are close. The 42-inch aisle applies between the arms. For a wheelchair user, the NKBA's access standard plans 60 inches between opposing arms.
Small U-shaped kitchen layout ideas
A small U-shaped kitchen loses the most space in its two corners. Keep the sink and dishwasher on the middle wall, and give the better corner fitting to whichever corner holds the pots. A peninsula in place of a full third wall keeps the aisle from feeling like a box.
Kitchen layout ideas with an island or a peninsula
A kitchen island works when the floor around it still meets the aisle numbers. Any side someone works at needs the 42-inch aisle, and a side nobody works at needs the NKBA's 36-inch walkway. Its guidelines also say no leg of the work triangle should cut through an island or peninsula by more than 12 inches.
A cooktop in an island changes two things. When the counter is at cooktop height, the NKBA wants it to run at least 9 inches behind the cooking surface. The venting has to come from somewhere too. Our Campbell River store carries the KitchenAid 30 in. induction downdraft cooktop, which draws steam down through a vent in its centre. Its listing says no overhead hood is needed, and gives $4,299.99 before applicable taxes.
An undercounter beverage centre suits the end of an island, with 15 inches of landing space above or beside it by the NKBA's fridge rule. Merit's guide explains which beverage centres can sit under an island, since not every model can be built in. A peninsula, attached at one end, gives an L or U kitchen the same extra counter where there isn't floor for an island.
Seating at a kitchen island or peninsula
Seating at an island takes knee room under the overhang and clear floor behind the stools. The NKBA gives each diner 24 inches of width, with less knee depth as the counter rises:
| Counter or table height | Knee space per seat |
|---|---|
| 30 in, table height | 24 in wide by 18 in deep |
| 36 in, counter height | 24 in wide by 15 in deep |
| 42 in, bar height | 24 in wide by 12 in deep |
Behind the stools, it allows 32 inches to a wall where nobody passes, 36 inches to edge by and 44 inches to walk by. The Ashley Tyler Creek counter stool lists at $299.00 and is 20 inches wide, so a 72-inch overhang takes three at the NKBA spacing.
The kitchen work triangle and NKBA kitchen planning guidelines
The kitchen work triangle is the three lines joining the sink, the cooking surface and the fridge, each measured from the centre front. The NKBA keeps the three legs to 26 feet or less added together, with each leg between 4 and 9 feet. A fourth work centre, such as a wall oven, follows the same 4 to 9 foot rule. A tall, full-depth obstacle, like a pantry or the fridge itself, shouldn't stand between two of the main work centres.
| Space | NKBA recommendation |
|---|---|
| Work triangle, three legs added | 26 feet or less |
| Each leg of the triangle | 4 to 9 feet |
| Kitchen doorway | 32 in clear opening, which takes a 2 ft 10 in door |
| Walkway | 36 in |
| Work aisle | 42 inches for one cook and 48 inches for two or more |
| Total countertop | 158 in of frontage, 24 in deep |
Landing space is the counter right beside an appliance or sink, where things get set down. To count, it has to be at least 16 inches deep and between 28 and 45 inches off the floor.
| Next to | Landing space or placement |
|---|---|
| Cooking surface | 12 inches on one side and 15 inches on the other |
| Sink | 24 in one side, 18 in the other |
| Fridge | 15 in on the handle side, or across the aisle within 48 in |
| Wall oven | 15 in beside or above it |
| Microwave | 15 in above, below or on the handle side |
| Dishwasher | Nearest edge within 36 inches of the sink |
| Two landing areas that meet | The longer one plus 12 in |
The NKBA based its code references on American model codes and tells readers to check local law. In BC, the building code and your municipality decide what is required, so treat these figures as planning advice.
Kitchen cabinets layout ideas: plan the run around real appliance widths
A kitchen cabinet layout is built around the openings the appliances need, and the listed width often differs a little from the size in the name. Here are measured widths from Merit's live listings, read November 1, 2026, with prices before applicable taxes:
| Appliance | Listed width | Price and store |
|---|---|---|
| Frigidaire 30 in. electric range | 29.875 in | $1,449.00, Port Alberni |
| Amana 24 in. built-in dishwasher | 23.88 in, 33.5 to 34.5 in high | $499.99 to $529.99, Campbell River and Port Alberni |
| Frigidaire 30 in. top-freezer fridge | 29.5 in | $779.00, Campbell River and Port Alberni |
| Frigidaire Gallery 36 in. side-by-side fridge | 36.125 in | $1,899.00, Port Alberni |
| KitchenAid 30 in. downdraft cooktop | 30.86 in, cutout 28.75 in | $4,299.99, Campbell River |
The side-by-side shows that a nominal size isn't a promise: at 36.125 in, it is wider than its name. Fridge sizing needs a guide of its own, so this one stops at the width. The range listing asks for a 240-volt, 40-amp minimum circuit, which matters if the plan moves the range. To compare more widths before the cabinet order, see every range Merit lists, each built-in dishwasher on the site and the full run of fridge listings.
How to lay out kitchen appliances in a functional order
- Place the sink. It is tied to the drain, and often to a window, so the rest of the plan works out from it.
- Put the dishwasher beside the sink. Use the side away from the corner, so its open door clears the cabinets.
- Place the cooking surface. Give it landing space on both sides, keep it away from a window that opens, and leave room above for the hood the maker specifies.
- Put the fridge at the end of a run. Keep counter on the handle side, and check the door swings open past the wall beside it.
- Fit the microwave and any wall oven last. Each wants a landing spot of its own.
Small kitchen layout ideas for cabins, suites and condos
A small kitchen layout is usually one wall or a galley, and narrower appliances do most of the work. The NKBA calls a kitchen under 150 square feet small and plans 1,400 inches of shelf and drawer frontage for it. Frontage is cabinet width times the number of shelves or drawers, adjusted for depth, which is why tall pantries and deep drawers earn their place.
A 24-inch range, an 18-inch dishwasher and a 24-inch fridge from Merit's listings take 64.75 inches of wall together:
- The Danby 24 in. electric range is 23.4 in wide, at $849.99, carried at Port Alberni.
- The Danby 18 in. built-in dishwasher is 17.6 in wide and holds 10 place settings, at $689.99 to $699.99, carried at Campbell River and Port Alberni.
- The Frigidaire 24 in. apartment fridge is 23.75 in wide, at $799.00 to $829.00, carried at Campbell River and Port Alberni.
The full-width range, dishwasher and fridge in the table above come to 83.255 inches. The narrow set gives back about 18.5 inches, roughly the landing space the NKBA wants on one side of a sink.
Tiny kitchen layout ideas with room to eat
A tiny kitchen can still seat two if the table doubles as counter. The Ashley Skempton counter-height set is a 36 by 30 inch table, 36 inches high, with two stools and open shelves, at $759.00. The Lyncott round counter table is $473.00. Both are listed for our Duncan store.
An L-shaped kitchen with a spare corner can hold a breakfast nook. The Sunny Designs Homestead Hills corner bench is the long side of the L, 56 by 20 inches, with storage under a lift-up seat, at $799.00. Its listing says a short bench and corner seat complete the corner. Its trestle table is 60 by 38 inches and 30 inches high, at $849.00, and both are listed for Duncan and Campbell River. A bench against the wall needs no pull-out room behind it. More choices sit among Merit's other dining sets and the rest of our bar stools.
Open concept kitchen layouts: traffic, light and venting
An open concept kitchen layout joins the kitchen to the living or dining room, so the cooking area sits on the main path through the house. Route that path beside the work triangle. Where two walkways meet at a right angle, the NKBA's access standard asks for one of them to be at least 42 inches wide. Across the open plan, the living room's furniture layout keeps its own walkway and seating distances.
A ceiling light that brightens the whole room still leaves shadows on the counters, so the NKBA asks for task lighting over every work surface. For venting, it recommends a correctly sized, ducted system for every cooktop, with 150 cubic feet per minute as its minimum. Its safety guideline adds no cooktop under a window that opens, no flammable window coverings above it, and a fire extinguisher near the kitchen exit. Merit's range hood listings give each hood's airflow.
Three things to do before you remodel your kitchen
Before a kitchen remodel, three jobs save the most grief. They are measuring the room, choosing the appliances before the cabinets, and sorting out permits.
- Measure and draw the room. Mark every wall length, window, door, outlet, drain and gas line, and which way each door swings. The NKBA wants no entry door hitting an appliance door, and no two appliance doors hitting each other. Our BC door and hallway measurements help with the route a new fridge takes in.
- Choose the appliances before the cabinets. Get the listed width, height, cutout and electrical needs for each model, then size the openings. An appliance no store carries can be a special order through Merit.
- Check permits for gas and electrical work. Technical Safety BC says a gas homeowner permit is required for installing or replacing a gas range or cooktop. An electrical homeowner permit is required for moving outlets and for connecting a dishwasher, an over-range microwave or a hood.
A licensed contractor applies for the permit for you, and Technical Safety BC suggests checking one is in place before work starts. Owners of a strata unit or a non-strata duplex can't get a homeowner permit, so they hire a licensed contractor. Depending on where you live, either Technical Safety BC or your municipality issues the permit. Under a gas homeowner permit, at least one inspection has to be requested within 180 days of the date the permit was issued.
If I were planning a kitchen, I'd settle the appliance models before signing the cabinet order. A cabinet maker can build an opening to a spec sheet, but nobody can make a range narrower once the counter is cut. Once the kitchen is built, a cleaning routine for each counter and appliance keeps it that way.
Where kitchen layout plans go wrong
- The fridge goes against a side wall with its handle on the wall side, leaving nowhere to set things down.
- A tall pantry or wall oven lands between the sink and the range, splitting the main work area.
- The range moves across the room before anyone checks for a 240-volt circuit or a gas line there.
Where these kitchen layout figures come from
- National Kitchen and Bath Association, Kitchen Planning Guidelines with Access Standards, checked November 2026.
- Technical Safety BC, Homeowner Gas Permits, checked November 2026.
- Technical Safety BC, Homeowner Electrical Permits, checked November 2026.
- Technical Safety BC, Homeowner Permits, checked November 2026.
- Merit Home Furniture's live appliance, stool and table listings, with widths, prices and stores read November 1, 2026, checked November 2026.
Asking about appliances for a new kitchen layout
Merit Duncan, where I work, doesn't carry appliances any more, so I'd send you to our two stores that do. Bring the measured drawing and the opening sizes, and call ahead to ask which models are set up to see.
- Campbell River: 1300 A Homewood Rd
- Port Alberni: 2935 Third Ave
Phone Campbell River about appliances, (250) 286-0868
Phone Port Alberni about appliances, (250) 724-6644
For a model neither store carries, the special-order line is (250) 746-5527. Ask the store about appliance delivery when you call. The stools and tables are listed for our Duncan store, and our four Island stores are set out town by town. Everything else I've written about appliances is gathered on a single page of Merit appliance write-ups.