20 Designs For EVERY Kitchen Layout, From Galley to L-Shaped

It’s time to get cooking with these kitchen ideas!

The kitchen. For some, it’s a space to work their culinary skills while for others it’s a cosy gathering spot for friends and family. But regardless of how you use it, it’s a fact that the kitchen is a key part of any modern-day dwelling because of its role in not just food preparation, but also storage and even relationships.

So if you intend to turn your kitchen into the heart of your home, here are 20 examples – sorted by 4 common layouts – to get you started!

U-Shaped Layout

Space is certainly not lacking in this resale flat, evident by the fact that its open-concept kitchen is approximately 1.5 times the size of a regular BTO’s kitchen. Sporting a U-shaped layout, a geometric backsplash is applied to two sides of the U, adding visual interest to an otherwise quintessential white-and-wood kitchen.

Cooking can be therapeutic. Cooking with a view? Perhaps more so.

But of course, the additional stretch of carpentry by this kitchen’s window also serves practical purposes: extra countertop space for food prep, as well as under-counter cabinets for storage.

And while there’s a slight gap on the right to make way for the service yard entrance, we’d still consider this a U-shaped layout for all intents and purposes.

Speaking of U-shaped layouts with twists, notice how the bend of this one has been partitioned with sliding doors? This prevents fumes from escaping into the rest of the home when heavy cooking is in progress, and can be opened at all other times. What you effectively get, then, is a dry and wet kitchen combo – in a small space no less!

That said, the placement of the sink, hob and refrigerator come together to form the perfect kitchen work triangle for efficient cooking, making it a ‘textbook’ layout in this regard.

Likewise, the owners of this condo decided to demarcate a third of the U – except this time by using a cooler tone of laminates for the shelves that house a built-in oven and microwave. When coupled with paneling details, it really goes to show that nuances go a long way in changing the look and feel of a given space.

Alternatively, segment your kitchen vertically: with overhead cabinets, a backsplash and under-counter cabinets in different colours altogether.

In this resale flat’s kitchen, the backsplash serves as a ‘bridge’ between the two sets of cabinets, where gold veining is in a warm hue like that of the overhead cabinets. These are then against an off-white backdrop, providing a smooth visual transition to the white cabinets below.

L-Shaped Layout

Two things caught our attention the moment we saw this kitchen.

For one, it looks as classy as it is quirky with stone and metallic surfaces, paired with lime green laminates and a diagonal ‘chessboard’ floor tile pattern that really pop.

Next, it shows you don’t need a massive space to have that kitchen island you’ve always wanted. Here, the island provides much needed space for food prep, given that the entire corner of the L-shaped counter is obstructed by a structural pillar.

In another case of not letting structural elements get in the way, the owners of this Northshore BTO wrapped their peninsula around a pillar that could not be hacked away. Straddling between the designated kitchen and living room, the peninsula provides a seamless transition between the two rooms, all while affording the owners ample countertop space for food prep.

Should darker tones be your preference, this next L-shaped kitchen is for you. Likewise opting for an open concept, it features an island-dining table combination, which has become a popular choice among homeowners given that both constituents double as space for food prep and dining. Visually, they also look less cluttered together than when placed separately.

Can’t decide between a light and dark colour palette? You don’t have to! Take notes from this maisonette where a mix of light and dark neutral tones come together to form a simple yet timeless look. And just so it doesn’t look too cold/clinical, warm toned lights are used for a homey feel.

Similarly, this BTO at Queenstown shows us the beauty of simplicity. Utilising a mix of flat and panelled cabinet fronts, open and closed shelves, as well as under-cabinet lighting, the kitchen boasts varying visual depth which distracts you from how small this kitchen actually is.

Galley Layout

Speaking of small kitchens, you may want to consider a galley layout, particularly if your unit comes with a long and narrow kitchen like this DBSS in Boon Keng.

Galley layouts have their namesake from ship kitchens with parallel stretches of countertops/cabinets, leaving just enough space to walk between them. The upside, though, is that you get to maximise storage space.

Needless to say, galley layouts work well even if you have a roomier kitchen like this BTO in Yishun does. Here, the extra space is utilised by having a pantry area perpendicular to one side of the counters, allowing other household members to access the water dispenser without getting in the way of whoever’s cooking.

Should you prefer an open-concept kitchen, but one with as much storage space as possible, this resale flat once again shows that a galley layout is the way to go. For easy access, the fridge, pantry cabinet and water dispenser are likewise placed closer to the kitchen’s entrance.

But if you’d like the best of both worlds, a semi-open kitchen is probably the choice for you. In this resale flat, the kitchen wall perpendicular to the galley was hacked and replaced with a half-height cabinet and foldable glass doors atop, complemented with full-height sliding glass doors on the side.

Then, there are units with odd corners. Take inspiration from this resale flat, where herringbone flooring and royal blue under-counter laminates provide a sense of visual continuity across the kitchen and oddly angled service yard, resulting in a look that’s anything but awkward.

One-Wall Layout

As its name suggests, one-wall kitchens have fittings and appliances flushed against a single wall, typically with an island on the opposing end for both food prep and dining.

We particularly love the modern farmhouse look in this Hougang maisonette and how airy it is, complete with shaker-style cabinets, subway tiles, metallic surfaces and bar stools.

Opting for a moodier look, this other maisonette in Pasir Ris employs warm wood toned laminates and a black stone island with a waterfall effect for that wow factor. Because there’s only one stretch of cabinets in place, the extra negative space also gives such open-concept kitchens a significantly more open feel than their U-/L-shaped and galley counterparts.

Another reason you may wish to go for a one-wall open-concept kitchen? It’s great for socialising with your guests while cooking, which this 5-room BTO in Tampines further encourages with its dark and cosy vibes.

But of course, limiting storage to just one wall may prove to be insufficient. As a workaround, the kitchen and service yard of this 3-room flat in Punggol were merged, making way for a longer stretch of countertop and cabinets, which in turn houses a washer at the far end.

Lastly, one-wall kitchen layouts may sometimes be your only option due to your unit’s layout, as was the case with this resale flat.

Because the swing clearance needed for the service yard and common bathroom leave little room for built-in carpentry on the opposing side, the owners instead went with a loose half-height shelf for their coffee machine, in order to make up for the lack of countertop space. A simple solution, but an effective one no less.

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This article was originally published on 10 October 2019 and last updated on 28 February 2024.

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