What is it like - a U-shaped kitchen?
Modules of such headsets stand against three adjacent walls. That is, it looks like the letter “P” - hence the name. Often the peninsula/bar counter takes on the function of one of these sides.
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Tabletop Cedar 3198/Mw Rhodes Wood
Proper design of a U-shaped kitchen design will ensure spaciousness and practicality. How to implement it? Read on!
In what cases is a kitchen with the letter P the best solution?
The arrangement of furniture depends on the parameters of the room and consumer requests. The U-shaped kitchen layout is suitable if you:
- you cook often and want to simplify all work processes;
- Are you planning to move the dining table into the dining room/living room or make do with a small bar counter;
- want to zone the studio space;
- are you going to use the window sill;
- You have a lot of kitchen utensils and appliances.
Classical
Timeless and timeless style of an old house. Aged materials, antique furniture and intricate wood carvings.
For decorating a small U-shaped kitchen, classic is definitely the best solution, as it allows you to create a cozy and beautiful, bright room. The furnishings, according to the canons of this style, preserve the unshakable atmosphere of home warmth and, at the same time, the spirit of one of the most luxurious Russian eras, during which it originated.
The color palette is quite simple and unobtrusive: pastel yellowish and creamy tones. The set itself must certainly contain solid wood or imitate its pattern.
A U-shaped kitchen in a classic design will have a truly royal appearance, which consists of an exquisite design and double the space due to the fittings model and the abundance of light colors.
If you are the owner of a large-sized kitchen, then the classic style will create from this room a magnificent resemblance to a formal hall, especially in combination with a corner or island layout.
Pros and cons of the U-shaped layout
The U-shaped kitchen set has its advantages and disadvantages. Study them before ordering furniture.
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Design Guidelines
The design of a U-shaped kitchen begins with matching the dimensions. The distance between the modules for maximum convenience is 120 cm. It is uncomfortable to walk in an aisle less than 90 cm, open lower cabinets, or pull out drawers. If the distance is more than 180 cm, you will have to run between the drawers while cooking, making a lot of unnecessary movements.
The following tips will help you create the perfect U-shaped kitchen plan:
- Replace the top drawers or some of them with shelves, this will “lighten” the overall look.
- Choose a stylish hood that will become the highlight of the interior.
- Make the most of the corners - place retractable, rotating shelves in the corner modules, replace them with drawers.
- Remove the handles and install a door pusher system.
- Order light-colored facades to increase space.
- Prefer glossy facades if the U-shaped kitchen is small.
- Make modules 40-45 cm deep to increase the passage.
- Shorten one side to accommodate the table.
- Line your closets up to the ceiling to make the room feel taller.
- Skip the central ceiling light in favor of spotlights above the work area and chandeliers above the dining area.
What is the best way to arrange furniture, appliances and plumbing fixtures?
The ergonomics of a U-shaped set depends on the proper arrangement of furniture and equipment. Even if you take into account all the size recommendations, but the work areas are arranged chaotically, cooking will take a lot of effort.
Change the rule of the triangle: place the stove, sink, and work surface on one side, so that while cooking everything you need is in front of your eyes and you don’t have to turn around.
Where to put a refrigerator in this scheme, which place for the sink is more convenient, how to introduce an island into a kitchen project with a U-shaped layout - we will look at it below.
U-shaped kitchen with refrigerator
Select one of the walls for a refrigerator and pencil cases, placing tall objects nearby on the edge of the U-shaped set. This way the tabletop will remain solid and you will be able to use it comfortably.
U-shaped kitchens suggest two solutions for the refrigerator: modern built-in or classic.
The photo shows a U-shaped kitchen with a refrigerator.
The undeniable advantage of the first is its appearance; it does not spoil the appearance of the headset. But built-in models are 20-30% more expensive than their analogues.
Freestanding refrigerators are cheaper and can become an accent - choose a bright model for this. For example, a red refrigerator in a white room will be a design solution.
The photo shows a bright kitchen with white appliances.
U-shaped kitchen with breakfast bar
A U-shaped kitchen with a bar counter is the best solution if you need to create zoning in a studio.
The photo shows a white kitchen with a bar counter.
The bar counter can be inside the furniture in a U shape, being at the level of the table top, or located higher, attracting attention. It is not necessary to place the stand on the edge - if built into the furniture, it can be located opposite the window. In a layout with a balcony, the stand is placed on the windowsill, removing the double-glazed window.
This option cannot completely replace the dining table, so it is suitable for 1-2 people, as a place for breakfast in addition to the large table in the adjacent room.
U-shaped kitchen with pencil case
The lack of storage systems in a small space is compensated by tall cabinets - pencil cases. To prevent them from cluttering up the room, install them as a block on one side of the U-shaped set, so they will become almost invisible.
The pencil case can be used not only for storage, but also for built-in equipment. You can hide a refrigerator in one, and an oven or microwave in the other. The oven is built in at a height of 50-80 cm from the floor, the microwave is above it at eye level of the hostess.
In addition to the classics in the form of an oven, the dishwasher and washing machine are also stored in pencil cases - this will be convenient if the communications are no further than 2-3 meters.
The photo shows a kitchen set in the shape of a letter P with unusual handles.
Dinner Zone
We have already considered the option with a bar counter, but there are other design methods. A U-shaped kitchen with a dining area requires a table or island.
A table with a sofa/chairs requires a lot of space, so it can be placed in a kitchen of more than 10 square meters, in a studio or a separate dining room. If the work and dining spaces are located in a common room, they are separated using color or light.
The kitchen island combines the qualities of a table and a bar counter. We'll talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the island further.
In the photo on the left there is a dining room combined with a kitchen-living room, in the photo on the right there is a built-in dining area.
Washing
The central functional area of any kitchen is the sink. Wash food before cooking, knife and board during cooking, and plates after eating. It is with the sink that planning must begin.
The kitchen interior looks harmonious in the shape of the letter U with a sink in the center of the unit. Then the hob must be positioned on the left/right, leaving space between them to work.
Another attractive option is washing under the window. Use it if the distance from the window to the pipe outlet is no more than 2-3 meters, otherwise you will experience low water pressure and constant problems with the sewerage during washing.
The photo on the left is a functional solution for an end drawer, the photo on the right is a U-shaped kitchen in a classic style.
Are there any disadvantages?
As with everything, of course, there is:
You need smart fittings to make it convenient to use corner modules. It will help make the far corners of such cabinets more accessible;
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Tabletop Cedar 811/1 Metallic
The set may seem too bulky, and if the kitchen area is small, then you are unlikely to find room for a dining table;
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Tabletop Cedar 7052/FL* Wotan Oak
Possibility of production in non-standard dimensions to order;
If the room is very spacious (area more than 16 square meters), you need to equip an “island”;
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Countertop Cedar 2349/Pt Bernini Marble
In apartments, it is not possible to install a U-shaped kitchen in all cases. Obstacles may include inconveniently located communications, doors - balcony and/or interior, window sills that are too low;
Between the rows of the headset you need to provide a large passage.
Design examples for a kitchen with a window
Placing the tabletop on the windowsill makes functional use of the entire area. You can easily create a U-shaped kitchen with a window when its height from the floor is 80-90 cm; in other cases, it is necessary to take into account the height difference.
When the window is in the middle, build a sink into the center or leave the space empty. Fill the window sill with herbs in pots, build sockets into the slopes and place equipment here.
The photo shows the dining area under the countertop.
If there are two windows, proceed with the first as described above, and organize a bar counter opposite the second.
Tip: Do not place the cooking surface next to the window to protect the glass from grease stains.
Big square
With a large area, there are no problems with planning. This is where you can organize an ideal work triangle, that is, a work area with vertices in the refrigerator, sink and stove. The smaller this triangle is, the easier and faster the cooking will be.
In a large kitchen (more than 12 sq. m.) there will be space for a set on three walls and a dining area. The functionality of the headset can be divided as follows:
- On one wall are all the appliances - refrigerator, washing machine, microwave;
- the second has a sink, an empty work area, a stove, an oven;
- the third is various types of equipment, for example, a blender, a food processor, an electric grill, a meat grinder, a juicer, and so on.
Kitchen Ideas with Island and Peninsula
The island is placed in kitchens from 20 square meters, because... There should be at least 90 cm around it on each side. This solution is suitable for a studio: the island will separate the kitchen from the room, zoning the space. In addition, it performs several functions at once: an additional work surface, a place for eating, storage.
The peninsula is no less functional and is suitable for rooms less than 20 sq.m. It is also used as a place for storing, preparing, and eating food. But, unlike the island, you can only approach it from 3 sides.
Solutions for a kitchen combined with a living room
The U-shaped kitchen combined with the living room needs zoning. The most popular option we have already described above is to install an island or replace one side with a bar counter.
Another solution is to use the kitchen only for cooking and set up the dining room in another room in the house. This way you get a large kitchen and a full table for the whole family and guests.
The photo shows a dark blue set in a marine style.
What's the best way to arrange a small kitchen?
A U-shaped set in a small apartment is suitable for people who want to use the space to the maximum. This layout allows you to organize spacious storage, a spacious work area and supply all the necessary equipment. A table as part of a set (on a windowsill/as a bar counter) will save space if it is impossible to move it to another room.
To prevent upper cabinets from overloading a small room, make them narrow and elongated. And the tone in the color of the walls will “dissolve” them in space. Or completely replace them with open shelves; in a small kitchen they are even more practical due to the absence of doors.
You can visually enlarge a room using light shades, and bright or dark accents can help decorate it.
Small area
The main disadvantage of the U-shaped layout in a small kitchen is that there is no space left for the dining area. In this case, you can do it in different ways:
- design one of the sides as a bar counter so that you can eat there;
- if there is a balcony, insulate it and replace the double-glazed window with a “peninsula”;
- if the wall is not load-bearing, demolish it and put a “peninsula” there;
- use the window sill;
- abandon the idea of a U-shaped layout.
If you really want, you can make such a layout in a small kitchen, for example, in a Khrushchev-era building. To do this, the depth of the headset should be reduced to 35–40 centimeters on at least one side.
Use trapezoidal cabinets at the entrance so as not to hit the corner when entering and exiting. The set should be tall; it is advisable to use more tall cabinets with built-in appliances, for example, a microwave.
