8 Small L-Shaped Kitchens That are Big on Great Ideas (2024)

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J Foster Architects

1. Plan your layout precisely
As you only have two walls to work with in an L-shaped kitchen, think carefully about where you put your storage. It makes sense to locate the oven and stove along the benchtop where you’re going to place your wall cabinets, as it will give the cook easy access to ingredients and tableware.

Try to position this cooking area on the longest run of benchtop space, as it will allow more room for both storage and preparation.

Browse more L-shaped kitchens

HA Architecture

2. Add an island…
An L-shaped design works well in an open-plan room as it will fit neatly into a corner and allow people to move around the space easily. However, you may find it a little unsociable, as you’re forced to turn your back on guests while preparing food.

If you have room, consider incorporating an island into your design. Even a small unit like this one will add a sociable feel to the kitchen, and bring in an extra work surface and more storage – a win-win.

Matt Scully Design

3. …Or a peninsula
Alternatively, add an additional surface in an open-plan space in the form of a peninsula. It doesn’t have to be huge – a simple high table like this one is ideal for tucking some stools under, and it takes up less visual space than a run of cabinetry.

The kitchen still feels open, but the owners benefit from an additional work area and a handy dining zone.

Burgess Architects

4. Maximise your corner storage
The L-shaped layout of your kitchen is, of course, going to create a corner, but there are ways to use every inch, both above and below your benchtop.

Here, for example, the designers have utilised the corner of the bench space by building some shallow shelving up the wall. The benchtop continues right to the back edge, but the shelves create a nook where the owners can store their kitchen appliances and utensils.

Hobsons Choice

It’s a good idea to include easy-access storage below your kitchen bench, too.

There are numerous fittings and storage solutions for corner cabinets that pull out or rotate. A carousel like this one, for example, is a useful option, as you can stack items around the curved shelves, then swivel the mechanism to grab them.

How to Rework an Awkward Kitchen Corner

APE Architecture and Design Ltd.

5. Squeeze in a table
If space is tight, an L-shaped layout could still allow you to pop in a dining zone. The empty third wall can be ideal for holding a table that folds down when not in use.

This wall-hung breakfast bar has plenty of room for eating, while leaving enough space to move around. Alternatively, a drop-leaf table would offer more surface space, but pack up to the footprint of a console table.

If people are likely to be moving through the kitchen, choose a curved design for your breakfast bar to avoid sharp corners.

No Room for a Dining Table? Think Again

Studio Mônty

6. Don’t interrupt a run
Wondering where to put a tall fridge? The trick to using your space wisely is to create as much unbroken bench space as possible for food preparation. With only two walls to play with in an L-shaped kitchen, it’s important not to break up the benchtop with any tall units, so position your fridge or pantry at the end.

Here, the cooking area consists of a benchtop and stove, which provides plenty of space for food preparation. The fridge is placed at the end, while the sink is on the other side, creating a practical work triangle.

Franke UK Ltd

7. Slot in extra shelving
If you’re finding there’s a lack of storage space in your two-wall layout, it pays to think laterally. In this kitchen, the designers have added some extra storage in the form of shelves at the end of the base cabinets.

See if you can utilise the end of your units by adding a few shelves – even shallow ledges or simple hooks could be useful.

Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens

8. Look up
Could you fit any storage into otherwise dead space? Here, the area to the side of the window is too narrow for a wall unit, but the owners have fitted in a handy plate rack, which can take a fair amount of crockery without blocking any light.

It also provides a useful way to dry the plates above the draining area, and forms a symmetrical layout with the shelves opposite.

Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens

In addition, a pot hanger suspended from the ceiling is a good way to utilise unused space. This one is positioned just above the cooker to provide a very useful place to stash pans and utensils.

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