Shotgun House, Modern Kitchen: Layouts for Shreveport’s Narrow Homes

Shreveport’s older neighborhoods hold plenty of narrow-plan homes — shotguns and their cousins, one room deep and every room in a line. Their kitchens are compact, window-limited, and walled on all sides. They’re also some of the most satisfying remodels in the city when the layout is done right.

The Galley Isn’t the Problem

A well-planned galley is one of the most efficient kitchens there is — everything within a step or two. The problem in most narrow homes isn’t the shape; it’s that the galley was built for another era’s cooking. Cabinets to the ceiling, drawer banks instead of door cabinets, a 24-inch range that cooks just as well, and counter-depth refrigeration reclaim the room without moving a wall.

Borrow the Light

Narrow homes starve the middle rooms of light, and the kitchen usually sits in the middle. A pass-through or half-wall to the dining room, a glass door to the back, or simply a lighter palette with under-cabinet lighting changes the room’s whole mood. In these houses, light is a building material — spend it deliberately.

Should You Open It Up?

Sometimes. Removing the wall between kitchen and living room transforms a shotgun — but it also removes the house’s only separation and a lot of its wall storage. The honest answer depends on how you live: entertainers love the open plan; serious cooks sometimes prefer the enclosed galley with a wide cased opening. A good designer prices both before you commit.

Storage Everywhere It Fits

Narrow homes win on vertical storage: tall pantries in eight-inch gaps, over-door shelving, toe-kick drawers, and magnetic knife strips instead of blocks. The square footage is fixed; the cubic footage is not.

Have a Narrow Kitchen?

Call (318) 718-8580 — we’ll connect you with a local pro who knows these floor plans and can show you what’s possible in yours.