7 Ideas to Inspire From Well-Planned Small Kitchens
Struggling to plan your petite cooking zone? Take a look at these schemes to help you use the space more effectively
When it comes to designing a compact kitchen, renovation professionals have a few design tricks up their sleeves to make a space both look good and function well. See if any of these seven ideas would work in your home.
A run of glazed cabinets has been inserted into the opening between the two spaces. It provides an attractive feature and plenty of room for storing dishes, cups and glasses that can be accessed easily from the eating area.
Need help designing the layout of your small kitchen? Find a specialised kitchen designer near you on Houzz for professional advice
Need help designing the layout of your small kitchen? Find a specialised kitchen designer near you on Houzz for professional advice
2. Nip + tuck
Here’s a super-clever idea for a miniature cooking space. This tiny flat needed to incorporate a kitchen, a living area and a dining zone in the same room. The solution? A multi-functional sideboard that transforms into a dining table and cooking space.
A pull-out table is ideally placed next to the bench seat, and the cabinet top lifts up to reveal a sink and stove.
Here’s a super-clever idea for a miniature cooking space. This tiny flat needed to incorporate a kitchen, a living area and a dining zone in the same room. The solution? A multi-functional sideboard that transforms into a dining table and cooking space.
A pull-out table is ideally placed next to the bench seat, and the cabinet top lifts up to reveal a sink and stove.
When the owner has finished cooking and dining, everything can be tidied away, the bench is folded back down, and the space becomes a living room again.
3. Mix and match
The kitchen in this small apartment involved some creative thinking in order to fit as much storage into the tight space as possible.
The kitchen in this small apartment involved some creative thinking in order to fit as much storage into the tight space as possible.
Emma and Ross Perkin of UK-based Emil Eve Architects used Ikea cabinet carcasses and fitted two runs of units, one above the other. They then added a large fridge door over the top of each to give the run a streamlined finish.
The couple didn’t waste any space at all, even along this wall. Here, the shallow fitted cabinets and open shelves provide storage without intruding too much on the floor area.
The couple didn’t waste any space at all, even along this wall. Here, the shallow fitted cabinets and open shelves provide storage without intruding too much on the floor area.
4. Waste not want not
It’s often tricky to squeeze a bin into a small kitchen, particularly an integrated one. To avoid having a freestanding bin floating around this tiny space, the designers at Parisdinterieur came up with a smart solution.
There was no room for a pull-out cupboard inside the kitchen area, so they inserted a hole into the benchtop instead. The owners can pop their kitchen waste inside…
It’s often tricky to squeeze a bin into a small kitchen, particularly an integrated one. To avoid having a freestanding bin floating around this tiny space, the designers at Parisdinterieur came up with a smart solution.
There was no room for a pull-out cupboard inside the kitchen area, so they inserted a hole into the benchtop instead. The owners can pop their kitchen waste inside…
…Then access the bin underneath via a door on the other side of the breakfast bar.
5. Go down under
One of the key challenges in any kitchen is ensuring benchtops are free from clutter to allow easy food preparation. In a narrow kitchen like this one, that’s even more of a challenge – particularly if you want to include a microwave in your space.
The designers at Kaminski + Pew solved the problem here by inserting a small microwave in a niche beneath the benchtop. To make sure the space is functional, the microwave’s position is easy to access and in close proximity to the main oven.
One of the key challenges in any kitchen is ensuring benchtops are free from clutter to allow easy food preparation. In a narrow kitchen like this one, that’s even more of a challenge – particularly if you want to include a microwave in your space.
The designers at Kaminski + Pew solved the problem here by inserting a small microwave in a niche beneath the benchtop. To make sure the space is functional, the microwave’s position is easy to access and in close proximity to the main oven.
6. Aim high
In a small kitchen, it’s important to use every centimetre of space without creating a cluttered feel. Here, the designers managed to leave the wall above the sink free for a couple of open shelves by using the adjacent wall to its full potential.
Standard wall cabinets are framed by a row of bridging units that go right up to the ceiling. These white ceiling-height cupboards are deeper than the timber ones below. This provides extra storage space, while the cabinets at eye level don’t impinge on the work area.
5 Recipes for Solving Problem Areas in Small Kitchens
In a small kitchen, it’s important to use every centimetre of space without creating a cluttered feel. Here, the designers managed to leave the wall above the sink free for a couple of open shelves by using the adjacent wall to its full potential.
Standard wall cabinets are framed by a row of bridging units that go right up to the ceiling. These white ceiling-height cupboards are deeper than the timber ones below. This provides extra storage space, while the cabinets at eye level don’t impinge on the work area.
5 Recipes for Solving Problem Areas in Small Kitchens
7. Hide away
In this wee Moscow flat, the designers came up with a clever place for the fridge-freezer. To keep it within easy reach but unobtrusive and out of sight of the adjoining living room, they built a wall around it. To avoid wasting any space, they inserted a niche above it to create extra storage. There’s also a power point inside the niche to avoid messy cables.
Ask your builder, designer or architect for advice on how something like this could work in your kitchen – they might have some clever alternative tricks up their sleeve.
Your turn
Would any of these small-space ideas work in your kitchen? Share your thoughts in the Comments below, like this story and save the images for inspiration. Go on, join the conversation.
More
Need more savvy kitchen design ideas? Don’t miss the latest in Engineered Surfaces: Why They’re the Material of the Moment
In this wee Moscow flat, the designers came up with a clever place for the fridge-freezer. To keep it within easy reach but unobtrusive and out of sight of the adjoining living room, they built a wall around it. To avoid wasting any space, they inserted a niche above it to create extra storage. There’s also a power point inside the niche to avoid messy cables.
Ask your builder, designer or architect for advice on how something like this could work in your kitchen – they might have some clever alternative tricks up their sleeve.
Your turn
Would any of these small-space ideas work in your kitchen? Share your thoughts in the Comments below, like this story and save the images for inspiration. Go on, join the conversation.
More
Need more savvy kitchen design ideas? Don’t miss the latest in Engineered Surfaces: Why They’re the Material of the Moment
The layout of this kitchen is satisfyingly neat, with clean lines leading to a handy breakfast bar that looks out to the stunning landscape.
To ensure an uninterrupted view, the designers have opted for shallow floating shelves, rather than wall units. This leaves just base cabinets for storage, so, to provide more space for crockery, they’ve utilised the opening to the dining room behind the wooden doors opposite.