This guide on standard kitchen dimensions and layout will help you to understand the important dimensions needed to come up with a good design.
When building a new home or remodeling a home, the cooking area is one of the most complicated to renovate. You need to have a basic understanding of some of the key building standard measurements and a need to have some organization skills to make your home project improvement run smoothly.
As we all know it is considered as the heart of every home because it offers food and cookware storage, work surfaces to prepare food, a range to cook and bake our favorite recipes and a place to clean up after accomplishing everyday tasks. These major activities that are happening in the cooking space are the important factors that you need to carefully think through so you can thoughtfully arrange it in such a way that you will be able to accomplish all of these cooking activities with ease.
A well-planned layout offers enough space for food preparation, for cleaning and for cooking and making your everyday work easier.
Below are the important numbers that you need to know that will help you to come up with the ideal layout in order not only to have a beautiful kitchen but a functional one.
Get The Dimensions
When it comes to kitchen remodeling the first thing that you need to do when designing it is to know the measurements of the space where you are working. If you are building a new kitchen or remodeling an existing one, the cooking space typically occupies about ten to 15 percent of the size of your home. For example, if you have a 1500 square feet home, your cooking space will most likely be 150 square feet (10% of 1500 sq.ft) or 225 square feet (15% of 1500 sq.ft). However, in order to make sure, utilize your tape measure and get the length and the width of your entire space
Consider The Three Main Kitchen Work Areas
When it comes to doing a remodel, the first thing that you need to consider are the three main work areas namely, refrigerator, sink and stove, which is also known as kitchen triangle. Ideally, your pantry cabinet where you store your dry goods and refrigerator should be near to the kitchen’s entrance and the sink should be between the stove and refrigerator. This type arrangement creates a work triangle. The work triangle has been the standard for kitchen design. Following this golden triangle concept helps to create a functional space by minimizing the distance between these three main work areas and therefore accomplishing your task faster and easier. When the cooking area has an island, the kitchen and bath association recommends a minimum travel distance of 48 inches from an island to the three primary work centers which are the range, sink, and refrigerator.
1. Refrigerator And Pantry
Kitchen designers suggest positioning the refrigerator and pantry storage near to the kitchen entrance. By doing this, it will help you to put away your newly purchased groceries in their respective places as well as will help you to gather all of the food supplies, both from the pantry storage and refrigerator that you need when it is time for you to cook a family meal. These are the reasons why most islands are typically positioned near the refrigerator and pantry area because it provides additional counter space that can be utilized as a landing area for all food supplies from the refrigerator and pantry storage during meal preparation.
However, do not think that only larger kitchens can benefit from this design concept as they have an adequate space for an island because smaller kitchens can definitely follow this design concept.
Below is our small kitchen where the pantry cabinet and refrigerator are positioned at the entrance and the countertop is being utilized both as a landing area and food preparation area.
2. Food Preparation
Food prep and the cleaning area are best positioned around the sink which includes the dishwasher and trash receptacles. Allocate at least 18 to 36 inches of countertop space on one side of the sink but it’s better if this is on both sides.
Typically wall cabinets and base cabinets beside or near to the sink are utilized as a storage unit for everyday dishes, glasses, bowls and alike to make your everyday meal prep a breeze.
Also keep in mind that counter space allocated for this function as a preparation area should be kept clean and free from clutter since you will use this space every time you are removing plates, bowls, and other items. Professional organizers advise to treat your counter space as a work space which means a space that is clutter free. For small spaces, leave at least 36 inches of space, uncluttered counter space which will give you enough space to work with your meal preparation.
3. Cooking
Just like the food preparation area, cooking areas should be positioned around the stove, range and or wall ovens. Allocate at least 21 to 36 inches of counter space on one side and again better if you can do this on both sides. Therefore, utilize cabinets beside or near the cooking area as storage for pots, pans, baking sheets and frying pans. Store your seasonings, pot holders and breadboards in the nearby cupboards and drawers. Click here to learn more about cabinet organization ideas.
Standard Kitchen Measurements (Layout And Dimensions)
Now that you have already determined your cooking space and how you need to position the three main work areas to have a functional cooking area, you are now ready to learn the different standard dimensions and layouts that are vital when designing one. Different layouts are designed to be applicable to various floor plan scenarios and can be adjusted based on individual needs.
Below are the layouts and their recommended standard dimensions that will give you enough room to work with.
L-Shape Kitchen Layout And Dimensions
The L-shaped layout uses two adjacent walls with the cabinetry around it that creates an L-shape. This type of layout commonly incorporates the addition of an island in the middle that offers additional work space and to efficiently organize various cooking supplies. It also comes in various depths and lengths that will solely be dependent on the size of the cooking area.
Average Size For L-Shape Dimensions
Source Of Information: dimensions,com
The cooking space should be at least 111 square feet to accommodate an L-shape layout. Typical lengths of this type of layouts are between 8 to 13 feet for the long leg and between 3 to 9 feet for the short leg. However, if you want to add an island in the center, just make sure that you have a clearance zone or an open space between cabinets and island of at least 39 inches. The recommendation by the National Kitchen and Bath Association is that the clearance zone between cabinetry and an island should be between 42 to 48 inches. To learn more about the minimum space requirement around the island, island height and minimum island size, see my guide How Much Space Around Island.
Below are L-shape layout with different square and rectangle kitchen island dimensions:
Source Of Information: dimensions,com
- L-shape Layout With Square Island – Average size of kitchen should be at least 121 square feet with a length of 11 feet to fit a square shape island.
Source Of Information: dimensions,com
- L-shape Layout With Rectangle Island – Average size of kitchen should be at least 115 square feet with a length of at least 13 feet for the long leg and at least 9 feet for the short leg, a space suited for a rectangle shape island.
U-Shape Layout And Dimensions
The U-shaped layout uses three adjacent walls where cabinets are arranged around these three walls creating a U-shape layout and provides unobstructed movement, a good amount of countertop space and efficient flow.
Average Size For U-Shape Dimensions
Source Of Information: dimensions,com
The average size for this type of layout should be at least 107 square feet with widths ranging from 9 to 12 feet and with the minimum central clearance or opening of 5 feet but this can be expanded up to 8 feet that will allow multiple users to move around the space.
Source Of Information: dimensions,com
If you want to have an island in the center, the opening or the central clearance should be at least 10 feet and at least 39 to 48 inches of open space around the island.
Galley Kitchen Layout And Dimensions
A galley layout also known as a corridor layout is the ideal layout for narrow and small spaces. The cabinets are installed into two parallel runs creating a corridor within your home and it provides access to both sides.
Average Size For Galley Dimensions
Source Of Information: dimensions,com
The average size for a galley layout should be at least 108 square feet with a common linear length between 7 to 12.5 feet and with a clearance zone of open space between cabinets between 4 feet to 6 feet.
Single Row Or Pullman Layout And Dimensions
The single row or pullman layout is an ideal layout for a small space because the three main work areas, stove, sink and fridge, are positioned on one wall. This means that all necessary cooking tools and supplies are within a few steps away but can also mean insufficient counter space. Fortunately, by utilizing a butcher block-topped cart, this gives additional work and storage space.
Average Size For Single Row or Pullman Dimensions
Source Of Information: dimensions,com
Single row or pullman layout should be at least 75 square feet with a linear length between 7 to 12.5 feet and a clearance with between 4 to 6 feet.
G-Shape Layout And Dimensions
G-shape which is commonly known as the Peninsula layouts use three walls to install cabinetry and fixtures with a bar counter fixed on one end creating a G-shaped layout.
Average Size For G-Shape or Peninsula Dimensions
Source Of Information: dimensions,com
The average size for a G-shape layout should be at least 136 square feet and with overall widths between 13 to 16 feet and depths between 12 to 15 feet.
- A minimum central width or the interior clearance zone should be 5 feet but if you want multiple people to move around comfortably the interior clearance zone should be at least 6 to 8 feet.
- A minimum passage isle should be at least 3 feet.
Broken Peninsula Kitchen Layout And Dimensions
Broken Peninsula layout where the cabinetry and fixtures are positioned into two parallel walls with one wall ending in a bar counter. Based on the G-shape layout, the back wall of the broken peninsula is allocated for passage or for greater movement. Below is our kitchen which has an open floor plan and which utilizes this type of layout. The greater part of the back wall was allocated for the side entrance, powder bathroom and closet. The interior clearance zone of 7′ 6.5″ and a passage aisle of 2′ 8″ (between the edge of the peninsula and the door wall). The minimum of 3 feet passage aisle we were not able to implement because we gave greater importance to the cooking area since there are two other entry ways to go into the kitchen that have more than a 3 feet passage aisle.
Average Size For A Broken Peninsula Dimensions
Source Of Information: dimensions,com
The average recommended size for this type of layout is at least 109 square feet and with overall widths between 10 to 13 feet and with depths between 12 to 15 feet.
- A minimum central width or the interior clearance zone should be 5 feet but if you want multiple people to move around comfortably the interior clearance zone should be at least 6 to 8 feet.
- A minimum aisle width between the edge of the peninsula and the nearby cabinets should be at least 3 feet.
Guide For Base and Upper Cabinet Dimensions And Sizes
If you have good carpentry skills and are planning to renovate it on your own, it is necessary to know the standard dimensions of the different base and upper cabinets so you would know if your cooking space might need custom cabinets to fill up some awkward spaces.
Standard Upper or Wall Cabinet Size Chart
Standard Measurement To Follow When Installing A Wall Or Upper Cabinets:
- Distance between upper cabinets from countertop – 15 inches to 20 inches but 18 inches is the standard distance.
- Distance between upper cabinets from the stoves and ovens – 30 inches for electric stove and 36 inches for gas stove.
- Distance between upper or overhead cabinets from the sinks – Between 24 inches to 36 inches to safely move your head while cleaning and washing dishes.
Standard Size Base For Lower Cabinets
The standard base cabinet depth is 24 inches and the height is 34.5 inches with a 4.5-inch toe kick and these are designed to hold a lot of weight and a countertop.
Standard Tall Cabinets
Tall cabinets are use to build a pantry and oven cabinets. Pantry cabinets are 12 to 30 inches wide while oven cabinets are 30 to 33 inches wide and have pull-out drawers to fit most oven sizes.
To learn more about the standard cabinet sizes, click here.
I hope that this guide will help you to have a good idea about how to come up with a great design for your available space. Remember that the above mentioned dimensions are just a rule of thumb and definitely can be adjusted based on your needs and personal preferences.
