The 'Unfitted Kitchen' Trend Will Make Your Space More Stylish and Personal

Here's how to achieve the bespoke kitchen of your dreams.

Rachel Gallaher is one of the design industry’s most prolific writers, contributing regularly to dozens of titles, including the Wall Street Journal, Robb Report, Dwell, Architectural Digest, Azure, Luxe, and Kinfolk.

Published on March 31, 2025 https://www.marthastewart.com/what-is-an-unfitted-kitchen-11705115

What Is an Unfitted Kitchen

Think of an unfitted kitchen like a design puzzle: You’re putting together individual pieces to create a larger, more stylistic picture. Instead of going to a dealer and purchasing an entire kitchen suite in one fell swoop, with this approach, designers and homeowners are now opting for a piece-by-piece installation. Often, this includes vintage or repurposed elements—and, crucially, no reliance on typical cabinetry.

While this would have been the norm before the rise of built-in cabintery in the early 20th century, the term and style have now become formalized as a modern trend.

“I came up with the idea [for the unfitted kitchen] decades ago after conversations with my aunt, the food writer Elizabeth David,” says interior designer Johnny Grey, who recently relaunched his company, the Unfitted Kitchen Co. “We both felt that fitted kitchens, the phrase we use in Britain, were unfriendly, borderline dysfunctional, and didn't do much for interior architecture."

According to Grey, freestanding kitchens are just as functional as their fully built-in counterparts— and they provide more versatility.

Why Are They So Popular?

“The kitchen is generally the heart of the home,” says interior designer Amanda Meade. “By making it a more personalized space reflecting the tastes of the homeowner, one creates a ‘room,’ not just a ‘kitchen.’”

Meade adds that she's seeing an uptick in client requests for something different. No one wants to walk into someone else’s home and feel like they hit copy-paste on their kitchen—a risk you run when buying one off the showroom floor. “The current trends are for a home to have a personal style and to move away from the formulaic,” she notes.

“They're simply more fun, friendly, and flexible,” Grey says of the trend. “Clients can use the kitchen for working from home, as well as being sociable—either entertaining or relaxing with the family.”

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How to Design One

All the experts agree that when it comes to an unfitted kitchen, advanced planning is vital. Since you won’t be ordering a flight of appliances and built-ins designed to fit together, it’s key to understand how you will use the space in an everyday context.

For example, do you bake a lot? Do you need ample storage? Are elements like a coffee station or wine storage important? While aesthetics are a driving factor for this trend, functionality must also be carefully considered.

Grey suggests keeping in mind two main furniture types. “Hero pieces give height and character, and, in between, [there are] simple, modular base cabinets,” he says. “Examples of hero pieces are the oven and storage cabinet, the appliance garage, and the center island. Imagine these like the traditional furniture in a library or sitting room, with the modular base cabinets being equivalent to bookshelves in an alcove or nook.”

Key Elements

Since built-in cabinetry isn't an option—and all of an unfitted kitchen's elements are meant to be modular—designing one requires a slightly different approach. Instead of a traditional island, for example, many designers opt for vintage farm tables or easy-to-move modular units.

For smaller spaces, Grey recommends a peninsula. “Either [an island or peninsula] will occupy an area in the middle of the room that tends to be underused while still allowing for easy circulation. Crucially, it encourages eye contact between the cook and others.”

“A dining table that can be moved is preferable to any fixed piece,” Meade adds. “Storage trolley-style units, too, allow for flexibility if you want to be able to create more space.” Instead of built-in cabinetry, floating shelves provide room for art, crockery, or cookbooks.

For her unfitted kitchen, Zinnecker chose hosier cabinets, which she sourced from Facebook Marketplace. They add a vintage charm to the 120-year-old cottage that she renovated.

Online auctions, vintage stores, and antique fairs are all excellent places to score pieces that show off your personality. “Have fun, and don't get too stressed trying to make things match,” Zinnecker says. “It's all about creating an eclectic collection."

Benefits

The biggest draw of an unfitted kitchen is its flexibility and customization, but another bonus is that it's often more affordable. “For us, we leaned into this look without realizing it because our renovation budget was tight, and we couldn't afford a full kitchen of new cabinetry,” says Zinnecker. It’s also a more sustainable approach, as you’re often upcycling pieces rather than buying them new.

Meade agrees. "Perfectly fitted kitchens can be hugely costly. They also don't have longevity in style, and they're difficult to recycle," she says. "By creating an unfitted kitchen, you can invest in pieces that you can take with you and keep them for a lifetime. My butcher’s block has been with me for 40 years and over 10 houses, and it's still the most used and most loved item in our household.”

Johnny Grey Studios