Kitchen Designs: What are the Different Types and Which is Best for You?

Your kitchen is the heart of your home. Some of the best times we spend in the company of friends and family are centred around meal times, and the kitchen is where it is all made. From rustling up a cup of coffee to planning nutritious meals and from cooking up festive delicacies to stealing midnight snacks - the kitchen is at the centre of our home life. So picking the right design and layout and doing up the kitchen in materials and colours that make it both beautiful and functional is key to comfortable living. Let us take a look at six types of basic kitchen designs for you to choose from.

Types of Kitchen Layouts

• Single Gallery Kitchen - The single gallery or one-wall kitchen is the best option for small apartments, flats, and studio homes. It is a straight kitchen with a single wall that houses the hop or stove, preparation counter, cupboards, ovens, and sink. Creative use of this space depends on leaving enough distance between the storage, preparation, cooking, and cleaning areas to make movement possible and keep functionality intact. Overhead cupboards and under-the-counter cabinets can be used to store pots, pans, and dinnerware. Modular kitchens that incorporate oven or microwave space on the counter or in a separate side space are the perfect solution to having it all.
• L-shaped Kitchen – L-shaped kitchens are very popular in India, particularly in smaller flats or homes. The L-shaped kitchen has one distinct advantage over the gallery-style kitchen - a lot more counter space. This offers ease of preparation, cooking, and plating with a separate counter for cleaning and washing. The reason most Indians prefer an L-shaped kitchen is that it conforms with Vastu guidelines that prohibit the hob or stove from being on the same counter as the sink. An L-shaped kitchen allows multiple people to work in tandem and is great for small families. The oven can be fitted on the same counter as the hob, while the fridge can be placed at the end of the other arm.
• U-shaped kitchen – The U-shaped kitchen is by far the most comfortable for larger homes, with multiple people helping out in the kitchen functions. It is also a layout that places a greater demand on space. The U-shaped kitchen offers the best depiction of the golden triangle – food storage, preparation, and clean-up – as it provides one counter for each activity. It also offers the greatest amount of storage space in the kitchen. The three walls and counters can be used for overhead cupboards and cabinets. This type of kitchen also provides ample space for gadgets and appliances like coffee makers or food processors.
• Parallel kitchen – A parallel kitchen or two-walled kitchen is good for homes with more room but functional unavailability of a third wall. It is also ideal for kitchens which have a greater length-to-breadth proportion. Maintaining the functionality and aesthetics of this kitchen may require a bit of creative planning. One gallery could include the storage unit (refrigerator) and food preparation area (hob and oven), while the other wall could be reserved for the sink and additional storage. While this kitchen style offers a lot of scope for cabinets and cupboards, the lighting may become a challenge and requires creative solutions.
• Island kitchen - Island kitchens are the most coveted kitchen layouts because they can be installed only in larger homes with a lot of space availability. These are among the best kitchen designs when it comes to the availability of space, functional area, and casual dining space. The central island can be used for a variety of purposes – as the basic prep area, for the sink, or casual dining (with some stools and pendant lighting). The central island also serves as a storage space for all sorts of kitchenware or even as a pantry cabinet.
• Open kitchen – Open kitchens are stylish and perfect for small studio apartments. They can also be a good addition to a larger flat or apartment, or even a farmhouse. Open kitchens are very functional and good for a free flow of energy. Modern homeowners like open kitchens because they make for a great home plan and host social events and parties. If open kitchens with no walls separating them from the rest of the home are not quite to your liking, you may want to consider a semi-open kitchen with hip-length walls or dividers that can double up as food counters.

Conclusion

Picking the right kitchen layout requires some planning and research, but you will also need to factor in the resources you have, such as space, natural light, water and gas outlets etc. Once you have settled on the perfect kitchen design, you can experiment with different colours and materials till you have the dream kitchen.