Kitchen Layout Guide: Galley, U-Shape, L-Shape or Island?

The right kitchen layout depends on the shape of the room, the windows and how you cook. A parallel (galley) kitchen suits a long space and serious cooks, an island suits an open plan and family life, a U-shape gives the most storage in a defined room, and an L-shape solves corners and awkward windows.

By Maya Sheinberger | 02.06.25

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There is no "best" kitchen, only the one that fits the space and the people. I always start with three questions: who cooks, how often, and who sits there while they do. Below are the main layouts, each with a real kitchen from my studio.

Key takeaways

• Start from the room: its length, its windows and where it opens to the living space.

• Put the fridge, oven and microwave in one tall wall of cabinets, and keep the rest low.

• An island needs room around it. If space is tight, choose a peninsula or a parallel line.

• Plan the lighting with the kitchen, along its lines, not as a scatter of spots.

• Use one material for the whole kitchen when the space is small, for calm continuity.

The main kitchen layouts at a glance

Layout	Best for	Example
Parallel (galley)	Long spaces, people who cook a lot	MH apartment, C apartment
Tall wall plus island	Open-plan homes and families	H apartment, DI apartment, E apartment
U-shape	A defined kitchen with lots of storage	MG House
L-shape with island or peninsula	Small kitchens, corners, awkward windows	S apartment
Linear wall under windows	Kitchens with a view or a garden	L House

When does a parallel kitchen work best?

When the space is long and the people love to cook. In the MH apartment in Ramat Gan, a family of four who love cooking and entertaining asked for an open space. The kitchen runs in two parallel lines: one with the sink and fridge, the other with the stove, extra worktop for cooking and a casual dining spot for everyday family meals. Dark gray finishes that recall concrete and steel keep it calm.

The MH apartment kitchen, with concrete-look tall cabinets, a dark island with gray bar stools and a black ceiling track with spotlights.

In the C apartment, the parallel layout is a tall wall plus an island. The floor-to-ceiling graphite unit holds two fridges, a freezer, an oven and a microwave, with a niche and two thin aluminum shelves in the middle. Opposite it, the island carries a 3.8-meter stainless steel worktop with the sink and hob built in. Recessed light profiles run parallel to the kitchen lines.

The graphite kitchen of the C apartment, with a tall cabinet wall, a niche with open shelves and an island with bar stools, seen from the living room.

Is a kitchen island right for you?

An island is right when the kitchen opens to the living space and you want people to sit with you. In the H apartment in Hod Hasharon, the old kitchen was small and closed. We moved it to create an open plan: a white tall unit that hides two structural columns, an integrated fridge, a pantry, an oven and a microwave, and a walnut island in a parallel line, with an extra storage unit that uses the corner between the kitchen and the living room.

The H apartment kitchen, with a white wall of tall cabinets and a walnut island with three white bar stools.

In the DI apartment in Tel Aviv, tall dark smoked oak cabinets contrast with a white island with a light worktop, and in the E apartment the island is both a work surface and the family's seating spot. Leave at least 105 cm, and up to 120 cm, of clear floor around an island, so doors and drawers can open and two people can pass. If you can't, a parallel line or a peninsula is the better choice.

When should you choose a U-shaped kitchen?

When the kitchen is its own defined area and you need a lot of storage. In MG House in Hod Hasharon, the U-shaped kitchen has a tall wall of bamboo cabinets that holds the fridge, oven, microwave, air conditioning and extra storage, and the dining area sits right next to it, so dinners and hosting happen where the cooking is.

How do you plan an L-shaped kitchen around a window?

In the S apartment in Hod Hasharon, a window sat right where the work areas should be. I designed an L-shaped kitchen, with tall cabinets on both sides and an L-shaped worktop between them for the sink and hob. An island with seats for the morning coffee adds another work surface. The cabinets are smoked oak veneer, and the worktop and backsplash are the same cream and gray marble-look porcelain, so the small kitchen reads as one piece. An integrated fridge keeps the front even, and a 45 cm dishwasher saves space beside the sink.

The S apartment kitchen, with oak-veneer cabinets, a marble-look worktop under the window and an island with light gray stools.

Can a kitchen run along the windows?

Yes, and it can be the happiest corner of the house. In L House in Ramat Gan, the kitchen has three parts: a white back wall with storage and the stove, a long concrete-colored worktop under the big windows with yellow cabinets and black handles, and a wooden counter where the family gathers for light meals. The fridge stands on the opposite wall with extra storage.

The L House kitchen, with yellow cabinets and a gray worktop under black-framed windows, three pendant lights and a counter with black stools.

For choosing the furniture around the kitchen, see my guide to choosing furniture for your home. If you are buying a new apartment, read how to customize a new-build apartment before you move in, because the kitchen is the first thing worth changing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most practical kitchen layout?

For people who cook a lot, a parallel layout with a tall appliance wall and a work line or island opposite it. It keeps everything within a few steps.

What is the difference between a galley and a parallel kitchen?

They are the same idea: two parallel work lines. In an open plan, the second line is often an island.

How much space do I need for a kitchen island?

At least 105 cm, and up to 120 cm, of clear floor on every side, so drawers and the dishwasher can open and two people can pass. If the room is too narrow, choose a peninsula or a parallel line.

Where should the fridge go?

In a tall wall of cabinets with the oven and microwave, ideally integrated behind a cabinet front, so the kitchen looks calm.

Planning a new kitchen in Tel Aviv or central Israel? I'd love to hear about your project.

Maya Sheinberger is an interior designer with more than 17 years of experience. After five years at a leading architecture firm, she founded her independent studio in 2012. She holds a B.Des with honors from the College of Management. Her work has appeared in more than 150 publications in Israel and abroad, including eight Archilovers Best Project awards, and one of her apartments features in the book The New Minimalist Style.

Photography: MH, C, H and S apartments, @itaybenitphotographer · L House, Shai Epstein · Styling: C, H and S apartments, @maya_livnat_harush · MH apartment and L House, @ofri.paz