The L-Shaped kitchen. It comes with a boon of space, but after a while, as the reality that you don’t have enough counter space and don’t have enough cupboard space gnaws at you, your love for that wide open kitchen is going to fade. If you’re here, reading this, it probably already has. The great news is that you can make changes to your kitchen cabinets and your kitchen layout that will make better use of your space so you can love it all over again.

Rethink your triangle

The kitchen work triangle is the heart of most kitchens and it revolves around your oven/range, fridge and sink. The “triangle” is a decades-old idea that these elements should form an equilateral triangle and all be within steps from where you are preparing food. But in your L-shaped kitchen, this might not make sense; a deep consideration of your kitchen cabinets, storage needs, and counter space will help you to decide whether you truly need a triangle or some other configuration.

Pro tip: Talk to your designer at KitchenFX about the layout of your kitchen and how you can efficiently use space without hindering the use of your appliances.

Free your range

Many kitchens pair the oven and the cooktop range, but if you’re looking for ways to change up your L-shaped kitchen and make it more efficient, now is the time to free your range. Stacked dual ovens, with a range placed on a counter top or island will increase your cookspace, and maybe even your workspace and, cabinet space and counter space. Most L-shaped kitchens don’t have a freestanding island, so if you do decide to move your range, this could be a great time to add some kitchen cabinets and counter space.

Pro-tip: Chat with the designers at KitchenFX about the easy options you have for adding a kitchen island to your open space L-shaped kitchen during a cabinet refacing or replacement project. Not all kitchen islands are permanent additions; if you decide not to move your cooktop to the island during your kitchen makeover, you can create a modular kitchen island. That’s great if you’re not 100% committed to a permanent change.

Add a Peninsula

If adding an island is too much change for your kitchen floor plan, you can add some additional counter space and kitchen cabinets with a simple peninsula. A peninsula may add just a few feet of counter space and only a handful of kitchen cabinets or drawers, but it can also create a counter bar, and permanently change the shape of your kitchen from an L to a U, giving it a whole new look, feel, and functionality.

Pro-tip: Before you decide to make permanent addition to your kitchen layout, talk to the experts at KitchenFX. Our designers have been remodeling kitchens for over 30 years and can help you to decide what changes to make permanently and what not to do at all.

Just because you have an L-shaped kitchen today doesn’t mean you have to wake up to one tomorrow. A few simple changes to your work triangle, kitchen cabinets and basic layout can help to make your space new and more functional faster than you can blink.