Modular Kitchen Design for Small Kitchens: Plans, Sizes and Storage

The best modular kitchen design for a small kitchen, under about 70 sq ft, is a straight or L-shaped run with at least 90 cm of clear worktop between the hob and the sink, a tall pantry unit at the end of a run, wall units and lofts up to the ceiling, and a proper fitting or an appliance garage in the corner. Heavy washing goes out to a utility area, so the kitchen itself only has to cook.

Below: a 7 x 9 ft L kitchen drawn to scale, the counter minimums makers publish, and an elevation of what goes where.

About the numbers below: counter lengths, cabinet sizes and clearances come from planning guides and product pages published by IKEA, Blum, Hettich, Kaff and Faber, which we opened on 21 Oct 2026. They are makers' recommendations, not Indian law. Where a figure is our own design judgement, it says "our guidance". The plan and elevation are illustrative layouts drawn to those minimums, not a standard.

This post is about fitting a kitchen into a small room. For how much clear width each layout needs, the work-triangle rules and counter height, see our guide to modular kitchen layouts: L-shaped, U-shaped, parallel or straight. For finishes and hardware now in fashion, see kitchen trends 2027.

Modular kitchen design for small kitchen: a 7 x 9 ft L, drawn to scale

A 7 x 9 ft kitchen is 63 sq ft, or about 5.9 sq m. At 7 ft (2.13 m) wide it is too narrow for two facing runs with a comfortable aisle, which is why our layouts guide steers rooms this size to a straight or L-shaped plan. The L uses two walls and leaves the middle of the floor free.

Plan drawn to scale of a 7 by 9 ft (2,134 by 2,743 mm) L-shaped kitchen with a utility area behind it. Along the 9 ft wall: a 90 cm blind corner cabinet with an appliance garage on the worktop above, a 15 cm masala pull-out, a 60 cm hob unit, 40 cm of drawers and a 69 cm fridge alcove. Along the 7 ft wall: 45 cm of drawers, a 60 cm sink unit under a window and a 40 cm tall pantry. The work triangle totals about 4.0 m and the clear floor is 153 by 214 cm. The utility area holds a deep sink, a washing machine, a broom unit and a drying rack. — A 63 sq ft L kitchen that meets the published minimums of IKEA and Blum: 90 cm of worktop between hob and sink, the hob well clear of the side wall, and the tall pantry at the end of a run. Diagram: MOA

How the plan works:

Hob on the 9 ft wall. It sits a metre from the side wall, far more than the 200 mm IKEA asks for, and the chimney duct can run straight out. A 15 cm masala pull-out sits beside it.
Sink on the 7 ft wall, under the window. The worktop between hob and sink runs round the corner: 90 cm along the front edge, plus the deep corner itself. That meets Blum's minimum for the main work surface.
Fridge at the open end of the long wall, so its door swings clear of the hob and the entrance.
Tall pantry at the end of the short wall. Placed there, it does not cut the worktop between two work areas.
Work triangle about 4.0 m in total. Legs in a kitchen this size come out short, around 1 m, which is normal. In a small kitchen the clear counter matters more than long legs.
Utility behind, with a deep sink and the washing machine, reached through its own door.

Counter-length minimums from makers' planning guides

Two kitchen makers publish the numbers a small kitchen has to protect. IKEA's kitchen planning guide has a section on small spaces (IKEA planning guide):

Use a small sink that fits a 600 mm cabinet, with at least 100 mm between the sink and the edges of the worktop.
Try to fit at least 400 mm of workspace between the hob and the sink.
Keep at least 200 mm between the hob and a wall.
If the room is too narrow for 600 mm deep cabinets, use 370 mm deep ones.
Put a filler of at least 50 mm between cabinets and a side wall, so doors and drawers open fully.
Keep the sink and hob in the same line, so you never carry hot pans across the floor.

Blum's buyer's guide sets a higher bar: a main work surface of at least 900 mm, ideally between the sink and the hob. It also defines a proper working height as 10 to 15 cm between your elbows and the worktop (Blum, Tips for buying your kitchen). Treat IKEA's 400 mm as the floor and Blum's 900 mm as the aim. Indian cooking needs room for the mixer-grinder, a chopping board and a rolling board at once, so we would not go below about 600 mm (our guidance).

Kitchen design for small space: the straight kitchen

Add those minimums along one wall and you get the shortest straight kitchen that works: about 2.4 m (8 ft) for hob, prep counter and sink. A fridge and a tall unit take that to roughly 3.5 to 3.7 m. If your wall is shorter, move the fridge or the tall unit to the next wall, and the kitchen becomes an L.

Plan drawn to scale of a straight kitchen on one 2,440 mm (8 ft) wall with 60 cm deep counters: a 200 mm masala pull-out against the side wall, a 600 mm hob, a 900 mm main worktop, a sink in a 600 mm cabinet with 100 mm of worktop on each side, and a 140 mm end. Notes give the IKEA and Blum minimums behind each number. — One wall can hold hob, prep counter and sink in about 2.4 m; add a fridge and a tall unit and the run grows to roughly 3.5 to 3.7 m. Diagram: MOA

A straight kitchen also suits open plans in 1BHK and 2BHK flats, along one wall of the dining area. An open niche under the wall units keeps daily things at hand.

Design render of a straight kitchen along one wall of a Bengaluru apartment: dark wood-finish base and wall units with long handle-less drawers, an open shelf niche under the wall units, a light terrazzo-look counter with a black tap, and a slim tiled backsplash, beside a dining area with an arched alcove and a looped linear pendant light. — Design render: a single-wall kitchen with full-height wall units and an open niche over the counter, from the Golden Grand apartment in Bengaluru. Image: Brick and MoRa on MOA

Kitchen cabinet design for small kitchen

Tall pantry units

A tall unit gives a small kitchen the most storage per square foot of floor. IKEA's METOD system lists high cabinets 140, 200 and 220 cm tall, 40, 60 or 80 cm wide, and 37 or 60 cm deep, and suggests a deep high cabinet for dry food, oil and bulky kitchen machines (IKEA METOD buying guide). Fitted with internal pull-outs instead of fixed shelves, nothing gets lost at the back. Blum rates each pull-out in its SPACE TOWER pantry unit at up to 70 kg, enough for bottles and full storage tins (Blum India).

In our plan, a 40 cm tall unit takes rice, atta and dal in the lower pull-outs, where the weight is easy to lift, and tea, snacks and masala refills at eye level (our guidance).

Wall-unit height and depth

IKEA recommends at least 50 cm between the worktop and the wall cabinets for a good work space, and its wall cabinets are 37 cm deep, against 60 cm for base units. Wall cabinets come 40 to 100 cm high (IKEA METOD buying guide). The shallower depth is what keeps your head clear when you lean over the counter.

Most Indian flats have more height above a 220 cm unit than a European kitchen. Use it for a loft, kept to the same shallow depth, for festival vessels and anything you need a step stool for anyway (our guidance).

Why wall units are shallower than base units: at 35 cm deep they keep the cook's head clear and leave the worktop in view. Diagram: MOA

Corner solutions

An L always has a corner, and a blind corner with fixed shelves is where things disappear. Hettich's Moving Corner pull-out is designed for corner cabinets 900 and 1,000 mm wide (Hettich), and IKEA offers corner pull-outs and carousels for both base and wall cabinets, and suggests deep corner cabinets for bulky pots (IKEA METOD buying guide).

Four plans of the corner of an L-shaped base unit with 60 cm deep counters: a blind corner with nothing fitted and a hard-to-reach 60 by 60 cm back; a blind-corner pull-out in a 90 to 100 cm cabinet whose shelves swing out; a carousel in a 90 by 90 cm L-shaped cabinet; and an appliance garage on the corner worktop with the deep corner below kept for big vessels. — Four ways to handle the corner. In a very small kitchen, the worktop above the corner is often worth more than the cabinet below it. Diagram: MOA

In a very small kitchen, check the leg lengths first. A 90 cm corner cabinet on a 9 ft wall leaves enough for hob and drawers; on a 7 ft wall it may not. Then a blind corner with a cheap swing-out, or none at all, plus an appliance garage on the worktop above can be the better buy (our guidance).

Appliance garages

An appliance garage is a cabinet that sits on the worktop and closes over the mixer-grinder, toaster, kettle or air fryer. The deep corner of an L is the natural spot, since that worktop is too far back to chop on. Make it about 60 cm tall to fit under the wall units, with a roller shutter or lift-up front, and put two or three sockets inside so appliances stay plugged in. Leave its front open while a hot appliance is running (our guidance).

Chimney and hob in a tight run

Match the chimney to the hob, not the room. Kaff, an Indian appliance maker, says a 60 cm chimney suits a 2-burner or small 3-burner stove, a 4-burner hob needs a 90 cm chimney, and the hood should be a little wider than the cooktop so it catches the outer burners (Kaff). In a tight run, that makes a 60 cm hob under a 60 cm chimney the cleanest fit.

On height, makers differ slightly: Kaff gives 24 to 30 inches between chimney and cooktop, and Faber gives 26 to 32 inches, with a duct no longer than 12 feet (Faber India). Your model's manual decides, which is also IKEA's advice. IKEA adds that you should leave space for cover panels where wall cabinets meet the hood, and avoid putting hoods and other appliances in corners, where they block doors and drawers.

Storage for Indian cooking

IKEA's own advice for the drawers under the hob is to keep cooking utensils in the top drawer and pans and pots in the high drawers below (IKEA METOD buying guide). That suits an Indian kitchen if you plan for heavier things:

Masala: a narrow pull-out beside the hob (IKEA lists a 20 cm wide base cabinet) or a top drawer with a spice insert, so the masala dabba and jars are one step from the tadka.
Pressure cookers and kadhais: deep drawers under the hob, not a cupboard with a fixed shelf. Steel vessels are heavy, so ask for the drawer runner's load rating; our kitchen trends 2027 post covers drawer load classes.
Thalis, katoris and plates: a drawer with a plate rack near the sink.
Grains and atta: lower pull-outs of the tall unit, or a deep drawer, in airtight tins.
Big vessels: the idli steamer, the large patila and festival degchis go in the loft or the blind corner.

What goes where on the hob wall: heavy vessels in deep drawers at waist level, daily dabbas in the wall units, festival vessels in the loft. Diagram: MOA

Light shutters and lighting

In a small kitchen, light-coloured shutters on the wall units make the room feel larger, and a darker or wood finish on the base units hides marks from oily hands (our guidance). For current shades and two-tone pairs, see kitchen cabinet colour trends 2027.

Light matters more than colour. IKEA recommends even light over the whole worktop, drawer lighting, and cabinet lighting, which it says can make the room look bigger. In practice: a diffused LED profile under the wall units, set towards the front edge, plus one ceiling light (our guidance).

A utility or dry-wash area

The best extra square footage for a small Indian kitchen is often outside it. A utility balcony with a deep sink takes the heavy washing, the large vessels, the washing machine and the drying rack, and leaves the kitchen sink free for prep. In our plan, a 3.5 x 9 ft utility holds a 60 cm sink, a washing machine, a broom unit and a rack overhead. Keep the floor sloped to a drain, give the washing machine its own socket and tap, and keep a door between the utility and the kitchen (our guidance).

Modular kitchen for small kitchen: price

A small kitchen costs less in total, but not less per sq ft. Modular kitchens are usually priced on cabinet area, so a tall unit or a loft adds cost quickly, and corner fittings and pull-outs are often extra. Our coming guide to modular kitchen price per sq ft in India explains how quotes are measured. Until then, see our interior design cost guide, room by room, or price your own kitchen with MOA's free home cost calculator.

Where to save (our guidance): laminate shutters, one well-fitted tall unit, fewer specialist pull-outs. Do not save on the drawer runners under the hob.

Kitchen design for a 2BHK flat: a quick checklist

Measure wall to wall, and mark the window, door, gas point, drain and sockets.
Choose straight or L from the clear width.
Protect 90 cm of worktop between hob and sink.
Put the tall pantry and fridge at the ends of runs, and decide what the corner is for.
Match chimney to hob, and plan the duct and a utility area.

If you follow vastu for the hob and sink, our vastu for kitchen post covers placement.

Frequently asked questions

Which modular kitchen design is best for a small kitchen?

A straight or L-shaped layout. Both leave the floor open in a narrow room, and an L gives you a longer counter than a single wall. Add a tall pantry, wall units to the ceiling and a corner fitting for storage.

What is the minimum size for a modular kitchen?

One wall of about 2.4 m (8 ft) fits a hob, a 90 cm prep counter and a sink to IKEA's and Blum's published minimums. With a fridge and a tall unit in the same line you need roughly 3.5 to 3.7 m, or a second wall.

How do I get more storage in a small kitchen?

Go up and go deep: a tall pantry with pull-outs, wall units to 220 cm and a loft above, deep drawers instead of shelves in the base units, and a fitting that reaches into the corner.

Which chimney size is right for a small kitchen?

The one that matches the hob. Kaff recommends 60 cm for a 2-burner or small 3-burner stove and 90 cm for a 4-burner hob. Mount it at the height the model's manual gives.

Planning a small kitchen? Find interior designers on MOA and filter the directory by your city.

Sources

IKEA: IKEA kitchen planning guide, from start to finish (accessed 21 Oct 2026)
IKEA: METOD kitchen cabinets buying guide (accessed 21 Oct 2026)
Blum: Tips for buying your kitchen (accessed 21 Oct 2026)
Blum India: SPACE TOWER, tall pantry unit for kitchens (accessed 21 Oct 2026)
Hettich: Moving Corner, corner unit pull-out for corner cabinets 900 and 1000 mm wide (accessed 21 Oct 2026)
Kaff: 60cm vs 90cm Kitchen Chimneys: Which One Should You Choose for India? (accessed 21 Oct 2026)
Faber India: Installing Kitchen Chimney at Home: Step by Step Guide (accessed 21 Oct 2026)