How to measure your kitchen
Measure each wall at counter height, from corner to corner, and write down where every door and window starts. A tape measure and a sketch on paper are enough. Measure twice: a cabinet run that is 1 in too long won’t go in.
- Room size. Wall to wall across the top of your sketch (the width), then the other way (the length). In an open kitchen, measure the floor you’ll give the kitchen and set that side as open.
- Door. Which wall it’s on, how far it starts from the left (or top) corner, its width and which way it swings. A door that swings into the kitchen needs its swing kept clear.
- Window. Where it starts and how wide it is. The planner keeps the range and the tall fridge away from it and tries the sink under it.
- Appliances. The width of the openings you’ll buy for: a 30 in range, a 36 in fridge, a 24 in dishwasher and a 33 in sink base are the most common.
How to design a kitchen layout in five steps
- Pick the layout by room width. Two runs of counter facing each other need about 7 ft 9 in wall to wall (two 25½ in counters and a 42 in aisle); an island adds another aisle and its own depth. See the widths in kitchen layout ideas.
- Fix the sink first. It usually goes under the window or on the wall with the plumbing, and the dishwasher goes right next to it.
- Place the range and the fridge. Keep counter beside each one, and keep the fridge at the end of a run so its door doesn’t block the counter.
- Check the work triangle. Each leg between the sink, range and fridge should be 4 to 9 ft, 26 ft in all. The work triangle guide explains why.
- Add storage and seating. Fill the rest with cabinets, then check the space behind any stools.
What the planner checks
Every number below comes from a named source. The planner shows each check on the drawing and in the list, with the measured gap and what it should be. “One cook” uses NKBA’s minimums; “Two cooks” uses its numbers for more than one cook; “Wheelchair” adds the 2010 ADA Standards’ kitchen clearances.
| Check | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Work aisle between counters, appliances or an island | 42 in for one cook, 48 in for two | NKBA |
| Walkway past counters | 36 in | NKBA |
| Behind seated diners | 36 in to edge past, 44 in to walk past | NKBA |
| Work triangle | each leg 4 to 9 ft, 26 ft in all, no leg across an island by more than 12 in | NKBA |
| Counter beside the sink | 24 in on one side, 18 in on the other | NKBA |
| Counter beside the range | 15 in on one side, 12 in on the other | NKBA |
| Counter beside the fridge | 15 in beside it, or across the aisle within 48 in | NKBA |
| Counter shared by two appliances | the longer of the two, plus 12 in | NKBA |
| Dishwasher | within 36 in of the sink, 21 in from a corner | NKBA |
| Range and windows | no range under a window | NKBA |
| Stools | 24 in of counter each; knee space 15 in deep at a 36 in counter, 12 in at a 42 in bar | NKBA |
| Island cooktop | 9 in of counter behind it | NKBA |
| Doors | the door’s swing and a 36 in walkway in front of it stay clear | NKBA walkway; the swing is ours |
| Targets: prep counter, counter in all | 36 in next to the sink; 158 in in all | NKBA |
| Wheelchair | 40 in in a galley, 60 in inside a U, a 30 × 48 in clear floor space at each appliance | 2010 ADA Standards 804 |
| Sizes it draws | counters 25½ in deep; a standard fridge stands 35¼ in out from the wall, a counter-depth one 29¾ in | Caesarstone, Wolf; Samsung, KitchenAid |
The prep counter and the 158 in total are NKBA targets that most small kitchens can’t meet; the planner shows them but doesn’t count them against a plan. NKBA’s guidelines are recommendations, not code: the building code sets no kitchen aisle width at all.
Start from a measured layout
Every plan on KitchenInch, 31 so far: the ones that pass every check first, smallest room first. Each one opens in the planner with the room filled in.
8 × 10 ft · Galley · passes every check
8 × 10 ft · L-shaped · passes every check
8 × 10 ft · U-shaped · passes every check
10 ft × 8 ft 3 in · Galley · passes every check
9 ft 10 in × 9 ft 10 in · L-shaped · passes every check
12 ft × 8 ft 3 in · Galley · passes every check
10 × 10 ft · L-shaped · passes every check
10 × 10 ft · L-shaped · passes every check
10 × 10 ft · Galley · passes every check
10 × 10 ft · U-shaped · passes every check
13 × 8 ft · One-wall · passes every check
12 × 9 ft · Galley · passes every check
12 × 10 ft · Galley · passes every check
10 × 12 ft · L-shaped · passes every check
15 × 8 ft · One-wall · passes every check
12 × 12 ft · Peninsula, 2 stools · passes every check
14 × 12 ft · L-shaped with an island, 3 stools · passes every check
13 × 13 ft · L-shaped with an island, 2 stools · passes every check
13 × 13 ft · Peninsula, 2 stools · passes every check
13 × 13 ft · G-shaped, 2 stools · passes every check
16 × 12 ft · U-shaped with an island, 2 stools · passes every check
16 × 13 ft · One-wall with an island, 3 stools · passes every check
8 × 8 ft · One-wall · 4 checks short
7 × 10 ft · L-shaped · 1 check short
8 × 10 ft · L-shaped · 1 check short
10 × 8 ft · One-wall · 3 checks short
8 × 10 ft · U-shaped · 1 check short
12 ft × 7 ft 9 in · Galley · 2 checks short
12 × 8 ft · One-wall · 1 check short
10 × 10 ft · One-wall · 4 checks short
14 × 8 ft · One-wall · 2 checks short
What the planner doesn’t do
It plans the floor: counters, appliances, aisles and seating. It doesn’t design wiring, plumbing, gas lines or the range hood’s duct, and it doesn’t draw wall cabinets. Those are jobs for a licensed electrician, plumber or gas fitter and need a permit in most places. It also can’t see your local code: the 2021 International Residential Code asks for 30 in between a cooktop and anything that burns above it, a 7 ft kitchen ceiling and a sink in every kitchen, and your town may add more. Check with your building department before you order cabinets.
Questions
Is this kitchen planner free?
Yes. There’s no sign-up, and your room never leaves your browser. Saved plans stay on your device in My kitchen, and a share link carries the whole plan in its address.
How do I design a kitchen layout myself?
Measure the room, door and window, then let the room’s width pick the layout: one wall under about 7 ft 9 in, two facing runs above that, and an island only past about 13 ft. Put the sink first, then the range and fridge with counter beside each. The planner does those steps and checks every gap.
How much space do you need between kitchen counters?
NKBA recommends a 42 in work aisle for one cook and 48 in for two or more. A standard-depth fridge stands about 9¾ in past the counter, so measure the aisle from its door, not from the counter.
Can AI design my kitchen for free?
This planner isn’t AI: it tries every wall and position for each appliance and keeps the arrangements that pass NKBA’s spacing rules. You get measured plans you can check, rather than a picture.
Sources
- NKBA’s free Kitchen Planning Guidelines with Access Standards: work aisles (42 in for one cook, 48 in for two), walkways (36 in), the work triangle (each leg 4 to 9 ft, 26 ft in all), landing areas beside the sink, cooktop and fridge, the dishwasher’s place and standing room, and seating clearances. This is the older free edition; the paid 5th edition (June 2026) may change some numbers.
- 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, section 804 (kitchens: 40 in in a pass-through kitchen, 60 in in a U-shaped one, a 30 × 48 in clear floor space at each appliance). They bind buildings the ADA covers, not private homes; we use them as accessible-design targets.
- 2021 International Residential Code, chapter 3 as adopted in Connecticut (R304 room size, which kitchens are exempt from, R305.1 ceiling height, R306.2 kitchen sink), read on UpCodes
- 2021 IRC G2447.5 (30 in above a gas cooktop to combustible material, 24 in with listed protection) and M1901.1, read on UpCodes
- Caesarstone: the standard depth of kitchen countertops, 25½ in (24 in cabinets plus a 1½ in overhang)
- Wolf Classic Cabinetry product specifications: base cabinets 34½ in high and 24 in deep, stock widths 9 in and 12 to 42 in in 3 in steps (45 and 48 in by special order), wall cabinets 12 in deep
- Samsung “Will it fit” sheets for a counter-depth (28¾ in to the door front) and a standard-depth fridge (34¼ in to the door front); the planner adds 1 in behind, as KitchenAid’s guide asks
- Whirlpool WFES3530R 30 in range dimension guide: 29⅞ in wide, 25 7/16 in deep without the handle
- Bosch 300 Series SHS3ADF5N spec sheet: a 24 in wide, 24 in deep, 33⅞ to 35 in high opening
Checked 19 October 2026.