Need an effective kitchen layout? Got a small kitchen and don’t know how to squeeze everything you need here? A U-shaped kitchen is the answer! A U-shaped kitchen is also sometimes referred to as a horseshoe kitchen and features three connected walls of cabinets and counters. Such a kitchen has its own pros and cons like any other, let’s take a look at it to decide if such a layout fits your space or not.
Pros
U-shaped kitchens tend to have plenty of counter space. This means there are a lot of available work areas and, as long as the kitchen isn’t too narrow, it easily accommodates multiple people in the kitchen. This helps make getting the family ready and out the door in the mornings easier as well as meal prep in general.
U-shaped kitchens can provide more separation for this area. It’s a great idea for homeowners who want a little more separation and definition for their kitchen in an open layout. They can be designed for a more closed-off kitchen or kept more open to work within the open concept framework.
U-shaped kitchens tend to provide plenty of storage. With three connected walls, there is plenty of space for cabinets and drawers, which also means plenty of available storage space.
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Cons
U-shaped kitchens that tend to be deeper and more narrow can feel cramped. Taking this into account during the design phase can help ensure the “U” is wider and more open to prevent it from feeling like a tight space even when there are multiple people in the kitchen.
With three connected walls, you have two areas of corner cabinets. Depending on how your kitchen is designed and furnished, these corner cabinets can be a pain to access and frustrating to replace if they are damaged or broken. Using cabinetry specifically made for corners or implementing storage carousels in the corners is a great way to make these areas more easily accessible while also getting the most storage possible out of the space.
Because a U-shaped kitchen only has one way in or out, it can be prone to traffic jams. A narrower u-shaped kitchen may disrupt the flow of people if several are trying to get in or out of the kitchen at the same time.
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