16 Compact U-Shaped Kitchens
This collection of kitchens illustrates how doing a U can make the most of tight quarters
When space is at a premium, there are several advantages to having a U-shaped kitchen layout (also called a C-shaped layout), which uses three walls or cabinet sections. It can give you an efficient work triangle, for one. It can also offer a lot of storage and counter space relative to the kitchen’s size. And since it has no through traffic, it’s very safe. Check out these examples of relatively small U-shaped kitchens — some with a peninsula — to see the layout in action.
2. Straight and Narrow
The National Kitchen & Bath Association recommends 60 inches between opposing arms of a U-shaped kitchen in order to fit the needs of a variety of users. In a small kitchen, 42 inches — the minimum width of a work aisle for one cook — or even 36 inches is often all that’s possible. (Tip: A counter-depth fridge can help save precious inches.)
The width of this kitchen in a Santa Barbara, California, guest house designed by Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects appears to be less than 60 inches. But it looks quite airy thanks to its open upper shelving and high ceiling. And open space below one of the counters allows two stools to tuck neatly underneath.
The National Kitchen & Bath Association recommends 60 inches between opposing arms of a U-shaped kitchen in order to fit the needs of a variety of users. In a small kitchen, 42 inches — the minimum width of a work aisle for one cook — or even 36 inches is often all that’s possible. (Tip: A counter-depth fridge can help save precious inches.)
The width of this kitchen in a Santa Barbara, California, guest house designed by Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects appears to be less than 60 inches. But it looks quite airy thanks to its open upper shelving and high ceiling. And open space below one of the counters allows two stools to tuck neatly underneath.
3. Clear Views
LUPO Design et Agencement d’Espaces kept it simple and sunny in this narrow Scandinavian-style kitchen in France. Not only is there a window above the sink, but there’s a window instead of upper cabinets on the left wall, which makes the room feel wider than it is.
How to Plan the Perfect U-Shaped Kitchen
LUPO Design et Agencement d’Espaces kept it simple and sunny in this narrow Scandinavian-style kitchen in France. Not only is there a window above the sink, but there’s a window instead of upper cabinets on the left wall, which makes the room feel wider than it is.
How to Plan the Perfect U-Shaped Kitchen
4. Back Seat
This kitchen by Weil Friedman is in a townhouse in a New York City historic district. Although small, it’s filled with high-end details like a Lacanche stove and custom range hood, custom cabinets, soapstone counters and aged brass hardware. The cabinets are painted in Farrow & Ball’s soft pink Calamine, and at one end, a cozy seat framed by bookshelves offers storage and seating without blocking the window. At the opposite end, a tall pantry and a paneled refrigerator that blends into the cabinetry flank the entry.
7 Small U-Shaped Kitchens Brimming With Ideas
This kitchen by Weil Friedman is in a townhouse in a New York City historic district. Although small, it’s filled with high-end details like a Lacanche stove and custom range hood, custom cabinets, soapstone counters and aged brass hardware. The cabinets are painted in Farrow & Ball’s soft pink Calamine, and at one end, a cozy seat framed by bookshelves offers storage and seating without blocking the window. At the opposite end, a tall pantry and a paneled refrigerator that blends into the cabinetry flank the entry.
7 Small U-Shaped Kitchens Brimming With Ideas
5. C-ing Red
The terms C-shaped and U-shaped are often used interchangeably. But this English kitchen designed by Natalie Holden Interiors illustrates why the former may be a better term for a U-shaped kitchen in which the middle section of cabinets is longer than the side sections. (And while we’re defining terms, when one arm is shorter than the opposite arm, the layout is sometimes called J-shaped.)
Layouts aside, we love that they saved the unexpected red, retro-style fridge from the original kitchen.
The terms C-shaped and U-shaped are often used interchangeably. But this English kitchen designed by Natalie Holden Interiors illustrates why the former may be a better term for a U-shaped kitchen in which the middle section of cabinets is longer than the side sections. (And while we’re defining terms, when one arm is shorter than the opposite arm, the layout is sometimes called J-shaped.)
Layouts aside, we love that they saved the unexpected red, retro-style fridge from the original kitchen.
6. Tall Teal Tale
Dark teal paint and backsplash tiles and a dark wood floor could have made this U-shaped Toronto-area kitchen by M-Squared Contracting feel cave-like. But the darkness is offset by light countertops, a glossy finish on the tiles and a white vaulted ceiling with a skylight. And having the backsplash match the cabinet paint and the fridge paneled to match the cabinet doors creates a seamless look.
The Pros and Cons of 3 Popular Kitchen Layouts
Dark teal paint and backsplash tiles and a dark wood floor could have made this U-shaped Toronto-area kitchen by M-Squared Contracting feel cave-like. But the darkness is offset by light countertops, a glossy finish on the tiles and a white vaulted ceiling with a skylight. And having the backsplash match the cabinet paint and the fridge paneled to match the cabinet doors creates a seamless look.
The Pros and Cons of 3 Popular Kitchen Layouts
7. Material Mix
Zoom into this white, wood and black kitchen and you’ll see that there’s more variation in texture and pattern than first meets the eye. Designed by Molly J Littlejohn in Portland, Oregon, the kitchen has a parquet floor, two countertop materials (one wood and then a durable stone one surrounding the sink) and a marbled mosaic backsplash. It also has pretty crystal knobs, glass-front cabinets and a fluted pendant light that add vintage charm. And in the back right corner, the upper cabinet extends to the countertop, making good use of what’s often a dead space.
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Zoom into this white, wood and black kitchen and you’ll see that there’s more variation in texture and pattern than first meets the eye. Designed by Molly J Littlejohn in Portland, Oregon, the kitchen has a parquet floor, two countertop materials (one wood and then a durable stone one surrounding the sink) and a marbled mosaic backsplash. It also has pretty crystal knobs, glass-front cabinets and a fluted pendant light that add vintage charm. And in the back right corner, the upper cabinet extends to the countertop, making good use of what’s often a dead space.
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8. Spanish Sophistication
In this Spanish-style home in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, Kelly Martin Interiors combined custom oak cabinetry, concrete-colored countertops, variegated green wall tiles and star-shaped floor tiles to pack a lot of depth and organic style — as well as a lot of storage — into a small footprint.
In this Spanish-style home in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, Kelly Martin Interiors combined custom oak cabinetry, concrete-colored countertops, variegated green wall tiles and star-shaped floor tiles to pack a lot of depth and organic style — as well as a lot of storage — into a small footprint.
9. Storage Galore
In a narrow U-shaped kitchen, one of the wings usually has the tall cabinetry and fridge and the back wall has the stove or sink. But in this Washington, D.C., kitchen, Sarah Kahn Turner put a tall pantry on the back wall and turned it into a focal point with fun color-blocked paint. Check out how much that pantry can hold!
In a narrow U-shaped kitchen, one of the wings usually has the tall cabinetry and fridge and the back wall has the stove or sink. But in this Washington, D.C., kitchen, Sarah Kahn Turner put a tall pantry on the back wall and turned it into a focal point with fun color-blocked paint. Check out how much that pantry can hold!
10. Clean and Bright
This narrow London kitchen by Vorbild Architecture forgoes bold color and protruding cabinet hardware to create a streamlined look and to eke out every inch of width. We’re guessing the foot pedal on the toe kick beneath the sink opens the cabinet door hands-free, which is low-tech genius.
Key Measurements to Help You Design Your Kitchen
This narrow London kitchen by Vorbild Architecture forgoes bold color and protruding cabinet hardware to create a streamlined look and to eke out every inch of width. We’re guessing the foot pedal on the toe kick beneath the sink opens the cabinet door hands-free, which is low-tech genius.
Key Measurements to Help You Design Your Kitchen
11. Crafty Corner
Like the previous kitchen, this Minneapolis kitchen by Locale Design Build is also mostly white and wood. Mostly white palettes are popular in general but especially in small kitchens, since the typical thinking is that light colors expand a space. But white needn’t mean stark or minimalist. This kitchen’s dark grout, black hardware, industrial-style lighting and inset Shaker-style cabinets are a better fit for the 1930 home’s Craftsman architecture.
Like the previous kitchen, this Minneapolis kitchen by Locale Design Build is also mostly white and wood. Mostly white palettes are popular in general but especially in small kitchens, since the typical thinking is that light colors expand a space. But white needn’t mean stark or minimalist. This kitchen’s dark grout, black hardware, industrial-style lighting and inset Shaker-style cabinets are a better fit for the 1930 home’s Craftsman architecture.
12. Mirror, Mirror
Designers can employ a variety of tricks to make a space look larger. In this Chicago kitchen, for example, reDesign home | chicago used antiqued mirror for the range hood and backsplash on the back wall to visually expand the room’s depth. And the floor-to-ceiling cabinets and paneled fridge look like a wall with picture-frame paneling, which makes them disappear into the architecture.
It’s a little hard to see in this image, but part of the wing opposite the full-height cabinets literally disappears — it’s a peninsula.
Designers can employ a variety of tricks to make a space look larger. In this Chicago kitchen, for example, reDesign home | chicago used antiqued mirror for the range hood and backsplash on the back wall to visually expand the room’s depth. And the floor-to-ceiling cabinets and paneled fridge look like a wall with picture-frame paneling, which makes them disappear into the architecture.
It’s a little hard to see in this image, but part of the wing opposite the full-height cabinets literally disappears — it’s a peninsula.
13. Retro Appeal
Using a peninsula instead of a full wall in a U-shaped layout not only makes a space feel less confining, but it also creates separation between the kitchen and living area without cutting them off from each other. What’s more, the peninsula can provide a spot for socializing and dining. Clarketon Construction used such a layout in this 288-square-foot cottage in Oceanside, California, to great effect. And how cute are those retro appliances and the mint-and-peach color scheme?
Using a peninsula instead of a full wall in a U-shaped layout not only makes a space feel less confining, but it also creates separation between the kitchen and living area without cutting them off from each other. What’s more, the peninsula can provide a spot for socializing and dining. Clarketon Construction used such a layout in this 288-square-foot cottage in Oceanside, California, to great effect. And how cute are those retro appliances and the mint-and-peach color scheme?
14. Wood on Wood
This rustic, Mediterranean-style guest house by JL Interiors in Montecito, California, has upper cabinets hanging over a short peninsula. This cabinet layout isn’t very common in newer kitchens, but it does offer the advantages of providing a lot of storage while letting in light from the adjacent glass door.
This rustic, Mediterranean-style guest house by JL Interiors in Montecito, California, has upper cabinets hanging over a short peninsula. This cabinet layout isn’t very common in newer kitchens, but it does offer the advantages of providing a lot of storage while letting in light from the adjacent glass door.
15. Cozy Cabin
This kitchen in Deception Pass, Washington, is in a new 800-square-foot cabin built on an existing cabin’s footprint. Designed by Greg Robinson Architect, the cabin has double-height ceilings, which allowed for a double row of upper cabinets. And although the space is relatively small, it would be hard to feel hemmed in when looking out at this view.
This kitchen in Deception Pass, Washington, is in a new 800-square-foot cabin built on an existing cabin’s footprint. Designed by Greg Robinson Architect, the cabin has double-height ceilings, which allowed for a double row of upper cabinets. And although the space is relatively small, it would be hard to feel hemmed in when looking out at this view.
16. White on White
Appliances fitted with panels that match the cabinetry are the gold standard for creating a seamless look in a kitchen. But white Café appliances create a similarly high-end, seamless look in this Washington, D.C, kitchen designed by Heather Disabella. A soft chevron backsplash tile that extends to the ceiling, custom cabinet systems and pullouts that maximize storage and a custom range hood are other touches that pack the small space with functionality and style.
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Appliances fitted with panels that match the cabinetry are the gold standard for creating a seamless look in a kitchen. But white Café appliances create a similarly high-end, seamless look in this Washington, D.C, kitchen designed by Heather Disabella. A soft chevron backsplash tile that extends to the ceiling, custom cabinet systems and pullouts that maximize storage and a custom range hood are other touches that pack the small space with functionality and style.
More on Houzz
Read more stories about kitchen layouts
Find a local design-build firm
Shop for kitchen products
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One downside to a U- or C-shaped kitchen is having two blind corners. Hello Kitchen installed a specialized Magic Corner system in the back left corner of this fairly roomy Austin, Texas, kitchen in order to use the entirety of the space for storage. Other corner storage options include LeMans units (which are manually pulled out) and corner carousels.
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