Hilary Farr’s 3 Kitchen Layouts That Work in Any House

Picking the Right Kitchen Layout for Your Home

The kitchen is often a focal point of the home. As friends and family gather at your house, people gravitate toward the kitchen — it’s natural. I have seen it in my own home and in renovation projects, so trust me when I say that creating a kitchen that not only meets your needs but also functions as a gathering space is essential.

I have noticed more and more recently that there is no one right way to lay out a kitchen. Each home is different, and everyone has different tastes and styles. It’s important to pick a kitchen style that meets your needs, fits the space, stays in your budget, and falls in line with your personal taste.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or you're revamping the kitchen that you have in your home, there are a few basic kinds of kitchen layouts that you can explore. Here are my three favorite styles that can be modified and fit into any home.

Single Galley Kitchen

Featuring a narrow layout with counter space on both sides, the galley kitchen is a popular design. If you’re renovating a smaller home, Rules of Renovation suggests a galley kitchen for the perfect fit. Galley kitchens maximize your space and make sure you have ample counter space. Lots of people go for pizazz when they renovate a kitchen and thus forget about how practical and amazing a galley kitchen can be.

Most of the time, a single galley kitchen keeps all of the kitchen goods lined up against one wall. This leaves lots of space for you to work with. There’s still a lot of room to play with to make a galley kitchen unique to you. Play with color and material to create a look that is all your own.

L-Shaped Kitchen

A lot like a galley kitchen, an L-shaped layout places all of your appliances and kitchen gadgets against the wall, but this time in an “L” shape. Utilizing two walls, you leave room for an island in the middle. The L-shape keeps your space more open than you might imagine. I always love using the wall space in L-shaped kitchens to add a little bit of decorative shelving or open shelving that gives the room more personality.

U-Shaped Kitchen

To get a U-shaped kitchen, you have to start with an L-shaped kitchen. From the L, you extend one of the counter spaces outward, creating a “U” shape, which acts as a natural divider in the room. The extended countertop gives you added storage space, counter space, and a place to add barstools. The U-shape is great for dividing up a big space and creating a division between rooms if one doesn’t already exist.



If you’ve seen Rules of Renovation, you know it’s a classic Hilary Farr move to start with one of these simple styles and expand from there. There is no need to reinvent the wheel--take a look at your space and see what style fits best, then customize from there. Check out our blog to learn more renovation tips and tricks from Rules of Renovation.

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