27 Ideas for a U-Shaped Kitchen Layout

Define Space With Area Rugs

Define space in a U-shaped kitchen with area rugs. In a narrow U-shaped kitchen, area rugs will help to define the space, making it feel less like a corridor.

Add a Corner Sink

Finesse the angles of a long U-shaped kitchen by adding an angled corner sink. This corner sink straddles the double windows, making the space more comfortable to use. A lack of upper cabinetry lets the space breathe.

Include Banquette Seating

In a long and spacious U-shaped kitchen, installing a banquette on the far wall adds comfort and means you can reduce visual clutter with fewer chairs. If you don't have the room for a banquette, try a space-saving bench.

Add a Peninsula

If you a working with a U-shaped kitchen that has a narrow profile and a built-in peninsula, keep clutter to a minimum with under-counter storage and appliances. Leave the surface clear for dining and kitchen prep.

Include Wraparound Seating

One disadvantage of island bar seating is the fact that you have to strain your neck to make eye contact with your dining companions. If your U-shaped kitchen is large enough and wide enough to accommodate a kitchen island, consider adding seating on two sides.

Install a Wall of Storage

Reduce visual clutter in a U-shaped kitchen with floor-to-ceiling built-in cabinetry on one of the walls that maximizes vertical space. A mix of open shelving and closed storage will keep it interesting and give you a chance to highlight objects you want seen and hide clutter behind cabinet doors.

Conceal Appliances

U-shaped kitchens with long sides can feel cluttered with cabinets and appliances lining all three walls. Minimize visual clutter with an all-white palette, conceal appliances like the refrigerator behind built-in doors to match cabinetry, and incorporate wood accents on the flooring, kitchen island, or seating to add contrast.

Choose a Round Table

A U-shaped kitchen with seamless built-in floor-to-ceiling storage can help you maintain an orderly and minimalist look. While many people choose to add a square or rectangular island or table to the center of a large U-shaped kitchen, one way to add visual interest, break up all those straight lines, and increase flow is to add a round table instead.

Add Double Islands

Define space in a spacious U-shaped kitchen with double islands by hanging a pair of pendant lights over one or both. Add interest and break up the boxiness of a U-shaped kitchen by mixing dark and light cabinetry, mixed metals, or a combination of glossy and matte finishes.

Install Open Shelving

One way to keep a U-shaped kitchen from feeling claustrophobic is by adding open or floating shelves to the walls in place of cabinets. Be sure to keep open storage looking orderly with proper organization, and don't miss the styling opportunity to add colorful glass, accessories, artwork, or other decor elements to make the room feel homey and inviting.

Create a Focal Point

In a U-shaped kitchen with equal sides, add some low-key drama by creating a focal point on the far wall with a striking piece of slab stone above the stovetop, statement pendant lighting, striking tilework, or a large scale piece of art.

Use Soft Colors

Keep a small U-shaped kitchen feeling light and airy with a limited palette of soft colors and neutrals. In this airy space from deVOL Kitchens, a vintage stove in a pale shade of yellow adds a charming focal point.

Hang a Pair of Pendants

A large U-shaped kitchen can have a cavernous feel. Hanging pendant lighting above the island or dining area in the middle of the room will help define the seating area and fill some of the empty vertical space, making the kitchen feel more comfortable to spend time in.

Add Dimension With Paint

To prevent your U-shaped kitchen from feeling too boxy and one-note, add depth and dimension with dark paint on the far wall and/or the base of the kitchen island that will help create a focal point and define the space.

Swap the Island for a Table

If your U-shaped kitchen is large enough, you can always install a kitchen island.

But if your kitchen has enough counter space and storage around the periphery and enough depth or width in the center to add a seating area, some people find a dining table and chairs more comfortable than bar seating around an island.

In this kitchen from interior designer Sara Simon of Handsome Salt, a sculptural live edge dining table has an organic modern look. Try an antique or reproduction farmhouse table in a more traditional space.

Set Up a Kitchen Triangle

Make your U-shaped kitchen functional with a kitchen triangle layout. In this transitional space, the sink occupies the far wall, the oven is on the right wall, and the fridge is on the left wall to optimize flow. 

Try Black-and-White

Use blocks of white cabinetry, a full wall of dark backsplash tile, and an all-black kitchen island to give your U-shaped kitchen a crisp modern feel. Accent with gold-toned hardware that will reflect light and soften the look.

Layer Neutral Finishes

Add interest to a neutral U-shaped kitchen by mixing finishes. In this bright space, a combination of handmade zellige wall tiles, smooth slabs of marble, and simple painted white wood cabinetry adds texture that elevates the space.

Use Tile to Define Space

Use tile to define space in a small U-shaped kitchen that is open to a living area. This small London kitchen from Emilie Fournet Interiors has a geometric patterned tile backsplash on two sides of the kitchen that is visible from the peninsula and the rest of the room.

Add Layered Lighting

In a large U-shaped kitchen with one small window, be sure to install plenty of layered lighting. Include task lighting for the countertops, ambient pendant lighting above the island, and extra can lights in the ceiling to balance it all out.

Work Around Windows

Workaround windows, angled ceilings, doors, and other quirks by varying finishes throughout your U-shaped kitchen. This farmhouse kitchen has blue backsplash tile around the wall of windows above the sink.

The stove is anchored on one short wall, and the fridge is hidden behind natural wood doors in a floor-to-ceiling cabinet on the opposite wall.

Focus on the Backsplash

In a small black-and-white U-shaped kitchen, add color, texture, or pattern with a contrasting backsplash. Violets & Vinegar Design chose a gray backsplash with a subtle pattern on the backsplash tile to add variation while keeping it neutral.

Try Wraparound Shelving

Keep a small U-shaped kitchen feeling light and airy by installing open shelving instead of upper cabinetry. Be sure to keep those open shelves neatly styled, like this space from A Beautiful Mess.

Try Black Finishes

Black countertops and a matching backsplash can help define a U-shaped kitchen in an open-plan space. This double-height kitchen sticks to a palette of black and white for a breezy feel.

Pair Islands and Peninsulas

Maximize seating by pairing a central island with a peninsula added to the back of base cabinetry to create a cozy U-shaped kitchen layout.

Crisp Architects used black countertops on the kitchen island and built-in breakfast bar peninsula for a cohesive look.

Widen Walls With Shiplap

Traditional shiplap walls will complement a coastal-style space, while the horizontal boards will help it to feel more spacious by making the walls seem wider.

This U-shaped kitchen from Chango & Co. has white shiplap walls, white upper cabinets, and black countertops on the base cabinets and central kitchen island, with navy blue metal bar stools for a coastal finish.

Try Glossy White Wall Tiles

Glossy white wall tiles reflect and bounce around light in a tight space. Leanne Ford Interiors mixed gleaming square white zellige tile walls with bright white countertops and cabinets in this renovated U-shaped kitchen. Red accents energize the space.