The world loves L-shaped kitchens, and certainly modern homeowners do. L-shaped kitchens are a versatile and efficient approach to many different floor plans, especially the open-plan homes that are still a peak trend in 2022. Taking up two walls, or sometimes extending into kitchen peninsula, the "L" kitchen arcs around in two arms with a corner in the center on one end, and often an island to balance the space. L kitchens allow for doorways and heavy traffic, occupying the end of an open living space, and a tidy solution for smaller homes. 

Today, we're exploring the essentials of L-shaped kitchens and design tips when remodeling or building yourself a kitchen in the classic "L" form.  Whether you choose a deep farmhouse sink for your new kitchen, natural vs manufactured stone countertops, or a light vs dark color palette, these L-shaped design tips are timeless and trending.

The Rise of L-Shaped Kitchen Designs

The L-shape was ruled the most popular kitchen design trend of 2019, according to NKBA, and trends have only continued in this direction. There are some very important modern influences that make the L-shaped kitchen into an ideal configuration for open-plan, entertainer, and small home design. The simplistic, triangle-ready elegance of an L-shaped kitchen is also remarkably versatile. 

What makes the L-shaped kitchen just so appealing?

Distributing the Golden Triangle

The golden triangle is a ratio of distances between the sink, fridge, and stove. It should be uninterrupted and each leg should be between 4-9 feet long. An L-shaped kitchen has the perfect setup to create a very comfortable golden triangle with varying distances depending where you place the range, fridge, and sink. 

Balancing the L with an Island

A great many L-shaped kitchens are balanced in the opposite corner with a well-placed island. The island can provide essential balance, sometimes even holding a corner of the golden triangle, in an L-shaped kitchen. However, some homeowners would prefer the extra open floorspace in trade for the traditional island design.

Open Plan L-Kitchens

Open-plan homes favor an L-shaped kitchen because it neatly occupies only one corner or one end of the open family space. As modern home designs continually remove internal walls, the L-shaped kitchen uses the remaining exterior structure and maximizes interior space.

Inward Facing "L"

If the back of your kitchen is all appliances and doors, sometimes an L-shaped kitchen faces inward. in this way, you look over the tops of two-level counters into the family great room while the L-shape faces the room instead of the back wall. This is common for kitchens with a large number of doors - often leading to a walk-in pantry, laundry room, or backdoor mud from beyond the kitchen itself.

L-Shaped Entertainer Kitchens

L-shaped kitchens are a hit for entertainer kitchen designs. Both the inward-facing island and the inward-facing L are great for pointing a camera  - real or imagined - toward an entertaining family chef.

Countertop Design for an Elegant "L"

What about the countertop? Stone, natural or manufactured, is a beautiful material for your kitchen design and tends to bring your countertops to life. If you want both your countertop "L" and your island top to glow with a beautiful marble, granite, or quartz shine, let's take a closer look at countertop ideas for your L-shaped kitchen.

The Right Color Countertop Stone

Stone countertops come in an incredible array of colors. You can find it in pristine white and gray, rich black and gold, or even a verdant green. The question of the right color of stone for your L-shaped kitchen is an important one. Consider your color palette and the contrast or unifying visual effect you want to create. We love dark countertops that bring the rest of the kitchen to life, but lighter countertops make a kitchen cheerful and bright. The grain in the stone can even make your finishes pop.

Stone "Grain" Around the "L"

Stone countertop "grain" is the detail in the stone - the streaks or speckles that cause a countertop to stand out as more than a flat glossy surface. Stone grain comes in many shapes and patterns. Some are great swirls, some are fractured chisp, and some are flowing grains. Flowing grains are the ones you can take the most control over, while fractured grains are the most dynamic and fascinating to behold immortalized in the slab. You can choose a grain that flows in a continuous line around the L of your kitchen counters or one that breaks up attractively through the space.

Embed a Custom Corner Sink

One of the delightful ways to use custom-cut marble for your L-shaped kitchen is to put that corner to use. We love corner-sinks designed to provide extra washing space in an overlarge sink basin and to make the best possible use of that often-dead space in the corner of your kitchen. For a corner farmhouse sink, design your cabinets to create a wide angle instead of a sharp corner. Then create an "apron" to leave room for that comfy farmhouse rounded sink front. You can also work with your stone fabricator to have the corner of your countertop cut to the exact specifications of your future sink.

Stone Backsplash Design

Another option is to take some of your remaining stone slab to create backsplashes. If you are renovating your backsplash and considering a new kind of tile, a thin sheet of your countertop stone could be the perfect way to reuse your space and make your kitchen infinitely more elegant with a waterfall or coordinated backsplash design.

Integrating a Farmhouse Sink Into an L-Shaped Kitchen

Here at Fossil Blu, we specialize in one thing: beautiful farmhouse sinks. You can find them in beaten copper and light or dark fireclay. No matter the material, we know our craft, and we do it well. But we also know kitchens, and our sinks have been the perfect finishing touch to more than a few remodels - including the popular L-shaped design.

Where can you put a farmhouse sink in an L-Shaped kitchen? Just about anywhere. The open plan design of an L-shape allows you to place your sink comfortably on either "leg" of the "L", or as we mentioned, you can nestle that sink into the corner to maximize your use of often-lost corner space. You can even embed your farmhouse sink into the island instead, as L-shaped kitchens are really great for islands in open-plan homes.

To discover the right farmhouse sink design for your new L-shaped kitchen, contact us today. We'd love to hear what you're building.