Narrow Kitchen Ideas:
How to Design a Narrow Kitchen

Long, narrow straight kitchen with a small bar seating area on the opposing wall

Contrary to popular opinion, narrow kitchen design is not as complicated as it might seem. Whether you’re opting for a modern galley kitchen, a straight kitchen or a U- or L-shaped kitchen, here at eba we have a few tips up our sleeve to ensure that you create a kitchen that’s both functional and pleasant to be in, day in and day out.  

Take a look at our narrow kitchen ideas to see how your kitchen space can be used to its full potential.  

Different layouts for different spaces 

View of a modern galley kitchen in a light wood finish, with a large window at one end

When deciding on your narrow kitchen design, the choice of layout is crucial. It needs to reflect your space and its particularities, including, above all, the positions of the room's doors and windows. In closed kitchens, we prefer L-shape, parallel, or straight designs, with units that are slightly less deep on one side than the other. For open kitchens, we suggest opting for a U-shape or a parallel layout with an island, a bar or a peninsula. It's important to bear in mind the rule of the kitchen triangle, which will make sure that the kitchen space is functional. 

Floor to ceiling storage units 

Small U-shaped kitchen with white storage units from floor to ceiling

If you’re lacking in floor space, look to your walls for additional storage. Bespoke kitchen fitters like Santos will be able to offer you floor to ceiling units that use every inch of available space. Santos kitchen units are all available in multiple widths, depths and heights, so our narrow kitchen designs can be tailor-made to suit your room and its dimensions, with absolutely no space wasted.  

Intelligent storage for easy movement 

L-shaped kitchen with an open plinth draw unit and a large window over the sink

Kitchen brands have got increasingly creative with storage solutions in recent years, and one of the most ingenious solutions offered by Santos are their plinth drawer units. The concept is simple but effective – replace the traditional plinth with a storage unit, permitting use of space all the way to the floor.  

The brand has also developed a system of units with retractable doors, allowing you to move around your modern galley kitchen (or U-shape, or L-shape) easily, even with the unit doors open. 

Bright or bold colours 

Long-shot of a light-coloured narrow kitchen with storage units on one side and a bar area on the other

Before you get too carried away with your narrow kitchen ideas, let us remind you to choose your colours wisely. Using a light colour for your kitchen door finishes will visually enlarge the space, whilst darker tones will have the opposite effect. The same goes for the colour of the walls. If you want to break up the narrow feeling of the room, you could opt for a coloured wall - but be careful to choose one that you won't bore of. 

Lots of light will make the space look bigger 

Bright wood and white L-shaped kitchen with seating looking out towards a large window

Light is an essential element of interior design. Whether natural or artificial, light is indispensable for giving a sense of space, particularly in smaller rooms. Pay particular attention to the positions of doors and windows in your room, basing your narrow kitchen design around them. This will help maximise the amount of natural light coming into the room.  

For artificial light, think about choosing central lighting that will light the whole kitchen, which you can then supplement with more targeted lights - above a worktop, for example.  

Use industry experts 

Narrow parallel kitchen with wooden floor-to-ceiling storage units and marble countertops

Narrow parallel kitchen with tall storage units and a marble peninsula

No-one will be better equipped to help you than an industry professional. Don't shy away from calling an architect or a professional kitchen fitter who can come and take the measurements of your kitchen and talk through your narrow kitchen ideas. They’ll be able to suggest the most suitable options for your space. 

Would you like to work with us? Let us know via our contact form. We'd be delighted to assist you with the creation of your bespoke kitchen space.