Kitchen Planning Guide: Layouts, Appliances and Timings
A kitchen is one of the biggest investments you will make in your home, and the decisions made at the planning stage shape how it works for years. This guide walks through the main steps: how you use the room, choosing a layout, planning in key appliances such as range cookers and boiling water taps, taking measurements, and what a typical timescale looks like. When you are ready, bring your plans to our Leeds showroom and talk them through with the team.
Start with how you use the room
Before thinking about doors and worktops, think about daily life. Do you cook every day or mainly entertain at weekends? Does the kitchen also need to work as a dining room, a homework space or a place to work from home? How many people use it at once? The answers decide how much storage you need, how much worktop space and whether an island, a peninsula or a dining table makes sense.
Choosing a layout
Most kitchens are a variation on a few proven layouts:
- Single wall or galley: efficient in narrower rooms, with everything within a few steps.
- L-shaped: flexible and sociable, often leaving room for a table or island.
- U-shaped: plenty of worktop and storage, suited to keen cooks.
- Island or peninsula: adds preparation space, seating and a focal point, but needs enough clearance around it to move and open doors comfortably.
Whichever layout you choose, keep the sink, the hob and the fridge within easy reach of each other, and avoid placing tall units where they block light or interrupt a run of worktop.
Plan key appliances early
Range cookers
A range cooker is often the centrepiece of the room, so it is worth deciding on it before the cabinetry is drawn around it. Lacanche range cookers are hand built in France and our range covers widths from 700mm to 1105mm, with a wide choice of colours and oven configurations. Check the gas or electrical supply you will need and allow for extraction above. You can explore configurations with our Lacanche oven builder.
Boiling water taps
A Quooker boiling water tap replaces the kettle, but the tank sits in the cupboard under the sink, so plan that cupboard and its plumbing accordingly.
Other appliances
Decide early whether ovens will be built in at eye level, where the dishwasher and bins will go, and whether you want integrated or freestanding refrigeration. Each choice affects the cabinet plan.
Taking measurements
Accurate measurements make your first design appointment far more productive. Note:
- the length of every wall, measured at worktop height;
- the ceiling height, and any beams or sloping sections;
- the positions and sizes of windows and doors, including which way doors open;
- radiators, the boiler, the gas meter, the stopcock and the soil pipe;
- existing sockets, switches and plumbing.
Add photographs from each corner of the room and any architect’s drawings. If you are planning to move walls or extend, bring the plans even if they are not final.
Typical timescales
Every project is different, but a kitchen typically moves through these stages:
- Planning and design: appointments, layout drawings and choosing finishes and appliances.
- Ordering: once the design is signed off, units and appliances are ordered. Manufacturing and delivery lead times vary by brand and are confirmed with your quotation.
- Preparation: any building, structural, electrical or plumbing work needed before fitting.
- Installation: fitting the cabinets, worktops and appliances, followed by finishing work.
If you are working to a deadline, tell us at the start so we can plan backwards from the date you need the kitchen.
Supply and installation
We supply kitchens across the UK, and our installation service covers Yorkshire only. Our kitchen team can also provide design, project management and associated building work, including plumbing, electrical work, plastering and structural alterations. Browse our kitchens, including Scavolini Italian kitchens.
Visit the showroom
Seeing kitchens and range cookers in person is the best way to judge finishes and proportions. Our showroom is open by appointment only. Read our showroom visit guide to make the most of your visit.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a new kitchen take?
It depends on the scope. Typically, the stages are design and choices, manufacture and delivery, then installation and any building work. Manufacturing lead times vary by brand and are confirmed with your quotation, so plan backwards from the date you need the kitchen.
Do you install kitchens outside Yorkshire?
We supply kitchens across the UK, but our installation service covers Yorkshire only.
When should I choose a range cooker or Quooker tap?
Early, ideally at the layout stage. A range cooker sets the width of the cooking zone and needs the right gas or electrical supply, and a Quooker boiling water tap needs space for its tank in the cupboard under the sink.
What measurements do I need for a kitchen design appointment?
Measure every wall, the ceiling height and the positions of windows, doors, radiators, the boiler and existing plumbing and electrics. Photographs and any architect's plans are also very helpful.
Can I see kitchens before I buy?
Yes. Kitchens and range cookers are on display at our Leeds showroom, 248 Meanwood Road, LS7 2HZ. Visits are by appointment only, so call 0113 266 0096 (9am–4pm, Monday to Friday) to book.
BMF Creative Interiors, 248 Meanwood Road, Leeds LS7 2HZ. Showroom visits by appointment only. Phone 0113 266 0096 (lines open 9am–4pm, Monday to Friday) or email info@bmfonline.co.uk.