Modern Grey Shaker L-Shaped Kitchen in Rathmines, Dublin

When the client got in touch about her Rathmines kitchen, the brief was refreshingly straightforward: she wanted a brighter, more functional space without knocking down walls or re-routing plumbing across the room. The existing kitchen worked in terms of where things sat, but it had grown tired — the cabinet doors showed their age, the worktop had seen better days, and there just wasn’t enough enclosed storage to keep the everyday clutter under control. Kitchens4U designed and installed a modern grey shaker kitchen that stayed true to the original L-shaped footprint while giving the whole room a completely different feel.

Project Overview

The Brief

Erica’s kitchen wasn’t falling apart — it just felt stuck in another decade. The old cabinets were a darker finish that sucked up what little natural light came through, and the worktop had accumulated the kind of wear that no amount of scrubbing could fix. Storage was the real daily frustration: with limited enclosed cabinetry, countertops tended to collect things that didn’t have a proper home, making the whole room feel busier than it actually was.

The brief wasn’t about starting from scratch. Erica wanted to preserve the general flow between the cooking area, the glass door to the garden, and the open connection to the living space. What she was really after was a kitchen that felt calm, looked clean, and made the most of the natural light coming through the skylight and the back garden door — two features that the old kitchen never quite took advantage of.

Before & After

Walking into the old kitchen, the first thing you noticed was how the darker cabinet fronts and busy wall tiles pulled the room in on itself. The freestanding cooker sat awkwardly against one wall, the worktop had worn unevenly across the main preparation areas, and the tall fridge unit stood alone without any cabinetry around it to tie it into the rest of the room. It wasn’t a bad kitchen, exactly — it just didn’t feel put together.

The transformation is one of those changes where the footprint stays the same but the atmosphere shifts entirely. The light grey shaker doors lift the room without making it feel cold, and the white laminate worktop stretches in one clean line across the main run, reflecting light back into the space. The tall housing unit now wraps the built-in oven and microwave into the kitchen properly, so the appliance wall reads as part of the design rather than an afterthought. And the under-cabinet lighting — something Erica wasn’t sure she needed at first — has turned out to be one of those small details that makes the kitchen feel finished, especially in the evenings.

Interested in a shaker kitchen for your home? Explore our shaker kitchens →

The Design Solution

Because the L-shaped layout already made sense for the room, we didn’t try to reinvent it. The challenge was more about making the existing shape work harder.

The biggest move was creating a tall bank of units along one wall to house the oven, microwave, and integrated storage — all sitting flush within the same run of cabinetry. In the old kitchen, the oven and fridge had operated as standalone pieces, and that visual separation made the room feel less settled. By pulling them into the same cabinet line, the whole wall reads as one intentional block, which gives the kitchen a much more fitted look.

The light grey shaker doors were chosen partly for how they sit against the white marble-effect splashback. It’s a combination that doesn’t shout — the grey has enough depth to give the cabinets definition, while the white splashback and worktop keep things bright. Together they strike a balance that works in a Dublin terraced home where natural light can be patchy depending on the time of day.

The glass door to the garden and the skylight above were two existing features we wanted to lean into. By keeping the L-shape open and resisting the temptation to add an island or a breakfast bar that the room didn’t really have space for, the floor stays clear and the light travels through the kitchen without obstruction. In the afternoon, the sun comes straight through the back and hits the worktop — one of those accidental wins that the old layout never really captured.

Layout

The kitchen runs in an L-shape, with the main cooking and preparation wall along one side and a shorter return tucking neatly into the corner. Natural light comes in from the glass garden door and the skylight above, helping the white worktops and light grey cabinetry feel brighter without changing the original footprint.

The tall unit housing sits on the longer leg of the L, grouping the built-in oven, microwave, and additional storage into one clean vertical block. This freed up worktop space along the main run for food preparation and small appliances, which was one of Erica’s key requests.

The fridge stands to the right of the tall housing, and while it’s a freestanding unit, it’s sized to sit neatly against the cabinetry so the transition doesn’t feel abrupt. The ceramic hob is positioned on the main worktop run with enough landing space on either side — something the old layout didn’t quite manage.

Because there’s no island, the centre of the kitchen stays open. For a Rathmines home where the kitchen connects to the living area, that openness makes the whole ground floor feel more generous. You can move from the cooking zone to the garden door without squeezing past anything, and the flow between the kitchen and the adjacent living space feels natural rather than segmented.

Materials & Finishes

For the cabinetry, we used the Dylan Matt White Shaker range, chosen for its clean framed profile and bright, simple finish. The shaker door style gives the kitchen a classic structure without making it feel heavy, while the matt white colour helps the room feel lighter and more open. The cabinets are built from 18mm MFC with solid backs, giving the fitted run a sturdy everyday feel, and soft-close concealed hinges were used throughout for a smoother, quieter finish.

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The worktops are Snow White 38mm laminate worktops, selected to keep the kitchen bright, practical, and easy to maintain. The thicker 38mm profile gives the surface a more substantial look, while the snow white finish works neatly with the matt white cabinetry and keeps the overall design clean and uncluttered. It also helps reflect light from the skylight and glass garden door, which is especially useful in a compact L-shaped layout.

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The splashback continues the same light, understated look. Its pale marble-effect finish adds subtle texture behind the hob and along the main worktop run without making the space feel busy. Together with the white worktop and matt shaker doors, it keeps the kitchen feeling fresh, calm, and easy to live with.

For the handles, we used Pisa ‘D’ Handle Chunky handles. Their simple D-shaped profile gives the doors and drawers a practical grip, while the chunkier form adds a little definition against the clean white cabinet fronts. The handle style also suits the built-in oven, microwave, and freestanding fridge, helping the appliance wall feel tied into the rest of the kitchen rather than separate from it.

Installation Process

The installation ran across five weeks, with the first few days dedicated to stripping out the old kitchen and preparing the walls and floor for the new layout. The existing kitchen had been in place for a long time, and as is often the case with older Dublin properties, the walls needed some patching and levelling before any new units could go in.

The tall bank of units on the main wall required the most careful setup. Because the oven and microwave are both built into the same vertical run, the cabinet alignment had to be precise — even a small shift would throw off the appliance housing and leave gaps that are hard to fix later. The fitting team spent a full day on that wall alone, checking levels and adjusting the unit spacing before locking anything into place.

The worktop templating happened on site once all the base units were secured. With laminate, the joins need to be tight because there’s less tolerance for adjustment than with stone — once it’s cut, that’s the fit. The team templated around the hob cutout, then fitted the worktop in two sections with the join running neatly behind the hob where it’s least visible.

The under-cabinet lighting was one of the final installations. The LED strips sit recessed beneath the wall units, wired back to a single switch so Erica can control the task lighting independently from the main ceiling lights. It’s the kind of detail that makes a difference when you’re cooking late or just want a softer light in the evening.

Before handover, the team went through the usual finishing checks: door alignment across every unit, soft-close function on every hinge and drawer, silicone seals along the worktop edges, and a final clean-down of all surfaces. The plinths were trimmed to fit the slightly uneven Rathmines floor — one of those old-house quirks that you plan for rather than fight.

Need help with your kitchen installation in Dublin? Our team can review your layout, measurements and fitting requirements before work begins. Book a Free Consultation →

Design Advice

Erica’s kitchen is a good reminder that you don’t always need to reconfigure the plumbing or knock through a wall to get a result that feels completely different. The L-shape already worked for the room — it was the finishes, the storage, and the way the appliances related to the cabinetry that let it down.

If you’re working with a similar Dublin terrace kitchen, here are a few things worth thinking about:

First, tall housing units are your friend. Grouping the oven, microwave, and extra storage into one vertical run pulls the eye up, makes the room feel taller, and stops the appliance wall from feeling like a collection of unrelated objects.

Second, don’t underestimate the difference that under-cabinet lighting makes. It’s not expensive in the scheme of a full renovation, but it changes how you experience the kitchen after dark — especially in an L-shaped layout where the main worktop can otherwise sit in shadow.

Third, be realistic about worktops. Quartz and granite are excellent materials, but if your budget has a ceiling, a good-quality laminate in a clean white finish can look sharp and perform well — particularly when the surrounding cabinetry and splashback are doing their part.

Want to see more real kitchen transformations? Explore our recent kitchen projects →

The Result

The finished kitchen is one of those renovations where the change feels bigger than the sum of its parts. The footprint is the same, the door position and skylight haven’t moved, and the main working zones still sit where they always did — but the room now feels brighter, calmer, and altogether more considered.

The light grey shaker cabinetry gives the kitchen a soft contemporary character that doesn’t lean too trendy or too traditional. It’s the kind of finish that will still look good in ten years, which was important to Erica. The white worktop and splashback keep the room feeling open even on grey Dublin days, and the under-cabinet lighting means the kitchen works just as well in the evening as it does when the afternoon sun streams through the garden door.

Erica’s favourite spot, she told us after the installation was finished, is standing near the glass garden door, where the light from the skylight and the back of the house falls across the worktop — a part of the kitchen she used to hurry through but now finds herself lingering in. If that’s not a sign of a renovation done right, we’re not sure what is.

Planning a grey shaker kitchen in Dublin? Kitchens4U can help with kitchen design, supply and installation, from layout planning and cabinet specification to worktops, sinks, taps and the final fitted finish. Explore our recent kitchen projects or Book a Free Consultation to start planning a fitted kitchen for your home.

FAQ

Can Kitchens4U design a similar grey shaker kitchen for my Dublin home?

Yes. Kitchens4U can design, supply and install a similar fitted kitchen based on your room size, layout and storage needs. The finish can be adapted to suit your home — whether you prefer the light grey shaker look, a warmer neutral tone, or a different worktop and splashback combination.

Is an L-shaped kitchen practical for a smaller Dublin home?

An L-shaped layout is one of the most practical configurations for compact to medium-sized kitchens. It uses two adjacent walls for cabinetry while leaving the centre of the room open, which keeps the floor clear and makes the room feel larger than it is. In homes where the kitchen connects to a living or dining area, the open side of the L helps the two spaces flow together naturally.

Can I mix built-in and freestanding appliances in a fitted kitchen?

Yes, and many Dublin homeowners do exactly that. In this Rathmines kitchen, the oven and microwave are built into the tall housing unit, while the fridge is a freestanding unit that sits neatly beside the cabinetry. The key is planning the dimensions and door clearances so everything looks intentional rather than squeezed in.

How much does a kitchen renovation like this cost?

This project came in between €18,000 and €25,000, which covered the design, cabinetry supply, worktop, splashback, handles, and full installation. The final cost for your own kitchen will depend on room size, cabinet specification, worktop material, appliance choices, and installation complexity. For a clearer breakdown, read our guide to kitchen cabinet prices in Ireland, or book a free consultation for a quote based on your own layout.

Does Kitchens4U handle the full installation?

Yes. Kitchens4U manages the full process from design and supply through to installation, including layout planning, cabinetry, worktops, and the final fitted finish. This keeps the project coordinated from the first survey through to handover, with one point of contact throughout.

What worktop material should I choose — laminate or stone?

It depends on your budget and how you use your kitchen. Laminate worktops, like the white finish in this project, are more affordable, easy to clean, and available in a wide range of colours and patterns. Stone worktops such as quartz or granite are harder-wearing and heat-resistant, but come at a higher cost. During the design stage, we can talk through the pros and cons for your specific layout and budget.

How long does a kitchen renovation like this take?

This Rathmines project was completed within five weeks, which is fairly typical for a full strip-out and refit of an L-shaped kitchen in a Dublin home. The timeline can vary depending on the scope of work — whether plastering, electrical changes, or flooring are involved — and we’ll give you a clearer estimate after the initial survey.