Layout should always come first. A beautiful cabinet style can only do so much if the kitchen itself is awkward to use. When the layout works well, even a simple cabinet design can feel polished, practical, and satisfying every day.

Your layout affects how you move through the room, where your prep space sits, how close your dishes are to the dishwasher, and how natural it feels to cook, clean, and put things away. It’s the foundation of the entire kitchen.

That’s also why layout decisions are the hardest to change later. Once plumbing, electrical, and cabinetry are in place, moving things around becomes expensive very quickly.

Style choices like door profile, colour, and hardware are important, but they come after the bigger decisions are made. When the layout is right first, the finished kitchen usually looks better and works better.