NMB Kitchen Planning Handbook · Guide 3 of 6
Kitchen layout ideas: design around the way you live
There is no single perfect kitchen layout. The best kitchen is not always L-shaped, U-shaped or built around a big island. It is the one that works effortlessly for the people using it every day.
This guide shows how we plan layouts around real life: daily routines, family life, the property itself and how your needs may change. You will also find the common mistakes to avoid and a checklist to use before you sign off your plans.
By Nevin Smith, kitchen designer and director at NMB Kitchens & Bathrooms
People before products
Why lifestyle should come before layout
One of the biggest myths in kitchen design is that there is one perfect layout. There is not. Before we talk about cabinets, worktops or colours, we take time to learn how you live. A great kitchen starts with people, not products.
Designer’s tip: never choose a layout just because you saw it on Pinterest or Instagram. The best kitchens are designed around the people who use them, not the latest trends.
Your property
Every home tells a story before you walk through the door
Our design process starts before we step inside. We notice the age and style of the property, parking and delivery access, where a skip could go and what work neighbours have had done. Once inside, our building background helps us spot opportunities and problems that could shape the design. For example:
✓ Is there a load-bearing wall that may need structural work?
✓ Will Building Control approval be needed?
✓ Could the existing plumbing or drainage affect the layout?
✓ Is the consumer unit likely to need upgrading?
✓ Would a new utility room or downstairs WC need a macerator?
✓ Are there ventilation or fire regulations to consider?
Sometimes the best solution is not in the kitchen at all. It might mean removing a wall to create an open-plan kitchen diner, moving the boiler or a doorway, or rethinking the utility room. Looking at the whole property helps us design a kitchen around your home, not just fit one into it.
The questions we ask
The best layout starts with questions, not cabinets
There are no right or wrong answers. We are simply trying to understand how your home works, so the kitchen feels natural to use. The goal is not the biggest kitchen. It is the kitchen that works best for you.
1. Daily living
Who usually cooks? Does everyone help, or is there one main chef? Who empties the dishwasher? Is breakfast rushed or relaxed?
How it shapes the design: preparation space where it is needed, wider walkways, a better sink and dishwasher position, and everyday essentials close to hand.
2. Family and entertaining
Do friends and family gather in the kitchen? Do the children do homework there? Would you like seating so people can chat while you cook?
How it shapes the design: larger islands or breakfast bars, comfortable seating, better circulation and a room that brings people together.
3. Your home and your future
Is this your forever home? Could your family grow, or elderly parents move in? Does anyone have mobility needs now, or might they later?
How it shapes the design: wider walkways, storage that is easier to reach, a flexible layout and appliance choices that will last.
4. Cooking style
Do you bake, cook from scratch or batch cook? Which appliances do you use every day, such as an air fryer, coffee machine or stand mixer? Do you have lots of spices or specialist cookware?
How it shapes the design: smarter storage for cookware and ingredients, dedicated preparation areas, and appliances and sockets where you need them.
Layouts
Different homes need different kitchen layouts
Every property is different, which is why we never start with a favourite layout. We start by understanding your home. These are the main options and where each one works best.
Galley kitchen
Ideal for narrow rooms and smaller spaces, with everything within easy reach. Popular in terraced homes, apartments and compact extensions, and it can feel surprisingly spacious with good lighting and clever storage.
U-shaped kitchen
Makes the most of storage and worktop space, with everything close at hand. Ideal for keen cooks and larger families, and works best where there is wall space on three sides.
L-shaped kitchen
One of the most popular and versatile layouts in the UK. It feels open, gives generous preparation space and leaves room for a dining table or island where space allows.
Island kitchen
Adds preparation space, storage and seating, and lets you talk to family and guests while you cook. It needs enough space to move around it comfortably.
Peninsula kitchen
Many of the benefits of an island in less floor space. It helps define an open-plan room without closing it off, and adds seating, storage and worktop.
Two-island kitchen
A luxury layout for larger rooms, with separate zones for cooking, preparation and entertaining, and plenty of uninterrupted worktop.
Flow
Good kitchen design is about flow
A room can look generous on a floor plan but feel very different once cabinets, appliances and furniture are in. Before you finalise your layout, walk through the everyday journeys you make in your kitchen. If each one feels natural and comfortable, you are on the right track.
☕ The morning coffee
Where are the mugs? How many steps to the kettle or coffee machine? Is the milk easy to reach? Is there room to make breakfast without feeling cramped? A coffee or breakfast station can make busy mornings much calmer.
🛒 Putting the shopping away
Are the fridge, freezer and pantry in convenient places? Will heavy items like bottled water and pet food be easy to put away? Planning storage around your shopping saves time every week.
🍳 Cooking a family meal
Is there enough preparation space beside the hob? Can two people cook together? Are pans, utensils and spices close to where you use them? Can you talk to family or guests while you cook?
🍽 Clearing up
Can the dishwasher open without blocking the main walkway? Are plates, glasses and cutlery stored nearby? Is the bin beside the sink? Small changes here save thousands of steps over the life of the kitchen.
🥂 Entertaining
Can guests chat to you while you cook? Is there enough seating? Can people move around without getting in each other’s way?
📏 Mark it out
Mark the proposed kitchen out with masking tape or cardboard, especially an island, and live with it for a few days. You may find it works better 200mm shorter or slightly moved. Check the drawings with your designer before the worktops are made.
NMB designer’s tip
Live in your new kitchen before it is built
Walk through your morning routine. Prepare an imaginary family meal, unload an imaginary dishwasher and picture friends gathering around the island. The more you experience your layout before ordering, the more confident you will be that it is right.
Where possible, be there when an island or a quartz or granite worktop is being positioned. Small practical questions are much easier to settle in person before everything is fixed in place.
The details
Small changes can make a big difference
Often it is the smallest adjustments that create the biggest improvements:
✓ Moving an island by a few hundred millimetres to improve circulation
✓ Allowing more preparation space beside the cooker
✓ Moving the dishwasher closer to the crockery drawers
✓ Widening a walkway so two people can cook together
✓ Better access between the sink, hob and preparation areas
On their own they seem minor. Together, they change how the kitchen feels to use every day.
Zones
Rules are helpful, but they are not absolute
For decades, kitchen designers have used the work triangle: the shortest route between the sink, hob and fridge. It is a sound idea and we still consider it. But no two households use their kitchen the same way.
Modern kitchens have changed
Kitchens are now home offices, homework hubs and places to entertain, with coffee stations, air fryers, steam ovens, wine coolers, boiling taps, appliance garages, pantries, charging points, recycling and pet feeding areas.
Think in zones
Instead of asking where the sink, hob and fridge go, ask how you use the kitchen every day. Keep tea, coffee, mugs and the kettle together. Store pans by the hob and spices by the main preparation area.
Put things where they are used
Put the dishwasher beside the crockery drawers. Keep children’s snacks where they can help themselves safely. Add a breakfast or baking station if there is room.
Follow routines, not rules
Sometimes the triangle makes perfect sense, and sometimes breaking it gives a better kitchen: if one of you cooks while the other bakes, if entertaining comes first, if children help cook, or if accessibility matters.
Future-proofing
Design for tomorrow, not just today
Many kitchens stay in place for 15 to 20 years or more. Will teenagers need to make their own breakfast? Could elderly parents move in? Will you keep working from home? Is a future extension or loft conversion likely? Small decisions now can save expensive changes later:
✓ Wider walkways for easier access
✓ Deep drawers instead of low cupboards, to reduce bending
✓ Extra sockets and wiring while the walls are open
✓ Space for a bigger fridge freezer if your family grows
✓ A utility room and storage that can adapt over time
Designer’s tip: picture yourself in the same room ten years from now. If it will still work just as well, you are making the right choices.
Real NMB example
Sometimes the smallest change makes the biggest difference
One project always sticks in my mind. The family were convinced they wanted the biggest island possible. On paper it looked fantastic: the dimensions worked, there was plenty of seating and it made an impressive centrepiece.
Before ordering the worktops, we marked the island out on the floor with cardboard so they could live with it for a few days. Almost at once they realised something felt wrong. Walking round was awkward, the dishwasher was hard to open and the dining area felt much tighter than the drawings suggested.
We made the island just 200mm smaller. The room suddenly flowed, the walkways felt comfortable and they kept the look they wanted. It taught us that floor plans do not tell the whole story, and that sometimes less really is more.
Your checklist
Before you sign off your layout
Take five minutes to go through these before you approve your plans. If the answer to any of them is no, do not ignore it. Changes are almost always easier and cheaper before the kitchen is ordered.
Workflow
☐ Does the layout suit the way your family cooks?
☐ Can two people prepare meals together comfortably?
☐ Does moving around the kitchen feel natural?
Practicality
☐ Is there enough worktop where you need it most?
☐ Are the appliances in logical places?
☐ Can cupboard and appliance doors open without hitting anything?
The future
☐ Have you thought about how your needs may change?
☐ Do you have enough electrical capacity for future appliances?
☐ Can your storage adapt as your family changes?
Final check
☐ Have you marked out your island or peninsula?
☐ Can you picture yourself happily using this kitchen every day?
Mistakes to avoid
Common kitchen layout mistakes and how to avoid them
We have seen many kitchens that looked fantastic once fitted but never quite worked in everyday life. Most of these problems can be avoided with careful planning.
Choosing style over practicality
A layout that works in someone else’s home may feel wrong in yours. Design around your home and your lifestyle.
Squeezing in an island
An island should improve the room, not dominate it. If walkways are cramped or doors cannot open, a peninsula or more worktop may be better.
Forgetting about movement
Think about opening the dishwasher, getting to the fridge, carrying hot food and children walking through while you cook.
Designing around cabinets
Cabinets do not use your kitchen, people do. Ask how you will use the space, not where another cupboard will fit.
Ignoring future changes
Growing families, working from home, entertaining, accessibility and ageing parents can all change how you use the room.
Leaving structural work too late
Removing walls, moving the boiler, adding steel beams or moving drainage all affect the layout. Discuss them early for accurate quotes.
Symmetry over function
Symmetrical kitchens look stunning, but moving a cabinet a few centimetres can make the kitchen far more practical.
Forgetting storage
Plan where food, pans, small appliances, recycling, pet supplies, cleaning products and snacks will go while you plan the layout.
Rushing the decision
Take your time, review the plans, ask questions, mark out the island and sleep on it.
The golden rules
The golden rules of kitchen layout
The layouts we are most proud of are not always the biggest or the most expensive. They are the ones where clients tell us six months later: “It just works!”
✓ Design around people, not cabinets
✓ Think in zones, not just the work triangle
✓ Allow generous walkways and plan for the future
✓ Test your layout before ordering
✓ Keep preparation space where it is needed and make storage intentional
✓ Do not rush your decisions
NMB Kitchen Planning Handbook
Continue planning your kitchen
Six practical guides from our team to help you make informed decisions before your renovation starts.
Guide 1
Planning a new kitchen
Plan around how you live, think ahead and check the details before you order.
Guide 2
Setting a realistic kitchen budget
Where your money matters most, the hidden costs to allow for and how to save without cutting quality.
Guide 3 · You are here
Kitchen layout ideas
Galley, L-shaped, U-shaped, island and peninsula kitchens, and how to choose the right one.
Guide 4
Kitchen storage ideas
Design storage around what you own and how you use it, from drawers to pantries and bins.
Guide 5
Choosing a kitchen fitter
The questions to ask and the checks to make before you hire a kitchen company in Manchester.
Guide 6
Preparing for installation
What to do in the weeks before fitting day, so the work runs smoothly and on time.
Questions
Kitchen layout questions answered
Quick answers to the questions we are asked most about kitchen layouts.
What is the best kitchen layout?
There is no single best layout. The right one depends on the size and shape of the room and how your household cooks, eats and entertains. L-shaped and island kitchens are popular, but a galley or U-shaped kitchen can work better in the right room.
How much space do I need for a kitchen island?
It depends on the room, but there must be enough space to walk round comfortably with drawers, the dishwasher and oven doors open. Marking the island out on the floor before ordering is the easiest way to check.
Is the kitchen work triangle still important?
It is still a useful starting point, but most modern kitchens work better when planned in zones, such as cooking, preparation, cleaning and a coffee or breakfast station.
Island or peninsula?
A peninsula gives many of the benefits of an island, such as seating and extra worktop, in less floor space. It is often the better choice when a full island would make walkways too tight.
Can you change the layout if it means moving walls or plumbing?
Yes. We regularly remove walls, move plumbing and drainage, and handle the structural work and Building Control, so the layout is not limited by the existing room.
What customers say
Rated 4.9 on Google
A family-run team, FMB members since 2014, with more than 25 years in kitchens, bathrooms and building work.
“The quality of fitting is second to none. It’s a big decision investing in a kitchen and you have to get the right people.”
Zowie Hayward
“I chose NMB over other companies as I could see that Nev had great attention to detail and was very thorough. The whole project went really smoothly.”
Lily Wright
“Nev was very helpful with practical advice on kitchen design and layout and was very honest providing tips for getting the best value.”
S B
Free design visit
Plan your kitchen layout with us
Tell us about your kitchen and any building work you have in mind. We will arrange a free, no-obligation design visit and help you find the layout that suits your home.
✓ Free home visit with no obligation
✓ Bespoke kitchen and bathroom designs for your space
✓ Full project coordination from design to completion
✓ Structural alterations and building work covered
✓ A trusted local team with consistently positive feedback