U-Shaped Kitchen With Peninsula Floor Plans: Architect Created Designs
A peninsula is the solution you end up with when your kitchen wants an island, but the room doesn’t allow it. It is connected at one side of the U shape, which gives you the additional countertop and the seating without the need to cut out a free-standing section from the center of the floor. In a room narrower than 15 feet, that difference makes all the difference. The five plans listed below range from a compact 10 by 10 to a 13 by 15, the latter including a walk-in pantry; they are drawn to scale with the dimensions indicated so that you can hold them up next to your own room rather than having to guess. Something you should keep an eye on while browsing is the aisleway. Since the U-shaped area already has three sides with cabinets closing in, and with the peninsula it has three and a half, any space below 42 inches between the peninsula and the other end begins to look like a hallway with a stove in it.
Compact 10×10 U-Shaped Kitchen With Short Peninsula Layout
The smallest footprint in which a U-shape and a peninsula can share a room without conflict is ten by ten.
The sink is located under the window on the back wall and the dishwasher is right next to it, which is the proper position for both of them. The left side has a straight 24-inch prep counter and the cooktop is on the right side, adjacent to the peninsula. A classic triangle layout with no unnecessary steps.
The reason why this arrangement works is the position of the refrigerator. It’s placed in the lower left corner, lying outside the U shape. Although that might sound like a disadvantage, it means that anyone who wants a drink doesn’t have to go into the cooking area. In a kitchen of this size, leaving one person out of the way is indeed a real advantage.
The peninsula is only 60 inches long and the plan doesn’t include stools. That’s straightforward. Although you could fit two, the working aisle shrinks to 36 inches on that side and you’ll notice it every time someone is sitting there while you’re cooking. It should be treated as a landing counter before considering seating.
Dimensions:
- Room: 10’ x 10’
- Peninsula: 24″ deep x 60″ long
- Sink: 30″ | Cooktop: 30″
- Working aisle: 42″ at the sink, 36″ past the peninsula
- Prep counter run: 66″
Design Tips:
- Instead of putting upper cabinets above the sink window, use open shelving on the prep leg. In a 10×10 space it is the visual weight of the three walls of upper cabinets that makes the room seem cramped, not the amount of square footage.
- Fit a shallow 6-inch cabinet into the back of the peninsula for storing cookbooks or platters since there would otherwise be dead space and you have no extra space to offer.
- Since the fridge is situated outside the U, it should have a 15-inch landing countertop on the open side; otherwise the groceries will end up on the floor.
11×13 U-Shape Kitchen With Two-Seat Peninsula Floor Plan
It is only by adding a foot in each direction that you end up with real barstools rather than a counter which you feign is seating.
This room’s 60-inch aisle is the main feature. It provides space for two people to work side by side and also allows the dishwasher door to swing open without obstructing the aisle. People who have had to live with a 36-inch aisle will fully understand just how important that is.
The sink and the dishwasher were placed on the left-hand leg, which allowed the whole back wall to be used for the refrigerator and a 96-inch counter extending from the cooktop. It’s a clear separation with the wet area on one side, the cooking and cold storage on the other and the prep space in between. Nothing crosses.
The peninsula is 72 inches long and has two seats, resting on the right leg with 36 inches of space behind the stools. This is the smallest amount of room needed for a person to move past someone who is seated. It’s tight, but it does work, and the two seats are actually usable rather than just decorative.
Dimensions:
- Room: 11’ x 13’
- Peninsula: 24″ deep x 72″ long, two seats
- Sink: 33″ | Cooktop: 30″ | Dishwasher: 24″
- Working aisle: 60″
- Back wall counter run: 96″
Design Tips:
- It’s better to hang two small pendants above the peninsula rather than using a single large fixture. Two seats look better with two lights, and this prevents the fixture from overcrowding the 36-inch pass-behind.
- A lazy susan or a blind corner pullout can be placed in the corner where the sink leg meets the back wall. Most storage plans fail to make use of that 24 inches of excellent storage space.
- Enclose the peninsula’s seating side with a contrasting panel or a wooden front since that is the only surface which guests will see and it prevents the kitchen from appearing as a single continuous piece of cabinetry.
10×14 Narrow U-Shape Kitchen With Long Peninsula Design
A lengthy room may have a long peninsula, and when there are three seats the kitchen ceases to be a kitchen and begins to be the place where everyone gathers.
When rooms are narrow they are generally referred to as galleys, and galleys generally have no seating arrangement. This plan avoids that situation by using the extra length rather than the extra width. The peninsula extends the full 108 inches and includes three stools, providing more social seating than most 12-foot kitchens do.
The downside is the 48-inch aisle, which is satisfactory for a single cook and acceptable for two people if they are working in coordination, but it isn’t a kitchen designed for three people to work at the same time. Since the 84-inch counter extending along the back wall between the refrigerator and the cooktop is where most of the prep work is being done, make sure that section remains clear.
The sink and the dishwasher are on the short left leg and near the entrance. The dishes are brought in, rinsed and then put into the dishwasher. It’s a short journey, and that is precisely why a U-shaped arrangement is desirable.
Dimensions:
- Room: 10’ x 14’
- Peninsula: 24″ deep x 108″ long, three seats
- Refrigerator: 36″ | Cooktop: 30″
- Working aisle: 48″
- Back wall counter run: 84″
Design Tips:
- Lay the flooring in the long direction, parallel to the peninsula; if you lay it across a narrow room it will be divided into sections and 10 feet will then seem like 8 feet.
- In a narrow kitchen the section of the wall above the 84-inch opening should either be left completely open or fitted with cabinets; otherwise the arrangement looks unsatisfactory and obstructs the line of sight which gives the impression that the room is longer.
- Select backless stools that fold all the way under the 24-inch overhang since, with a 48-inch aisle, having the backs of the stools protrude would mean walking through rather than having to turn sideways.
12×14 U-Shaped Style Kitchen With Sink Peninsula Layout
Putting the sink into the peninsula means that dishwashing becomes a conversation rather than a punishment.
The plan involves altering the rules. Both the 36-inch sink and the dishwasher are situated in the peninsula and face into the room. When you rinse, you look at the people rather than at a backsplash. If your kitchen opens out into a dining or family area, then this one change has a greater effect on the atmosphere than any choice of finish will.
It also makes the entire perimeter free. The back wall now has the refrigerator together with a 30-inch pantry cabinet complete with proper doors, and the cooktop is moved to the right leg where there is 48 inches of countertop. Cooking and cleaning end up on opposite sides of the room, which is precisely what you want when two people are present.
The left wall is a dedicated prep counter, 10 feet of it, doing nothing but holding things. That’s a luxury. Use it for the coffee setup, the stand mixer, the stuff that otherwise colonizes your good counter space.
Along the 108-inch peninsula three seats can be fitted, with 36 inches behind each of them. The plumbing in the peninsula is the only actual cost involved and it is a genuine cost, so you should consider the price before you fall in love with the plan.
Dimensions:
- Room: 12’ x 14’
- Peninsula: 24″ deep x 108″ long, three seats
- Sink: 36″ (in peninsula) | Cooktop: 30″ | Pantry: 30″
- Inner working area: 12’ x 10’
- Cooktop leg counter: 48″
Design Tips:
- Here, have a single-bowl sink, not a double one. The peninsula is only 24 inches deep and therefore leaves you with no dry area on either side if you have a double bowl.
- If possible, raise the side of the peninsula that forms the seating by six inches, as this will conceal the stack of dishes from anyone sitting on that side, which is the only disadvantage of having a sink facing outward.
- Place the trash pullout beside the dishwasher in the peninsula, not on the edge. Scrape it, throw it away, and load it all without having to turn around.
13×15’ Large U-Shaped Style Kitchen With A Peninsula and Pantry Wall Layout
When it reaches this size, the peninsula ceases to be a compromise and becomes an option you would choose even if there was room for an island.
The walk-in pantry in the upper left corner is the one that most kitchens of this size wish they had; it takes in the small appliances, the bulk paper products, and the cereal boxes which would otherwise remain on your counters, and as a result all the items that come after this in the plan are cleaner.
The pantry, followed by the refrigerator and then the double-wall oven, lies in a straight line, making it appear as though it is a single tall wall rather than a series of mismatched cabinets. Since the cooktop was installed on the right hand side of a 48-inch counter, the oven and the cooktop are thus separated. Some people dislike this arrangement. However, in a kitchen used by two cooks, it is in fact an advantage, since the person who is roasting does not have to stand where the person carrying out the sautéing needs to be.
The left section includes the sink, the dishwasher, and the prep counter, with a length of 110 inches; this is the cleaning area, completely enclosed and situated a good distance away from both heat sources. Four stools fit along the 108-inch peninsula. With this much floor, the aisle behind them stays generous, and you get the thing every big kitchen is really chasing: a place for people to sit and be near you without being underfoot.
Dimensions:
- Room: 13’ x 15’
- Peninsula: 24″ deep x 108″ long, four seats
- Sink: 36″ | Refrigerator: 36″ | Double wall oven: 30″
- Back wall run: 135″ | Left leg run: 110″
- Cooktop leg counter: 48″
Design Tips:
- Allow the pantry door to swing freely. It opens into the corner of the U and it’s a mistake that you’ll notice each and every day if the door bumps against the refrigerator handle.
- Light the peninsula on its own switch. With four seats, it doubles as a homework table and a buffet, and neither one needs the full kitchen lit up.
- Break up the 135-inch back wall with a different cabinet finish or a glass front near the oven. At that length, a single uninterrupted run of doors starts to look like a hallway of lockers.
To showcase highly specific designs, some images on this website use advanced AI-generation software to illustrate ideas and room inspiration. See our editorial policy to learn more.
