How to plan a kitchen
A kitchen plan is a set of distances, so start with accurate ones. Measure the room, then mark every door and window: they fix where cabinets can’t go. The starter is a 14 × 15 ft room with an L of base cabinets on two walls, a fridge and range on the long run, the sink under the window and an island with two stools.
The spacing follows the NKBA Kitchen Planning Guidelines. Select the island and switch to Top view: the numbers on each side are the gaps to the nearest counter or wall, so you read the aisles directly, and the NKBA recommends at least 42 in for one cook and 48 in for two. The work triangle legs (sink to fridge, fridge to range, range to sink) are about 4.3 ft, 4.5 ft and 8.2 ft, inside the NKBA’s 4 to 9 ft per leg and 26 ft in total.
Landing space and doors
The NKBA also asks for counter space beside the busy spots: at least 24 in on one side of the sink and 18 in on the other, 12 in on one side of a cooktop and 15 in on the other, and 15 in on the handle side of the fridge. The starter keeps a cabinet beside each. Its guidelines recommend a doorway with at least 32 in of clear opening, and at least 36 in for a walkway through the room.
Make it your kitchen
Change the cabinet widths to the ones your supplier sells, move the appliances, and try the fridge at the end of a run. Duplicate builds a run of cabinets quickly. Colour the fronts, pick a tile or wood floor, then take the printed plan to a kitchen showroom or a contractor. The NKBA figures are US planning recommendations; local building codes decide what is required where you live.
What the starter kitchen holds
The room is 14′ 0″ wide and 15′ 0″ long, with a 8′ 0″ ceiling. Every piece starts at the size below; select it to type your own.
| Piece | Width × depth × height |
|---|---|
| Base cabinet with worktop × 5 | 1′ 11.5″ × 2′ 0.5″ × 3′ 0″ |
| Fridge | 2′ 6″ × 2′ 5″ × 5′ 10″ |
| Stove / range | 2′ 6″ × 2′ 2″ × 3′ 0″ |
| Base cabinet with worktop | 3′ 1″ × 2′ 0.5″ × 3′ 0″ |
| Wall cabinet × 2 | 1′ 11.5″ × 1′ 1″ × 2′ 6″ |
| Wall cabinet | 2′ 11.5″ × 1′ 1″ × 2′ 6″ |
| Sink cabinet | 2′ 7.5″ × 2′ 0.5″ × 3′ 0″ |
| Dishwasher | 1′ 11.5″ × 2′ 0.5″ × 3′ 0″ |
| Kitchen island | 3′ 11″ × 3′ 1.5″ × 3′ 0″ |
| Bar stool × 2 | 1′ 4.5″ × 1′ 4.5″ × 2′ 5.5″ |
Edits you make here are kept for this page only, so your plan on the main room planner stays as it was.