Good kitchen design starts with a question most catalogues skip: how does your household actually cook? A family that cooks full meals every day, hosts large gatherings and keeps a big pantry needs a different kitchen from a couple who cook lightly and entertain around an island. The layout, the materials and the services all follow from that answer.
This guide covers the layouts, materials and planning decisions we work through with clients on villas and apartments in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. If you are ready to start a project, see our kitchen design and build service.
Kitchen design layouts and when each works
| Layout | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Island | Large open-plan villas and penthouses; cooking while talking to guests | Needs generous walkways on every side; hob on the island needs a ceiling or downdraft hood |
| Open (American) | Apartments where the kitchen joins the living and dining area | Cooking smells and noise reach the living room; strong extraction is essential |
| U-shape | Serious cooks; maximum worktop and storage in a compact room | Corner units need good hardware, or corner storage is wasted |
| L-shape | Medium rooms; easy to combine with a dining table or a small island | Long legs stretch the distance between sink, hob and fridge |
| Galley | Narrow rooms and service kitchens | Only one person works comfortably at a time |
| Two kitchens | Villas in Egypt and the Gulf: an open show kitchen plus a closed working kitchen | Plan a direct service route between the working kitchen, the dining room and the entrance |
Work zones and circulation
Store
Fridge, pantry and dry goods near the entrance, so shopping is unloaded without crossing the cooking area.
Prepare
The longest clear run of worktop, ideally between sink and hob, with knives, boards and bins within reach.
Cook
Hob and ovens with landing space on both sides and pots and pans stored in deep drawers below.
Clean
Sink and dishwasher side by side, with the plate storage close by so unloading is quick.
Keep the main walkway clear of the cooking triangle, allow room for two people to pass when an oven or dishwasher door is open, and make sure no tall unit interrupts a working run of worktop. These are ergonomic principles; your designer should check them against your exact room on the drawings.
Kitchen materials: cabinets and worktops
Start with the cabinet body. In a kitchen it must resist steam and water around the sink and dishwasher, so ask for moisture-resistant boards or plywood carcasses and sealed edges. Then choose the door finish and the worktop.
| Finish | Strengths | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Wood veneer | Natural grain and warmth; suits classic and neo-classic homes | Needs care near heat and water; colour mellows with light |
| Lacquer | Any colour, matt or gloss; seamless modern look | Can chip on edges; gloss shows fingerprints |
| Acrylic | Deep high gloss at a practical level of care | Scratches show on dark colours |
| HPL | Very hard-wearing and easy to clean; wide range of textures | Edges and joints need careful detailing |
| Worktop | Strengths | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Quartz | Non-porous, consistent colour, low maintenance | Avoid hot pans directly on the surface |
| Granite | Very hard, heat-tolerant, suited to heavy cooking | Needs periodic sealing; pattern varies by slab |
| Marble | Unmatched beauty for show kitchens and islands | Stains and etches with lemon, vinegar and oil |
| Porcelain slab | Heat, stain and scratch resistant; thin, modern profiles | Edges must be handled carefully in fabrication and installation |
A common approach in modern kitchen design in Egypt and the Gulf: granite or porcelain in the working kitchen, marble or quartz on the show island.
Extraction, lighting, appliances and storage
Ventilation and extraction
A ducted hood sized to the hob, with a short, direct duct route to outside planned early. In apartments, check the building's rules for façade openings.
Lighting layers
General ceiling light, task lighting under wall units, accent light in glass cabinets and pendants over the island. See our lighting design service.
Appliance integration
Choose appliances before the design is frozen. Built-in and panel-ready models need exact cut-outs, ventilation gaps and dedicated power points.
Storage and pantry
Deep drawers instead of low cupboards, tall pull-out larder units, and a walk-in pantry where the plan allows it.
Coordinating the kitchen with MEP and finishing
Layout and appliance list frozen
The kitchen drawing fixes every sink, hob, oven, fridge and socket position.
MEP first fix
Water, drainage, gas where used, power and the extraction duct are installed to the drawing.
Walls, floor and ceiling finished
Wet trades are completed before the cabinets are measured, so the site dimensions are final.
Site measure and manufacture
Shop drawings are approved and the kitchen is manufactured by our specialist partners.
Installation, worktop and testing
Cabinets are installed, the worktop is templated and fitted, appliances are connected and every system is tested.
NoVi designs the kitchen and manages its manufacture and installation with partners, inside the same finishing programme. At Villette Residence in New Cairo (300 m², neo-classic modern), the kitchen was delivered within one package with the interior and exterior finishing, joinery, lighting, bathrooms and furnishing. That is the difference between buying cabinets and getting a finished room.
