7 Ideas to Steal 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 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.
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2. Hide away
Here’s a super-clever idea for a mini 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 dock.
A pull-out table is ideally placed next to the bench seat, and the cabinet top lifts up to reveal a sink and hob.
Here’s a super-clever idea for a mini 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 dock.
A pull-out table is ideally placed next to the bench seat, and the cabinet top lifts up to reveal a sink and hob.
When the owner has finished cooking and dining, everything can be tidied away and the space becomes a living room again.
3. Mix and max
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 Emil Eve Architects used Ikea cabinet carcasses, and fitted two wall units one above the other. They then added a large fridge door over the top of each pair to give the run a streamlined finish.
The couple didn’t waste any space at all, even along the left-hand wall. Here, the shallow fitted cabinets and open shelves provide storage without intruding too much on the floor area.
Find out how this one-bed flat was transformed into a two-bed home.
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 Emil Eve Architects used Ikea cabinet carcasses, and fitted two wall units one above the other. They then added a large fridge door over the top of each pair to give the run a streamlined finish.
The couple didn’t waste any space at all, even along the left-hand wall. Here, the shallow fitted cabinets and open shelves provide storage without intruding too much on the floor area.
Find out how this one-bed flat was transformed into a two-bed home.
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 worktop instead. The owners can pop their 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 worktop instead. The owners can pop their 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 worktops are clear enough to allow easy food preparation. In a small room 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 have solved the problem here by inserting a small oven into a niche beneath the worktop. 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 worktops are clear enough to allow easy food preparation. In a small room 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 have solved the problem here by inserting a small oven into a niche beneath the worktop. 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 room, it’s important to use every centimetre of space without creating a cluttered feel. Here, the designers have managed to leave the wall above the sink free for just a couple of open shelves by using the other wall to its full potential.
Standard wall cabinets are framed by a row of bridging units that go right up to the ceiling. These higher cupboards are deeper than the ones below. This provides extra storage space, while the cabinets at eye level don’t impinge on the work area.
In a small room, it’s important to use every centimetre of space without creating a cluttered feel. Here, the designers have managed to leave the wall above the sink free for just a couple of open shelves by using the other wall to its full potential.
Standard wall cabinets are framed by a row of bridging units that go right up to the ceiling. These higher cupboards are deeper than the ones below. This provides extra storage space, while the cabinets at eye level don’t impinge on the work area.
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 socket inside the niche to avoid messy cables.
Ask your contractor, 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.
Tell us
Would any of these small-space ideas work in your kitchen? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
More
Browse more kitchen photos for design inspiration
Find appliance manufacturers and showrooms
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 socket inside the niche to avoid messy cables.
Ask your contractor, 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.
Tell us
Would any of these small-space ideas work in your kitchen? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
More
Browse more kitchen photos for design inspiration
Find appliance manufacturers and showrooms
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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.