Kitchen Design for Small Homes

The kitchen decides whether your ADU reads as a home or a room with appliances. And here's the encouraging truth: a genuinely great kitchen fits in 10 linear feet — if every inch is designed on purpose.

The three layouts that work at ADU scale:

• Single-wall — everything along one 10–12 foot run. The studio and small-1BR default: cheapest (one plumbing wall), space-efficient, and open. The rule that makes it work: landing zones — counter on both sides of both the sink and the cooktop. A single-wall kitchen without landing space is a galley of frustration.
• Galley — two parallel runs. Most efficient cooking layout ever devised; needs 7–8 feet of width to breathe. Great when the kitchen occupies its own slot in the plan.
• L with peninsula — an L whose short leg divides kitchen from living and seats two stools. Buys you a dining spot, a serving counter, and a workspace for the price of one cabinet run. The best value move in 600+ SF units.

Appliance honesty. Full-size appliances make units rent and live better; tiny appliances read as compromise. The smart compromises instead: a 24-inch dishwasher (yes, include one — it's a rent-raiser), a 30-inch range or 24-inch induction, and counter-depth refrigeration. What to skip: the second oven, the wine fridge, the pot filler — ADU kitchens win on function per inch, not features.

The three numbers that matter: 36 inches of clear walkway minimum (42 better); 24 inches of counter on each side of the sink; 15+ inches of landing beside the fridge. Get these right and the kitchen works forever; miss them and no backsplash can save it.

Ventilation isn't optional. Small volumes fill with cooking air fast. A real ducted range hood — not a recirculating toy — keeps the whole unit livable. Your future tenant's curry and your drywall will both thank you.