Types of Kitchen Units Explained

The Building Blocks of a Kitchen

Every kitchen — from a flat-pack IKEA installation to a hand-painted Shaker fitted in a Kensington townhouse — is made up of the same fundamental types of unit. Understanding what each unit does, where it goes, and what to look for in quality terms will make you a much better buyer and help you communicate clearly with any fitter or supplier.

Base Units — The Foundation

Base units sit on the floor and support the worktop. They typically come in heights of 720mm (for a finished worktop height of approximately 900mm with plinth and worktop combined) and in widths from 150mm to 1000mm. The most common widths are 300mm, 400mm, 500mm and 600mm. Standard base units have a shelf inside and a hinged door. Drawer packs replace the shelf and door with two or three drawers — more accessible and more functional for storing pots, pans and cutlery.

Wall Units — Storage Above the Worktop

Wall units are fixed to the wall above the worktop, typically at a height leaving 450–500mm between worktop and the underside of the unit (enough for a kettle, toaster and workspace). Standard heights are 300mm, 400mm, 600mm, 720mm and 900mm (full-height wall units that reach the ceiling). In London properties with low ceilings — common in Victorian terraces — the choice of wall unit height significantly affects the feeling of the space. Very tall wall units in a room with 2.4m ceilings can feel oppressive.

Corner wall units present a specific problem: the inside corner is inaccessible with standard hinged doors. The solutions are: a blind corner unit (wastes space), a diagonal corner unit (takes more room but looks better), or a corner carousel/le mans system that swings out to give full access.

Tall Units — Larder, Oven Housing, Fridge Housing

Tall units run floor to ceiling (typically 1970mm–2150mm) and serve three main purposes: larder storage (replacing the need for a pantry), oven housing (a tower that integrates an eye-level oven and microwave), and fridge housing (an integrated fridge or American fridge-freezer behind matching doors). In smaller London kitchens, a single tall larder unit can provide more usable storage than two full runs of wall units. In open-plan kitchens, a bank of tall units creates a strong visual end to the kitchen zone.

Sink & Hob Base Units

The sink base unit is a standard base unit with a cutout to accommodate the sink and plumbing. The critical factor is the cabinet material around the sink — cheap MDF will swell and deteriorate with water exposure. Quality units use moisture-resistant board or solid wood framing around the sink area. Hob base units are simply regular base units that happen to sit below the hob position — the worktop above is cut for the hob, and the unit below often houses the oven if an undercounter rather than eye-level configuration is chosen.

Corner Base Units

Corner base units are where a lot of kitchen storage is wasted. The options are: a blind corner (one door, wastes the internal corner), an L-shaped corner (two doors, opens fully, but the access is still awkward), a carousel (rotating shelves on a mechanism that swings out — more accessible but mechanical parts wear), or a pull-out magic corner (the most accessible but most expensive). For kitchens where corner storage matters — i.e., most kitchens — investing in a proper pull-out corner solution pays back in daily usability.

Rigid vs Flat-Pack — The Key Quality Divide

Flat-pack units (IKEA, B&Q) are assembled on site from flat components. Rigid units arrive pre-assembled and are stronger, more stable and faster to install. For the same specification, rigid units cost more but last longer. In London properties where kitchens are used intensively and where resale value is affected by kitchen quality, rigid units are almost always the better investment above the entry level.

The Magic Is In The Hands, Not Just The Product

You can buy the best units available and end up with a disappointing kitchen if the fitting is wrong. Conversely, a well-specified mid-range kitchen fitted by an experienced carpenter looks and functions better than a high-end kitchen installed by someone who treats all jobs the same. Doorz has been fitting kitchens across London long enough to know that most complaints about kitchens are actually complaints about fitting. See our kitchen fitting service and our guide to what type of carpenter you actually need.