If you want a kitchen layout that maximizes functionality and flow, a G-shaped layout is a great option. A G-shaped kitchen, sometimes referred to as a peninsula kitchen, resembles the letter it’s named for. It has three sides like a U-shaped kitchen but with an additional fourth element, most often a peninsula, that adds an extra dining area and workspace.
The designers of the following kitchen remodels utilized G-shaped layouts to create fresh, functional spaces. Check out the before-and-after photos, then let us know if a G is the right shape for your next kitchen renovation.
Before Photo
Asha Maía Design
1. Island Dropout Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple with two young sons
Location: Arlington, Virginia
Size: 285 square feet (26 square meters)
Designer: Asha Maxey of Asha Maía Design
Before: The existing island in this Arlington, Virginia, kitchen was too small, took up valuable floor space and didn’t offer room for seating. So designer Asha Maxey persuaded the homeowners to ditch the island and establish a G-shaped layout with a peninsula, giving them counter seating, more storage and easier pathways.
“Many people think peninsulas are outdated or islands are the only way to go, but the peninsula makes this space more functional,” Maxey says.
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Asha Maía Design
After: With the island gone, Maxey created an updated G-shaped layout with a peninsula that seats three. She also took the new white Shaker-style cabinets to the ceiling to maximize storage and make the kitchen appear taller.
The new layout allows the homeowners to move freely and efficiently between different areas of the kitchen. “I think this project offers a way you can create a functional kitchen without an island,” Maxey says. “A peninsula is a great alternative that allows a place for people to gather if you don’t have the space for an island.”
Asha Maía Design
The end of the peninsula includes paneled detailing that coordinates with the cabinets. “Instead of doing a waterfall-edge countertop detail, this was an attractive way to close it off,” Maxey says.
Brass pendants have a nautical style that pairs with the light blue walls, blue-gray stools and crisp white cabinetry for a breezy coastal look.
Peninsula lights: Duncan one-light pendant with rod in aged brass, Golden Lighting
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Before Photo
2. Bold Peninsula Tile
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five
Location: Piedmont, California
Size: 250 square feet (23 square meters)
Designer: Kelly Berg of
Contractor: Integrity Remodeling
Before: This Piedmont, California, kitchen hadn’t been remodeled since the 1980s and the existing layout made it feel closed off and cramped. The homeowners hired designer Kelly Berg and shared a lot of inspiration photos, including images from Houzz, to help create a kitchen that felt more modern and open.
“There was a strange half-moon bar-table thing that sucked up floor space in an awkward way, and there were ceiling-mounted cabinets that hung over the peninsula that made the kitchen feel cramped and small,” Berg says.
After: The footprint of the kitchen remained roughly the same, but Berg removed the half-moon table and the cabinets over the peninsula. The new peninsula has a marble waterfall countertop that provides a sleek and seamless look. “We designed a large peninsula for gathering, especially for the kids to hang out,” Berg says. “Also for occasional work on the laptop.”
After living with the upper cabinets that blocked the view into the kitchen, the homeowners wanted to keep things between the dining room and kitchen as open as possible. The new clear glass pendants help maintain the view over the peninsula.
A highlight of the remodeled space is the graphic black-and-white statement tile on the peninsula.
“From the beginning of the design process, my client really wanted to incorporate a tiled front on the peninsula,” Berg says. “We must have gone to the tile store five or six times and looked at tons of tile before this one caught my eye. The day I saw the tile board, which had just been added to the showroom floor, I knew it was perfect. The moral of the story is to keep looking until you find the absolutely right material.”
Peninsula tiles: Duomo, Artistic Tile
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Before Photo
Seviva Design
3. Peninsula Power Up
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: An empty-nest couple
Location: Norwell, Massachusetts
Size: 144 square feet (13 square meters)
Design: Raquel Swartz of Seviva Design
Before: After 30 years of living with their kitchen’s poor appliance layout and checkerboard flooring, this Massachusetts couple decided it was time for a remodel. They turned to designer Raquel Swartz for help. Swartz, who used Houzz Pro to manage the project, relocated the appliances and utilized a G-shaped layout for improved function and flow.
For the “before” photo of the former kitchen, Swartz used the panorama setting on her camera to show the full space, which created a slight visual bow to the cabinets. But the image shows the cramped nature of the appliances on the main wall. The range sat right next to the sink, leaving virtually no counter space. “That was one thing that the client really was focused on, the ergonomics of the kitchen and flow,” Swartz says. “She really hated that the range was right next to their sink.”
Seviva Design
After: Swartz removed the existing appliances, backsplash tile, countertops, flooring and some of the cabinets. “We used a recycling service, so anything that could be donated or recycled was,” she says.
The new G-shaped layout gives the couple more cabinet storage, counter space and a peninsula with seating.
Counter stools found on Houzz introduce a subtle French country detail with creamy upholstery, nailhead trim and turned legs in a driftwood finish. “We definitely wanted something that would be upholstered, just for comfort,” Swartz says. “We also wanted to do three stools. If the stools had arms or backs, we could only do two.”
Stools: Ernie fabric counter stool in French Cream, New Pacific Direct
Seviva Design
Two small pendant lights of glass and hand-rubbed antique brass hang over the peninsula. “Because it was a peninsula and not a full-on island, it was important to do something a bit delicate and not overwhelming,” Swartz says. “With that antique finish, they’re the antique accent for an otherwise transitional kitchen.”
Pendant lights: Robinson in hand-rubbed antique brass and clear glass by Thomas O’Brien, Visual Comfort
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