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How we work
Kitchen Layout Lab is a free picture book of kitchen layouts for ordinary UK homes, with three small planners for the questions that photos cannot answer: will it fit, will it work, and roughly what will it cost?
The photographs
Every photograph on the site was made for it with an image generator and then checked by eye for believable UK rooms: sash windows, 1930s bay fronts, terrace side returns, new-build flats, British sockets and fittings. They show layouts, not real projects, and none of them is a real address or a product you can buy. We say so because a lot of kitchen pictures online are showroom sets dressed to sell a range.
We picked rooms most of us actually live in, with ordinary ceiling heights and walkways, rather than 60 m² showpieces.
The three planners
- Island size takes the room length and width, takes off the fitted units and a walkway on every side, and offers the largest island that is left, capped at 1200 mm deep and 3000 mm long.
- Work triangle measures the sink, hob and fridge triangle against 1200 to 2700 mm per side and 4000 to 7900 mm in total, and flags tall units, islands and walkways in the way.
- Extension cost adds up separate lines for the building shell, glass, kitchen, fees, building control, party wall surveyors, contingency and VAT, each as a low and a high figure.
All three run in your browser. They are tested against hand-worked examples each time the maths changes.
Sizes we use
| Item | Size |
|---|---|
| Base unit and worktop depth | 600 |
| Worktop height | 900 to 920 |
| Walkway, least / comfortable | 900 / 1000 to 1200 |
| Walkway behind an island hob | 1200 |
| Stool width / knee overhang | 600 / 250 to 300 |
They are the conventions UK kitchen fitters and manufacturers work to, not legal requirements. Your own units and appliances may differ by a few millimetres, so check their specification sheets before you order.
Prices
Cost ranges were set in November 2026 by comparing published UK price guides from builders, trade platforms and cost consultants, and sitting within their middle ranges. Statutory fees come from the Planning Portal and GOV.UK. A range is not a quote: ground conditions, access, your choice of builder and the detail of your design all move the final figure.
Rules and regulations
Planning facts refer to England: the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the General Permitted Development Order 2015 and the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, checked against GOV.UK technical guidance and the Planning Portal. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules.
What the site will not do
It does not sell kitchens, take enquiries or pass your details to anyone. There is no form, phone number or email address here. It cannot see your room either: an old wall out of plumb, a boiler flue or a sloping floor can change a plan, so always measure on site and confirm with whoever will fit the kitchen.
Read the privacy note for what happens when you visit.