4 × 4 m kitchen layout

4 × 4 m kitchen in numbers

Floor area

172 sq ft

16.00 m²

Perimeter

52' 6"

16.00 m

Longest wall

13' 1"

4.00 m

Wall area at 2.4 m

35.0 m²

door and window deducted

Planning a kitchen

A kitchen is the one room where the layout is a workflow, not an arrangement. Everything you do moves between the fridge, the sink and the hob, so the distances between those three decide whether cooking feels efficient or exhausting. Units come in fixed sizes, which makes the planning arithmetic unusually strict: base units are 600 mm deep and come in 300 mm increments, worktops overhang by about 20 mm, and appliances are almost all 600 mm wide. The room's own dimensions then decide which of the standard layouts is available to you — galley, L-shape, U-shape, or island — because each one needs a specific minimum walkway that does not shrink to fit.

A medium kitchen

This is the size where an L-shaped or U-shaped run becomes possible and a small table can share the room. The working triangle is worth laying out deliberately: put the fridge, the sink and the hob on three different legs of the L or U, with each side of the triangle between 1.2 m and 2.7 m. Shorter than 1.2 m and the three crowd each other; longer than 2.7 m and you are walking rather than turning. A U-shape needs 1.2 m between the two arms so two people can work at once, which is why it needs a room of roughly this size to be comfortable. If you want a table in here as well, a 1200 mm table for four needs 750 mm behind each used side to pull a chair out, so budget a 2.7 m square of floor for the dining zone and check what is left before committing to the third run of units. Corner units are the standard weak point: a carousel or a magic-corner pull-out costs more but is the difference between usable and forgotten storage.

What fits in a 4x4 m kitchen

Each piece is measured into a furnished room, not an empty one: it needs its own width plus enough clearance to get past it along the wall, its depth plus that clearance out into the room, and it is checked with a 600 mm run of units on the opposite wall already in place. Both pairs of walls are tried, so a long wall counts either way round. Tight means the piece is physically in the room but the clearance is not — you are edging round it.

Clearances that decide the layout

Between opposite runs of units1000 mm

Enough to turn, crouch and open a low door. 1200 mm if anyone needs to pass behind.

In front of an appliance door1000 mm

An oven door is around 500 mm deep when open, and you have to stand behind it holding something hot.

Around an island1000 mm

On every side that is worked from or walked past.

Worktop beside the hob400 mm

Landing space for a hot pan. 300 mm on the other side is the minimum.

Materials for a 4x4 m kitchen

Quantities from the real floor and wall areas, with the waste allowance already added. Estimates to plan with — measure again before you order.

• Paint — about 6 litres for two coats on 35.0 m² of wall, at a 2.4 m ceiling with a door and a window deducted.
• Skirting — 15.17 m once one doorway is taken out of the perimeter.
• Ceiling — the same 16.00 m² as the floor, so roughly 3 litres for two coats.

Change the numbers in the flooring calculator or the paint calculator, both already filled in with this room’s dimensions.

Common questions

How big is a 4x4 m kitchen?

172 sq ft (16.00 m²), with a perimeter of 16.00 m (52' 6"). The walls are 4.00 m (13' 1") and 4.00 m (13' 1").

How much flooring does a 4x4 m kitchen need?

17.6 m² including a 10% waste allowance, which is 8 boxes of laminate at 2.22 m² a box. Tile and engineered wood come in different box sizes, so check the pack before ordering.

How much paint does a 4x4 m kitchen need?

About 6 litres for two coats on the walls, based on a 2.4 m ceiling, 35.0 m² of wall after a door and a window are deducted, and 12 m² of coverage per litre.

Will a base unit run fit in a 4x4 m kitchen?

Yes. It needs 4.00 m of wall and 2.20 m out into the room once its clearance is counted, and this room gives you 1.80 m to spare on top of that.

How wide does a kitchen need to be for units on both sides?

About 2.2 m. Two 600 mm runs of base units leave 1000 mm between them, which is the workable minimum for one person. At 2.4 m you get a 1200 mm gap and two people can use the kitchen at once.

How much space do you need around a kitchen island?

1000 mm on any side you work from, and 1200 mm where people walk past a working cook. With a typical 1800 × 900 mm island that means the room needs roughly 3.8 × 2.9 m of clear floor for the island zone alone, on top of the perimeter units.

What is the kitchen working triangle?

The route between the fridge, the sink and the hob. Each leg should be between 1.2 m and 2.7 m, and the three legs together should total under 8 m. It is a rule of thumb rather than a regulation, but kitchens that break it badly are noticeably tiring to cook in.

How deep are kitchen units?

Base units are 600 mm deep with a worktop of 600 to 650 mm, and wall units are 300 to 350 mm. Wall units are hung so their underside is about 450 to 600 mm above the worktop, which is the clearance you need to use the space underneath.