Kitchen Guides
7 Small U-Shaped Kitchens Overflow With Space Maximising Ideas
The U-shaped layout is perfect for the cook’s working triangle, but if space is tight, you’ll need a few tricks…
If yours is a U-shaped kitchen, it’s likely you’re happy with the room’s layout possibilities. But what if its size is the challenge? These space-smart solutions will help you plan the perfect room.
Stretch the space
Pick pale cabinets, rather than dark ones, to bounce light around and maximise the feeling of space in your kitchen. You can increase the impact of this with white worktops and pale-coloured flooring, too.
Want to go a step further? Put a wide drawer unit at the far end of the kitchen, as the designers have done here, to exaggerate the kitchen’s width. Bonus.
See these kitchen cabinet colour schemes
Pick pale cabinets, rather than dark ones, to bounce light around and maximise the feeling of space in your kitchen. You can increase the impact of this with white worktops and pale-coloured flooring, too.
Want to go a step further? Put a wide drawer unit at the far end of the kitchen, as the designers have done here, to exaggerate the kitchen’s width. Bonus.
See these kitchen cabinet colour schemes
Fit light-enhancing fixtures
Don’t fancy white cabinets? Up the impact of both daylight and artificial lighting in a small U-shaped kitchen with reflective finishes. That may be stainless-steel or high-gloss cabinetry in a pale colour – both will work.
You can double the impact by choosing appliances with equal shine-ability. Also, pick long, horizontal handles for drawers, which will exaggerate the appearance of the kitchen’s width and length.
Don’t fancy white cabinets? Up the impact of both daylight and artificial lighting in a small U-shaped kitchen with reflective finishes. That may be stainless-steel or high-gloss cabinetry in a pale colour – both will work.
You can double the impact by choosing appliances with equal shine-ability. Also, pick long, horizontal handles for drawers, which will exaggerate the appearance of the kitchen’s width and length.
Define the cooking zone
A U-shaped kitchen needn’t be confined by three walls – you can use this layout cleverly within an open-plan space to divide cooking, dining and living areas.
Make the most of an open U-shaped design like this by including a breakfast bar on the peninsula. A slight overhang of the worktop at the back of the cabinetry is all it takes.
Learn how to design a U-shaped kitchen
A U-shaped kitchen needn’t be confined by three walls – you can use this layout cleverly within an open-plan space to divide cooking, dining and living areas.
Make the most of an open U-shaped design like this by including a breakfast bar on the peninsula. A slight overhang of the worktop at the back of the cabinetry is all it takes.
Learn how to design a U-shaped kitchen
Go up and over
You can make your U-shaped kitchen feel as wide as possible by removing the upper units on the two longest walls. However, if you do this, you might need to make the most of the rear wall to incorporate more storage.
As the far wall is likely to be well-suited to housing a large fridge-freezer, maximise the space by framing it with floor-to-ceiling shelving.
Here, the open shelves have become an attractive focal point and make the perfect display space for everyday items that need to be accessed frequently.
You can make your U-shaped kitchen feel as wide as possible by removing the upper units on the two longest walls. However, if you do this, you might need to make the most of the rear wall to incorporate more storage.
As the far wall is likely to be well-suited to housing a large fridge-freezer, maximise the space by framing it with floor-to-ceiling shelving.
Here, the open shelves have become an attractive focal point and make the perfect display space for everyday items that need to be accessed frequently.
Contrast the cabinetry
If your compact U-shaped kitchen is crying out for wall units on at least two sides, there’s a clever colour trick you can use to stop the space from feeling too enclosed.
Simply choose a darker finish for the base units and a paler shade for the wall cabinets. Paint the walls and ceiling white, and the cabinetry will simply blend away, making even a tiny space feel bigger.
Check out these kitchen cabinet designs
If your compact U-shaped kitchen is crying out for wall units on at least two sides, there’s a clever colour trick you can use to stop the space from feeling too enclosed.
Simply choose a darker finish for the base units and a paler shade for the wall cabinets. Paint the walls and ceiling white, and the cabinetry will simply blend away, making even a tiny space feel bigger.
Check out these kitchen cabinet designs
Max out one wall
If you want to load your U-shaped kitchen with storage, but don’t want wall cabinets on all three sides, here’s an alternative. Leave one of the longest walls free and fill the one opposite with floor-to-ceiling cabinetry.
On the third, narrowest wall in this scheme, a half-and-half approach comfortably bridges the gap between the two cabinetry layouts. The result? A kitchen with tons of storage that still feels spacious.
Read more:
Is U-Shape the Most Efficient Layout for Kitchens?
Tell us:
Do you have a U-shaped kitchen? Have you used any tricks to make best use of the space? Share your ideas in the Comments below.
If you want to load your U-shaped kitchen with storage, but don’t want wall cabinets on all three sides, here’s an alternative. Leave one of the longest walls free and fill the one opposite with floor-to-ceiling cabinetry.
On the third, narrowest wall in this scheme, a half-and-half approach comfortably bridges the gap between the two cabinetry layouts. The result? A kitchen with tons of storage that still feels spacious.
Read more:
Is U-Shape the Most Efficient Layout for Kitchens?
Tell us:
Do you have a U-shaped kitchen? Have you used any tricks to make best use of the space? Share your ideas in the Comments below.
Depending on the proportions of your U-shaped kitchen, if you pack out all three sides, you could end up with a crowded room. Create a more spacious feel by swapping solid units on one wall for open shelving.
In this scheme, the designers have used slim shelves to make use of the shallow space beside the window. A low unit beneath the window adds a small amount of additional storage as well as a spot to perch.