Most beginners skip this step entirely. They pick cabinets and countertops first, then try to make a layout work around those choices. That’s backwards. Your layout decision controls everything else — where plumbing runs, where electrical goes, how much cabinet space you actually get. Get this wrong early and you’re paying to fix it later.

There are five common kitchen layouts: galley, L-shape, U-shape, G-shape, and open-plan. Each one works differently depending on your square footage and how your family actually uses the space. A galley kitchen is two parallel walls of cabinets and appliances — efficient for one cook, tight for two. An L-shape opens up the room and works well in smaller homes. The U-shape gives you the most counter space but needs enough room to turn around comfortably.

The G-shape is basically a U-shape with a peninsula added. We see this a lot in Bellevue homes built in the 1980s and 1990s — the footprint was there, but the layout never got updated to match how people cook today. The open-plan layout removes a wall entirely and connects the kitchen to a living or dining area. Popular, yes. But it comes with real trade-offs: less wall space for upper cabinets, more noise, and smells traveling further through the house.

Firsthand note: On a remodel we did in the Factoria neighborhood last spring, the homeowners were set on an open-plan layout. Once we mapped out where the load-bearing wall sat, the cost to remove it changed the whole budget conversation. Layout decisions and structural reality don’t always match — and that gap is exactly where experienced contractors earn their keep.

The “work triangle” is the old-school way of measuring kitchen efficiency. It connects the sink, stove, and refrigerator — the idea being that shorter distances between those three points means less walking and less wasted motion. According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, the total of all three sides of the triangle should be between 13 and 26 feet. But here’s what most guides won’t tell you: the work triangle is becoming less useful as kitchens get bigger and more people cook at once. Two people cooking regularly? You might want two prep zones instead of one triangle.

Traffic flow matters just as much as the triangle. Think about where people walk through your kitchen to get to the back door, the garage, or the dining room. If that path cuts through your main cooking zone, you’ll feel it every single day. Sketch out the paths people walk before you commit to any layout. Ten minutes of planning can save you from a decision you’ll regret for years. If you want a broader sense of how room planning and prep work come together before any project begins, Architectural Digest’s step-by-step room preparation guide is a useful reference for understanding how sequencing decisions affect the final result.

Ceiling height affects layout too. Many Bellevue homes have standard 8-foot ceilings, which limits how tall your upper cabinets can go. Planning to stack cabinets to the ceiling for storage? Measure first. A layout that looks great in a showroom with 10-foot ceilings may feel cramped in your actual home.

Firsthand note: One of the most common things we catch during early planning is a layout that looks perfect on paper but puts the refrigerator door swinging into the walkway. Always check door swings before finalizing anything.

And don’t assume your current layout is wrong just because you’re remodeling. Sometimes the existing footprint is actually the right one — it just needs better execution. Keeping plumbing and gas lines in their current positions can reduce project complexity significantly. Moving a sink across the room isn’t impossible, but it adds time and cost that could go toward finishes you’ll actually see every day.

Spend real time on layout before anything else. It’s the one decision that shapes every other choice you’ll make.

Now that you know what to look for, let us handle the rest. Our team has guided Bellevue homeowners through every stage of this process — from first goals conversation to final walkthrough. Visit our page to see how we work, or call us at +1-425-696-3311 to talk through your project. The planning you just did deserves a contractor who takes it seriously.