Kitchen layout ideas for the best workflow

Perhaps you’ve heard of the kitchen triangle – an easy layout principle that helps work in the kitchen flow smoothly and safely between your sink, stove and fridge. So, if you’re planning a new kitchen, here are some things to take into consideration to get the best workflow.

A kitchen with white wood effect ENKÖPING doors and glass doors, plus brown walnut effect ENKÖPING doors and drawer fronts.

Where should you start?

Regardless of what type of layout you’re planning, the main idea is to use the sink as a starting point and then place your cooking unit and fridge, so they’re equally easy to get to. This gives you a safer, more efficient kitchen as it shortens the distance you have to travel when you’re zipping around.

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The corners of a yellow triangle mark a white HAVSEN inset sink, a black induction cooktop and a built-in refrigerator.

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Ample room for working

Make sure that you get enough work surfaces to support your cooking and baking. Most importantly, it’s smart to make room for a generous countertop between the sink and the cooktop. You’ll probably thank yourself if you place the waste sorting and dishwasher nearby as well.

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A kitchen with white wood effect and brown walnut effect doors, plus white marble effect/quartz KASKER custom made countertops.

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Everything right where you need it

When you plan your storage, it’s generally a good idea to place things as close as possible to where you use them the most. Around the cooktop, this means using your drawers or cabinets for pots, pans and cooking utensils, so they’re always easy to access. The same goes for a well-organized spice drawer.

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An IKEA 365+ pot with lid on a black induction cooktop, plus open kitchen drawers with pots, oven dishes and spices inside.

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Have you thought about appliances?

It’s good to start thinking about what appliances you want already in the early planning stages, so you’re sure that you can fit them in with the best placement.

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Video: Illustrations showing layouts of a single-sided, a double-sided, an L-shaped and a U-shaped kitchen, plus an island kitchen.

The kitchen triangle at work

Here you see a few examples with the kitchen triangle applied to different kitchen layouts. Find the layout closest to what you have in mind and see it as a rough starting point when planning your own kitchen.

1 Single-sided kitchen

2 Double-sided kitchen

3 L-shaped kitchen

4 U-shaped kitchen

5 Island kitchen

A hand pointing to a tablet screen showing a kitchen with base cabinets, high cabinets, countertops, a cooktop and an oven.

Visualize your new kitchen

Getting started on planning your kitchen and seeing it come together is quick and easy with the Kitchen planner. Just choose setup and style – and customize it to make it suit you perfectly.

Start the IKEA kitchen planner