Parallel kitchen with teal cabinets, a pale backsplash and profile lighting

The Elixir design library

Kitchen Design Ideas and Layouts

Choose a kitchen layout by tracing groceries, preparation, cooking and washing on your actual floor plan. Compare a single run, an L, a parallel layout and an island before deciding how much cabinetry the room can take.

Explore the ideas

The Elixir portfolio

Details worth a closer look

Photographs for design inspiration
L-shaped kitchen with pale green lower cabinets, white upper cabinets and a tiled backsplash
Kitchen inspiration: a light palette and continuous counter run.
Straight kitchen with sage base cabinets, white wall units and under-cabinet lighting
Kitchen inspiration: a single-wall arrangement with task lighting.
White L-shaped kitchen with gold-tone handles, under-cabinet lighting and a chimney
Kitchen inspiration: an L-shaped work surface and integrated lighting.

Find the right layout

Before you commit
  • Draw sink, drain, gas or electrical supply and exhaust points before approving joinery.
  • Put hot dishes down near the cooking surface and reserve a dry landing area beside cold storage.
  • Verify actual appliance widths, door clearances and ventilation instructions with the installer.
One wallA narrow room or a kitchen that shares a wall with dining.

Reserve uninterrupted prep space. Check whether the fridge or a tall unit would cut the worktop into unusable pieces.

L-shapedTwo adjoining walls with an open edge for movement.

Check the corner hardware with the neighbouring shutters open. Put something you rarely need in the least accessible corner.

ParallelTwo facing runs with space to pass between them.

Open the widest drawers and appliance doors on both sides, and check where someone can stand to unload them.

U-shapedThree usable sides when storage and work surface matter most.

Check both corners, the entry, and whether a person can leave while someone else is working.

IslandA room that has room for an independent work or seating zone.

Tape out the island plus occupied stools, and rehearse the busiest path between the kitchen and dining area.

Completed Chennai homes

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