Custom kitchen design and layout planning

Before a single carcass is cut, your kitchen exists as a measured drawing: zones, clearances, bench heights and lighting positions set against the room you actually have, not a showroom template.

PLAN · ZONING · TRAFFIC

How a layout is chosen

Every plan starts with the fixed points — window sills, the position of the waste stack, structural walls, the door people actually walk through. Those constraints decide far more than taste does, so they are surveyed and drawn before any layout is proposed.

From there the room is split into zones: preparation, cooking, washing and storage, each with its own bench run and power. The old work-triangle rule still holds for compact galley and L-shaped rooms, while wider open-plan spaces usually work better as parallel zones with an island absorbing preparation and seating. Our kitchen layouts guide compares those arrangements in detail.

Where an island is part of the brief, its footprint is tested against walkway widths and seating overhang before it is drawn — the sizing logic is set out on the kitchen islands page.

900

Bench height

Set to the people who cook in the room, not a default. Sink and cooktop runs can step apart where it helps.

1000 – 1200

Walkways and island gaps

Enough to open a dishwasher door and still pass behind it. Tight rooms are drawn at the lower figure and tested with appliance doors open on the plan.

300 / 450 / 600

Module widths and drawer banks

Cabinet runs are resolved in standard modules first, then filler and end panels are drawn so nothing is improvised on site. Deep drawers replace low cupboards wherever the run allows — see custom cabinetry.

2340

Overhead limit

Bulkhead, ceiling height and rangehood ducting are checked before upper cabinetry is drawn to the ceiling line.

STAGES 01 – 04 OF 13

What the design stage produces

01 Consultation. A conversation about how the room is used, what fails in the current kitchen and what the renovation has to achieve.

02 Measure. A full site survey: wall lengths, out-of-square, floor level, window reveals, service positions and appliance dimensions recorded on a setout sheet.

03 Design. Plan and elevation drawings plus 3D concept views, showing cabinet modules, benchtop runs, splashback extents, lighting and power positions. Revisions happen here, on paper, where they cost nothing.

04 Quote. The drawing is priced line by line — cabinetry, stone, hardware, services and finishing — so the scope and the figure describe the same kitchen.

Stages 05 to 13 cover materials, demolition, cabinetry, services, benchtops, splashback, installation, finishing and handover — set out in full on the 13-step renovation process.

ERGONOMICS · LIGHT · POWER

Heights, reach and where the light falls

Drawer heights are allocated to what they hold: shallow for cutlery and utensils, mid-depth for crockery, deep for pots and pantry goods. Overhead cabinetry is set so the first shelf is reachable without a stool, and appliance positions are drawn with their door swing, not just their footprint.

Lighting is planned at the same time as the joinery. Under-cabinet strips light the bench you work on, ceiling points are set forward of the cabinet face so you are not working in your own shadow, and pendants over an island are spaced to the island length rather than centred by eye. Power outlets, switches and any appliance circuits are marked on the elevations before the electrician is booked — which is why plan and finish decisions run together with benchtop and splashback selections.

DESIGN STAGE · COMMON QUESTIONS

Questions asked before drawings start

How many revisions does a design go through?

As many as the plan needs. Layouts are refined until the zoning, storage and clearances work for the way you cook, because changing a drawing is straightforward and changing installed cabinetry is not.

What documentation do I receive?

Dimensioned plan and elevation drawings, 3D concept views, appliance and hardware schedules, and a finishes list covering cabinetry, benchtop and splashback selections. Trades work from the same set.

Can you design around appliances I already own?

Yes. Existing appliances are measured with their clearance and ventilation requirements and drawn into the cabinetry run, including any allowance needed behind or above them.

Does design work only apply to a full renovation?

No. The same planning discipline applies to a small kitchen renovation or a makeover, where the existing footprint stays and the gains come from storage, heights and finish decisions.

NEXT · 03 / 07 / 09

Take the plan further

A finished design leads naturally into complete kitchen renovations for a full rebuild, or into custom cabinetry and pantry & storage solutions where the joinery is the project. Reading first? Start with kitchen layouts explained or planning a kitchen island.

Send your room dimensions, the suburb and what the layout has to do.

Prefer to ask a question first? Contact us.