If you are like many homeowners, your kitchen is one of the primary rooms in the house and a top priority for a remodel. Often people get stuck in the planning and pricing stage and never entirely move on to contracting the job and getting it done.
We all like to dream about what a fabulous new kitchen will look like … would we choose beautiful, all-white Shaker cabinets, or what about going two-tone with grey and white? Or how about white kitchen cabinets for the upper cabinets, anchored by elegant black base cabinets? It’s easy to see how planning a kitchen can get away from you just at the idea stage, and that keeps you from getting to the brass tacks like pricing.
Start with the basics to efficiently plan and price your dream 10×10 kitchen.
What is a 10×10 Kitchen?
A 10×10 kitchen is one that is 10 linear feet in length by 10 linear feet in width. This is a fairly standard kitchen size for newer, mid-priced homes so that we will use it as a benchmark. This measurement doesn’t necessarily reflect your kitchen’s full area, especially if your kitchen is open to the dining or living room areas. But it does give you a number to work with for cabinets in a standard L-shaped kitchen.
In our benchmark 10×10 kitchen, each run of cabinets along two different walls will measure 10 feet in length. While you are starting with 10 feet to add cabinets, keep in mind that a range and sink will consume some of the space.
How much does it cost to remodel a 10×10 kitchen?
The standard 10×10 kitchen comes in handy as a reference, as almost every cabinet company uses this as its base model. For instance, you can buy a set of ready-to-assemble (RTA) kitchen cabinets from an online kitchen cabinet company like Simply Kitchen USA for a price as low as $2,504.00 for a standard package.
A package like this typically includes:
- Standard base cabinet
- Four-drawer bank
- Refrigerator upper
- Standard upper cabinet 3
- Hood cabinet
- Extended base cabinet
- Sink base cabinets
- Standard base cabinet
- Extended upper cabinet
Before starting to plan your kitchen remodel, you want to understand the functional anchor for any kitchen design: the working triangle. This is the space where the three prime kitchen activities of cooking, clean-up, and food storage occur. Draw an imaginary triangle with your stove, refrigerator, and sink as endpoints, and you have your working triangle. For an efficient kitchen, each side of the work triangle should measure between 4 and 9 feet.
What are the different 10×10 kitchen layouts?
There are five traditional kitchen layouts:
- L-shaped (the one we’ve discussed)
- U-shaped
- G-shaped
- Galley
- one-wall
Some version of one of these layouts can be applied to the 100 square feet that a 10×10 kitchen provides.
- The L-shape kitchen layout has two cabinet runs along adjacent walls to accommodate cabinets, appliances, and countertops.
- The U-shape kitchen layout has three walls of appliances, cabinets, and countertops.
- The G-shape starts as an L-shape and adds a peninsula countertop off one of the walls to create a small third section.
- The galley kitchen has cabinets, appliances, and countertops on two opposing walls.
- The one-wall kitchen has all of the kitchen appliances, cabinets, and countertops along one wall.
These kitchen layouts will determine the design you can work with; if your goal is to keep total costs as low as possible, you’ll want to renovate within your current footprint.
Planning your 10×10 kitchen design
Once you know your layout, you can start to think about a kitchen design. Consider which type of cabinet will serve your needs in each work area – cooking, storage, and clean-up. Larger base cabinets with built-in storage accessories will allow you to put small appliances away and keep your countertops clear for more workspace. A tall cabinet in place of paired upper and base cabinets can become a pantry or a large storage space for dishware, cookware, and small appliances.
A professional kitchen designer can provide excellent advice to determine the right design for your kitchen. Simply Kitchen USA has professional kitchen designers on staff, all of whom have backgrounds in interior design, to help clients arrive at the perfect mix of style and function for their dream kitchen.
Choose the style to fit your personality
Whether your style leans to modern or traditional, farmhouse, or contemporary, you’ll find kitchen cabinets to suit your personality. Frameless kitchen cabinets and Shaker-style cabinets work well with a modern, contemporary, or transitional kitchen. Add a few wood overlay layers and beveling, and you now have beautiful traditional cabinets to create a warm and luxurious feeling in your kitchen. All kitchen cabinet styles can be customized to fit a 10×10 kitchen perfectly.
Kitchen design ideas for a small 10×10 kitchen
You will be amazed at the options available to transform a standard 10×10 kitchen into your dream kitchen. You can make changes to your galley and one-wall kitchen or open concept kitchen to make it more efficient.
If you are working with an L-shaped kitchen, consider adding a full kitchen island or a peninsula to your existing layout. The island or peninsula will provide extra storage, seating, and countertop.
You can change your galley kitchen by placing all appliances, storage, and sink on one wall. This gives you the option to have the second wall open up to your dining area. The galley layout offers another option, where you could locate your sink and dishwasher on one side and place appliances and storage on the other. With two 10-foot cabinet runs, you can swap out the standard base and upper cabinets for tall cabinets and expand your storage options.
Source – Decoholic
In the one-wall kitchen, you could add a small island to create both storage and seating options. Your cabinets and appliances would run along just one side.
Source – Haute indoor decor
To optimize the 10×10 U-shape kitchen, plan for separate working areas for cooking, storage, and cleaning and gain efficiency with storage accessories.
Are you ready to plan your 10×10 dream kitchen?
Most cabinet manufacturers offer various styles and colors in both ready-to-assemble (RTA) and assembled cabinets. Visit with a Simply KitchenUSA certified kitchen designer to discuss your 10×10 kitchen remodeling project. Your designer will help you work out a layout and design, choose the right cabinet type and style – and stay within your budget. Contact one of our certified kitchen designers today, and you’ll receive a FREE 3D kitchen design to guide your project planning process.
At Simply Kitchen, our specialty is creating your dream kitchen, anywhere in the U.S., at a price you can afford.
