L-shaped kitchen
Two adjoining walls, one open corner.
Modular Kitchens
Parallel kitchen design
A parallel kitchen places two runs of counters and cabinets face to face, with a walkway between them. It suits long, narrow rooms, where it uses both walls fully and keeps everything within a step or two.It is one of the most efficient layouts for a single cook. We plan which run holds the sink and which holds the hob, check the clearances, and then make every cabinet to measure.
01Fit
Is it right for your home?
Works best when
- Long, narrow kitchens, including galley-style rooms in older apartments
- Kitchens with a door at one end and a window at the other
- One main cook who values a short, efficient working path
- Homes that need a lot of storage without a wide room
- Open layouts where one run can face the dining area
Worth considering
- If the aisle is also a passage between two doors, people walk through the cook's space.
- Opening doors and drawers on both runs can block the aisle if it is narrow.
- The far end needs a window or light, otherwise the aisle feels like a tunnel.
- With no corners, there is less room for a dining table inside the kitchen.
- The two runs need their own ventilation plan; steam and smoke settle in a narrow room.
02Design ideas
Ideas to start from
Sink and hob on opposite runs
A quarter-turn between them keeps the triangle short, and each has counter space on both sides.
Tall units at the entrance end
Refrigerator, oven and grain storage at the door end stay accessible without cutting into the working aisle.
Window at the end of the aisle
A clear window at the far end draws light down the length of the room. We keep the end wall free of tall units to protect it.
Open shelving on one run
Open shelves on one side lighten the room and make a narrow aisle feel wider.
Handleless fronts on the facing run
Push-to-open or edge-pull shutters reduce handles that can catch clothes in a tight aisle.
Full-height pantry run
One run of floor-to-ceiling storage and one run of counters gives a tidy, low-clutter room.
Light colours on both runs
Pale shutters and a reflective backsplash bounce light along a narrow room.
Folding or sliding door at one end
A sliding door keeps smell and noise contained, and does not swing into the aisle.
03Materials
Materials and finishes
- Carcass
- Moisture-resistant boards such as BWR plywood or HDHMR, with extra sealing on the sink-side run.
- Shutters
- Laminate and acrylic wipe clean easily, and glossy finishes bounce light in narrow rooms. Glass fronts work for a display unit but show fingerprints.
- Countertop
- Granite or engineered quartz in a continuous run on each side, with cut-outs measured against the exact hob and sink.
- Hardware
- Soft-close hinges and drawers with a low-profile handle, because both runs open into the same aisle.
- Flooring
- Anti-skid tiles that run straight down the aisle, laid so the joints are neat from the door.
04Planning
Sizing and planning notes
- Aisle width
- Aim for roughly 1 to 1.2 metres between the two runs. Under about 900 mm, a cook cannot bend, turn and open a drawer comfortably. Over 1.5 metres, the triangle stretches.
- Minimum room width
- With two 600 mm deep runs and a 1 metre aisle, the room needs to be about 2.2 metres wide.
- Through traffic
- If the kitchen has doors at both ends, we try to keep the hob away from the traffic line, or close one end with a sliding door.
- Ventilation
- A chimney suited to the hob and a window or exhaust at the far end move air along the room. Plan the duct to an outside wall before the layout is final.
- Refrigerator position
- Place it at the entrance end, at the side of one run, so anyone can open it without stepping into the cooking zone.
- Counter height
- 850 to 900 mm is standard, adjusted for the person who cooks most.
05Inspiration
Ideas in pictures
Illustrative photos to show styles and ideas. They are not our completed projects.
06FAQ
Parallel kitchen: your questions
Is a parallel kitchen good for a narrow room?
Yes. It uses both long walls and keeps the work path short, so it often fits a narrow room better than an L-shaped or U-shaped layout.
How wide should the aisle be?
About 1 to 1.2 metres is comfortable for one cook. Less than that and opening doors and drawers on both sides becomes awkward, and more than about 1.5 metres makes the cook walk further between sink and hob.
Can two people use a parallel kitchen together?
Yes, if the aisle is closer to 1.2 metres and the sink and hob sit on different runs. In a tighter aisle, only one person works comfortably at a time.
Where should the sink and hob go?
Usually on opposite runs, so that each has landing space and the cook can turn between them. The exact position depends on your plumbing, gas and chimney outlet points.
What is the difference between a parallel and a straight kitchen?
A straight kitchen puts every unit along one wall. A parallel kitchen uses two facing walls, so it gives more storage and counter but needs a room that is wide enough for both runs and an aisle.
How do I stop a parallel kitchen feeling closed in?
Use light colours, keep one run lower or with open shelves, bring in daylight from the end window and light the counters from below the wall cabinets. A sliding door at one end can also help.
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