Plan your kitchen layout
Measure wall to wall, in feet. Length is the longer dimension.
How this planner works
The logic is the same set of clearances we use on a drawing board, expressed in feet. Counter depth d defaults to 2 ft; minimum aisle a is 3 ft for one cook and 3 ft 6 in for two:
- Island is offered only if the room is open plan, the length is at least 12 ft, and the width is at least 2d + 2a + 2.5 ft for the island itself — 12 ft 6 in at default settings.
- U-shape needs width ≥ 7 ft 6 in, length ≥ 9 ft, and a clear gap between the two returns of L − 2d ≥ a.
- Parallel galley needs width ≥ 2d + a, which is 7 ft at default settings, and length ≥ 7 ft.
- L-shape needs width ≥ d + a, which is 5 ft.
- Single wall is the fallback below that.
- Base unit run is computed per layout: single wall L − 0.5; L-shape (L − 0.5) + (W − d − 0.5); parallel 2 × (L − 0.5); U-shape (L − 0.5) + 2 × (W − d − 0.5); island the L-shape run plus an island of min(L − 4, 6) ft. The 0.5 ft deductions are for the door swing and end scribes.
- Wall unit run is estimated at 70% of the base run, and counter area as base run × counter depth.
| Layout | Minimum room width | Minimum length | Base run in a 10 ft long kitchen | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single wall | 5 ft 0 in | 6 ft | 9.5 running ft | Studio flats, utility kitchens |
| L-shaped | 5 ft 0 in | 7 ft | 15.0 running ft | Most 1BHK and compact 2BHK kitchens |
| Parallel galley | 7 ft 0 in | 7 ft | 19.0 running ft | Long narrow kitchens with two doors |
| U-shaped | 7 ft 6 in | 9 ft | 20.5 running ft | The workhorse Mumbai 2BHK kitchen |
| Island | 12 ft 6 in | 12 ft | 26.5 running ft | Open-plan homes, villas, 4BHK |
Base runs computed for a 10 ft × 8 ft room where the layout fits; the island figure assumes a 12 × 13 ft room.
Design and build under one accountable roof
Worked example: a 10 × 8 ft enclosed kitchen
- Width 8 ft ≥ 7 ft 6 in and length 10 ft ≥ 9 ft, so a U-shape qualifies
- Clear gap between the two returns = L − 2d = 10 − 4 = 6 ft, comfortably above the 3 ft minimum
- Base run = (10 − 0.5) + 2 × (8 − 2 − 0.5) = 9.5 + 11 = 20.5 running ft
- Wall unit run ≈ 20.5 × 0.7 = 14.4 running ft
- Counter area = 20.5 × 2 = 41 sq ft
- At 6 ft of aisle, two people can work comfortably — the 3 ft 6 in threshold is met with room to spare.
The rules this planner encodes, and why they exist
- Three feet of aisle is the width at which you can open a base drawer and still stand in front of it. Below that, the drawer hits your shins.
- Two feet of counter each side of the hob. One side for the pan going on, one for the pan coming off. Kitchens that skip this end up with hot pans on the floor.
- Sink under the window. The window is the one wall position where a wall cabinet cannot go, so it is the natural home for the sink. It also means you are looking out while doing the least interesting job in the kitchen.
- Never the hob under a window. Cross-draught blows out a flame, curtains are a fire risk, and the chimney has nowhere to duct.
- Fridge at the end of a run, near the door. A fridge in the middle of a counter breaks the work triangle and eats 2 ft 6 in of the best working space.
- Island only if the aisles survive it. An island with 2 ft 6 in aisles is a beautiful obstacle. Either the room is wide enough or it is not.
Every kitchen we redraw for a client has the same problem: the hob was placed where the drawing looked balanced, not where the cook could put a pan down.
Greenbox principal designer
What this planner does not decide
- Plumbing and drain positions, which may force the sink onto a particular wall
- The existing gas line and meter position, which is expensive to move in a society building
- Chimney duct routing to an external wall or shaft — the single most common reason a layout changes
- Door and window swings, and whether the kitchen door can be rehung to open outwards
- The cost of the kitchen you end up with — use the modular kitchen cost calculator for that
This calculator uses the same rate bands and site rules our estimators apply, taken from Greenbox project records and cross-checked against 2026 supplier and contractor quotations in Mumbai. It is an indicative estimate, not a quotation — the real figure depends on your drawings, site condition and the brands you finally specify.
Selected work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum size for a U-shaped kitchen?+
About 7 ft 6 in wide by 9 ft long with 2 ft counters. That leaves roughly 3 ft 6 in between the two returns — workable for one cook. Below 7 ft 6 in of width, the U becomes a corridor you cannot turn around in, and an L-shape gives a better result.
How wide should a kitchen aisle be?+
Three feet minimum for one cook, 3 ft 6 in if two people work at once, and 4 ft if the aisle also serves as a route to a utility balcony. The test is simple: can you open a base drawer fully and still stand in front of it?
Can I have an island in a small kitchen?+
Not really. An island needs two aisles of at least 3 ft plus the island's own 2 ft 6 in depth on top of two 2 ft counters — about 12 ft 6 in of room width. In a typical Mumbai flat that only works when the kitchen opens into the dining area and you treat the island as a peninsula instead.
How many running feet of kitchen will I get?+
Roughly 15 running feet from an L-shape in a 10 × 8 kitchen, 20.5 from a U-shape in the same room, and 19 from a parallel layout. The planner computes this from your actual dimensions, deducting 6 inches per run for door swings and end scribes.
Should the sink or the hob go under the window?+
The sink. A window is the one wall position where a wall cabinet cannot go, so putting the sink there costs you no storage. A hob under a window is a genuine hazard — cross-draught blows out the flame and the chimney has nowhere to duct.