diff --git a/components/renderers/controls/array/array-renderer.spec.ts b/components/renderers/controls/array/array-renderer.spec.ts
index 68580e137..7e1e810eb 100644
--- a/components/renderers/controls/array/array-renderer.spec.ts
+++ b/components/renderers/controls/array/array-renderer.spec.ts
@@ -84,7 +84,6 @@ describe('Array renderer', () => {
         let el = $compile('<jsonforms schema="schema" ui-schema="uiSchema" data="data"/>')(scope);
         scope.$digest();
         let fieldSet = angular.element(el[0].getElementsByTagName("fieldset"));
-        console.log(fieldSet);
         expect(fieldSet.attr("disabled")).toBeDefined();
     }));
 });
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/renderers/controls/control.html b/components/renderers/controls/control.html
index 95c193bc0..2a66ac1d6 100644
--- a/components/renderers/controls/control.html
+++ b/components/renderers/controls/control.html
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <div class="col-sm-{{element.size}} jsf-control form-group top-buffer" ng-hide="element.hide">
     <div class="row">
-        <label ng-if="element.label" for="{{element.id}}">{{element.label}}</label>
+        <label ng-if="element.showLabel" for="{{element.id}}">{{element.label}}</label>
     </div>
     <div class="row" ng-transclude>
     </div>
diff --git a/components/renderers/jsonforms-renderers.d.ts b/components/renderers/jsonforms-renderers.d.ts
index 6cf58490b..36a4ac344 100644
--- a/components/renderers/jsonforms-renderers.d.ts
+++ b/components/renderers/jsonforms-renderers.d.ts
@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@ declare module JSONForms {
 
     export interface IRenderDescription {
         type: string
+        size: number
         template?: string
         templateUrl?: string
-        size: number
         rule?: IRule;
+        showLabel?: boolean
     }
 
     export interface IControlRenderDescription extends IRenderDescription {
diff --git a/components/renderers/jsonforms-renderers.ts b/components/renderers/jsonforms-renderers.ts
index d3411f36a..094d5240d 100644
--- a/components/renderers/jsonforms-renderers.ts
+++ b/components/renderers/jsonforms-renderers.ts
@@ -60,12 +60,46 @@ module JSONForms {
             return new ControlRenderDescription(schemaPath, services, element);
         }
 
-        // TODO doc
+        /**
+         * This is a helper method typically used by layouts that render their contained children in a horizontal
+         * fashion. In contrast to {@link renderElements} this function also takes into account whether labels
+         * of controls should be rendered at all, which might be the case if the UI schema declaration states that
+         * the label for each control is not to be shown.
+         *
+         * @param elements the UI schema children elements to be rendered
+         * @param renderService the RenderService that is used to render the UI schema elements
+         * @param services the service registry
+         * @returns {*[]} an array of RenderDescription objects that describe the UI schema elements to be rendered
+         */
+        static renderElementsHorizontally(elements:IUISchemaElement[], renderService: JSONForms.IRenderService, services:JSONForms.Services):JSONForms.IRenderDescription[] {
+
+            let labelExists = elements.reduce((atLeastOneLabel, element) => {
+                return atLeastOneLabel ||  LabelObjectUtil.shouldShowLabel(element.label);
+            }, false);
+
+            return elements.map(element => {
+                let renderDesc = renderService.render(
+                    services.get<JSONForms.IScopeProvider>(ServiceId.ScopeProvider).getScope(),
+                    element,
+                    services);
+                renderDesc.showLabel = labelExists;
+                return renderDesc;
+            });
+        }
+
+        /**
+         * This is a helper method typically used by layouts to render their contained children.
+         *
+         * @param elements the UI schema children elements to be rendered
+         * @param renderService the RenderService that is used to render the UI schema elements
+         * @param services the service registry
+         * @returns {*[]} an array of RenderDescription objects that describe the UI schema elements to be rendered
+         */
         static renderElements(elements:IUISchemaElement[], renderService: JSONForms.IRenderService, services:JSONForms.Services):JSONForms.IRenderDescription[] {
-            return elements.map((el) => {
+            return elements.map(element => {
                 return renderService.render(
                     services.get<JSONForms.IScopeProvider>(ServiceId.ScopeProvider).getScope(),
-                    el,
+                    element,
                     services);
             });
         }
@@ -100,11 +134,11 @@ module JSONForms {
         public size = 100;
         public alerts: any[] = []; // TODO IAlert type missing
         public label: string;
+        public showLabel: boolean;
         public rule: IRule;
         public readOnly: boolean;
         public path: string;
         public instance: any;
-
         private schema: SchemaElement;
         private validationService: IValidationService;
         private pathResolver: IPathResolver;
@@ -121,20 +155,18 @@ module JSONForms {
 
             this.path = PathUtil.normalize(schemaPath);
             this.label = this.createLabel(schemaPath, element.label);
+            // by default labels are shown
+            this.showLabel = LabelObjectUtil.shouldShowLabel(element.label);
             this.readOnly = element.readOnly;
             this.rule  = element.rule;
             this.ruleService.addRuleTrack(this);
             this.setupModelChangedCallback();
         }
 
-        private createLabel(schemaPath:string, label?:IWithLabel):string {
-            var stringBuilder = "";
+        private createLabel(schemaPath:string, label: IWithLabel):string {
 
-            var labelObject = LabelObjectUtil.getElementLabelObject(label, schemaPath);
-
-            if (labelObject.show) {
-                stringBuilder += labelObject.text;
-            }
+            let labelObject = LabelObjectUtil.getElementLabelObject(label, schemaPath);
+            let stringBuilder = labelObject.text;
 
             if (this.isRequired(schemaPath)) {
                 stringBuilder += "*";
@@ -197,6 +229,20 @@ module JSONForms {
     }
 
     export class LabelObjectUtil {
+
+        public static shouldShowLabel(label: IWithLabel): boolean {
+            if (label === undefined ) {
+                return true;
+            } else if (typeof label === 'boolean') {
+                return <boolean> label;
+            } else if (typeof label === 'string') {
+                return (<string> label) != "";
+            } else {
+                let labelObj = <ILabelObject> label;
+                return labelObj.hasOwnProperty("show") ? labelObj.show : true;
+            }
+        }
+
         public static getElementLabelObject(labelProperty:IWithLabel, schemaPath:string):ILabelObject {
             if (typeof labelProperty === "boolean") {
                 if (labelProperty) {
diff --git a/components/renderers/layouts/horizontal/horizontal-renderer.spec.ts b/components/renderers/layouts/horizontal/horizontal-renderer.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4494767cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/renderers/layouts/horizontal/horizontal-renderer.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+/// <reference path="../../../references.ts"/>
+
+describe('HorizontalLayout', () => {
+
+    // load all necessary modules and templates
+    beforeEach(module('jsonforms.form'));
+    beforeEach(module('jsonforms.renderers.layouts.horizontal'));
+    beforeEach(module('jsonforms.renderers.controls.string'));
+
+    beforeEach(module('components/form/form.html'));
+    beforeEach(module('components/renderers/layouts/layout.html'));
+    beforeEach(module('components/renderers/controls/control.html'));
+
+    it("should take into account if some labels are hidden", inject(($rootScope, $compile) => {
+        let scope = $rootScope.$new();
+        scope.schema = {
+            "properties": {
+                "foo": { "type": "string" },
+                "bar": { "type": "string" }
+            }
+        };
+        scope.uiSchema = {
+            "type": "HorizontalLayout",
+            "elements": [
+                {
+                    "type": "Control",
+                    "label": true,
+                    "scope": { "$ref": "#/properties/foo" }
+                },
+                {
+                    "type": "Control",
+                    "label": false,
+                    "scope": { "$ref": "#/properties/bar" }
+                }
+            ]
+        };
+
+        scope.data = { "foo": "quux", "bar": "baz" };
+        let el = $compile('<jsonforms schema="schema" ui-schema="uiSchema" data="data"/>')(scope);
+        scope.$digest();
+        let labelElements = el.find('label');
+        expect(labelElements).toBeDefined();
+        // one label is empty
+        expect(labelElements.length).toEqual(2);
+        expect(angular.element(labelElements[0]).text()).toEqual("Foo");
+        expect(angular.element(labelElements[1]).text()).toEqual("");
+    }));
+
+    it("should take into account if all labels are hidden", inject(($rootScope, $compile) => {
+        let scope = $rootScope.$new();
+        scope.schema = {
+            "properties": {
+                "foo": { "type": "string" },
+                "bar": { "type": "string" }
+            }
+        };
+        scope.uiSchema = {
+            "type": "HorizontalLayout",
+            "elements": [
+                {
+                    "type": "Control",
+                    "label": {
+                        show: false
+                    },
+                    "scope": { "$ref": "#/properties/foo" }
+                },
+                {
+                    "type": "Control",
+                    "label": {
+                        show: false
+                    },
+                    "scope": { "$ref": "#/properties/bar" }
+                }
+            ]
+        };
+
+        scope.data = { "foo": "quux", "bar": "baz" };
+        let el = $compile('<jsonforms schema="schema" ui-schema="uiSchema" data="data"/>')(scope);
+        scope.$digest();
+        let labelElements = el.find('label');
+        expect(labelElements.length).toBe(0);
+    }));
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/renderers/layouts/horizontal/horizontal-renderer.ts b/components/renderers/layouts/horizontal/horizontal-renderer.ts
index 680719b80..b6b2ff62e 100644
--- a/components/renderers/layouts/horizontal/horizontal-renderer.ts
+++ b/components/renderers/layouts/horizontal/horizontal-renderer.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ class HorizontalRenderer implements JSONForms.IRenderer {
 
         var maxSize = 100;
 
-        var renderedElements = JSONForms.RenderDescriptionFactory.renderElements(
+        var renderedElements = JSONForms.RenderDescriptionFactory.renderElementsHorizontally(
             element.elements, this.renderService, services);
         var size = renderedElements.length;
         var individualSize = Math.floor(maxSize / size);