11 Galley Kitchen Design Tips That'll Help You Make The Most Of Your Space
Rediger Design was featured in House Digest's guide to galley kitchen design. Founder Brittany Rediger contributed expert guidance on appliance landing zones, explaining why 15 to 24 inches of clear counter on either side of every appliance is a functional requirement, not a suggestion, and what happens to safety and workflow when those clearances get sacrificed in compact layouts.
Every single appliance in your kitchen requires counter space next to it, even if your kitchen is small. Brittany Rediger tells House Digest that this is one of the most consistently neglected realities of galley kitchen design. Rediger says, "I cannot stress this enough. Appliances need breathing room [...] Every zone should have 15 to 24 inches of clear counter on either side, not as a suggestion but as a requirement. That's where the hot pots and pans land. That's where you're grating cheese while something simmers."
Industry guidelines also set out minimum landing areas for every appliance, but in a galley kitchen, these zones are often the first things that get sacrificed if space feels a bit tight. The downside of this is that you could be compromising on safety. If you've got a cooktop with no counter space beside it, you've basically got a burn hazard waiting to happen. It's also not terribly practical. A refrigerator with no landing area means that every item you take out has to travel the length of the kitchen before it can be set down. In a compact galley set-up, this can be a significant pain point. Rediger stresses that these clearances are functional requirements, not luxuries, and that you shouldn't automatically sacrifice them if square footage is challenging. As she says, "Lose those buffers, and you've basically turned your kitchen into a game of Tetris every time you cook."
