Best of the Week: 24 Brilliant Small and Narrow Kitchens
Don't let a compact kitchen defeat you – here are 24 space-starved cooking spaces that combine looks and functionality
Georgia Madden
30 November 2019
A small or narrow kitchen can present a few design challenges, but they’re not impossible to overcome. With some creative thinking and careful planning, even a culinary space the size of a postage stamp can be crafted to look great and perform efficiently. We’ve gathered 24 examples from the Houzz archives to inspire your thinking.
And remember, you can get more details of a project and see more of a professional’s work by clicking on a photo.
And remember, you can get more details of a project and see more of a professional’s work by clicking on a photo.
1. Location: Sydney, Australia
Designer: Studio Oscar Lea
Features: Blonde timber, penny-round tiles and warm metallic touches.
Designer: Studio Oscar Lea
Features: Blonde timber, penny-round tiles and warm metallic touches.
2. Location: Barcelona, Spain
Designer: Marta Castellano
Features: Character-packed joinery and a herringbone timber floor add a sense of movement to this space.
Find a designer or renovation professional for your kitchen
Designer: Marta Castellano
Features: Character-packed joinery and a herringbone timber floor add a sense of movement to this space.
Find a designer or renovation professional for your kitchen
3. Location: Melbourne, Australia
Features: Pale timber and artfully designed cabinetry.
Features: Pale timber and artfully designed cabinetry.
4. Location: Melbourne, Australia
Designer: Camilla Molders Design
Features: Cornflower blue, decorative floor tiles and lashings of light.
31 Scrumptious Blue Kitchens
Designer: Camilla Molders Design
Features: Cornflower blue, decorative floor tiles and lashings of light.
31 Scrumptious Blue Kitchens
5. Location: Austin, USA
Designer: Texas Construction Company
Features: Suspended open shelving and Shaker-style cabinetry.
Browse more kitchens with Shaker-style details
Designer: Texas Construction Company
Features: Suspended open shelving and Shaker-style cabinetry.
Browse more kitchens with Shaker-style details
6. Location: Melbourne, Australia
Features: Pared-back lines, handle-free joinery and floor-to-ceiling storage.
Features: Pared-back lines, handle-free joinery and floor-to-ceiling storage.
7. Location: Portland, USA
Designer: Dyer Studio
Features: Freestanding kitchen units and white-washed floors and ceiling maximise the sense of space.
Designer: Dyer Studio
Features: Freestanding kitchen units and white-washed floors and ceiling maximise the sense of space.
8. Location: New York, USA
Designer: CWB Architects
Features: Flat-faced cabinetry, a cosy, patterned rug and a killer view.
Designer: CWB Architects
Features: Flat-faced cabinetry, a cosy, patterned rug and a killer view.
9. Location: Paris, France
Designer: Andrea Mosca Architecte DESA
Features: Mixing horizontal and vertical lines is a genius way to make a narrow kitchen feel wider.
Browse more modern kitchens
Designer: Andrea Mosca Architecte DESA
Features: Mixing horizontal and vertical lines is a genius way to make a narrow kitchen feel wider.
Browse more modern kitchens
10. Location: Brisbane, Australia
Designer: Connors & Co
Features: Space-enhancing white and fuss-free detailing.
Designer: Connors & Co
Features: Space-enhancing white and fuss-free detailing.
11. Location: Barcelona, Spain
Designer: Estudi a l’Atic
Features: Terracotta tiles add warmth to a rich grey and stainless-steel scheme.
Designer: Estudi a l’Atic
Features: Terracotta tiles add warmth to a rich grey and stainless-steel scheme.
12. Location: Berlin, Germany
Designer: Annewand Interior
Features: Gloriously – and unashamedly – mismatched.
Designer: Annewand Interior
Features: Gloriously – and unashamedly – mismatched.
13. Location: Los Angeles, USA
Designer: Wolf Design Studio
Features: Simple cabinetry and a neutral colour palette.
Designer: Wolf Design Studio
Features: Simple cabinetry and a neutral colour palette.
14. Location: Toronto, Canada
Designer: Condovate Interiors
Features: Dramatic dark timber joinery, a minimalist grey worktop and bold artwork.
15 Ideas from Stunningly Black Kitchens
Designer: Condovate Interiors
Features: Dramatic dark timber joinery, a minimalist grey worktop and bold artwork.
15 Ideas from Stunningly Black Kitchens
15. Location: Boston, USA
Designer: LDa Architecture & Interiors
Features: A wall of bright, floral wallpaper draws the eye through the narrow space and adds a touch of fun.
Designer: LDa Architecture & Interiors
Features: A wall of bright, floral wallpaper draws the eye through the narrow space and adds a touch of fun.
16. Location: Tokyo, Japan
Designer: Tenhachi
Features: Running the kitchen right under the stairs in this tiny home is a clever way to maximise space – it even frees up enough room for a dining area.
Designer: Tenhachi
Features: Running the kitchen right under the stairs in this tiny home is a clever way to maximise space – it even frees up enough room for a dining area.
17. Location: San Francisco, USA
Designer: Framestudio
Features: A chic charcoal-and-timber palette and space-savvy touches, such as recessed door handles, minimise visual clutter.
Designer: Framestudio
Features: A chic charcoal-and-timber palette and space-savvy touches, such as recessed door handles, minimise visual clutter.
18. Location: Paris, France
Designer: Madame Prune
Features: The high-gloss finish on these streamlined cabinets bounces light around and makes the space appear larger than it actually is.
Designer: Madame Prune
Features: The high-gloss finish on these streamlined cabinets bounces light around and makes the space appear larger than it actually is.
19. Location: Portland, USA
Designer: TaylorSmith Sustainable Construction
Features: Rustic ply cabinetry, open shelving and white appliances.
Designer: TaylorSmith Sustainable Construction
Features: Rustic ply cabinetry, open shelving and white appliances.
20. Location: Vancouver, Canada
Designer: Campos Studio
Features: A generous skylight cleverly positioned above this narrow kitchen fills it with light and enhances the sense of airiness.
Designer: Campos Studio
Features: A generous skylight cleverly positioned above this narrow kitchen fills it with light and enhances the sense of airiness.
21. Location: Rome, Italy
Designer: Caterina Raddi Architetto
Features: The bold, patterned floor tiles pick up on the sage green in the cabinetry for a sense of cohesion.
So You’re Tempted to Try Sage Green?
Designer: Caterina Raddi Architetto
Features: The bold, patterned floor tiles pick up on the sage green in the cabinetry for a sense of cohesion.
So You’re Tempted to Try Sage Green?
22. Location: Brisbane, Australia
Designer: Claire Stevens Interior Design
Features: Shaker cabinetry, touches of mint and a charming, traditional feel.
Designer: Claire Stevens Interior Design
Features: Shaker cabinetry, touches of mint and a charming, traditional feel.
23. Location: Paris, France
Designer: Atelier FB
Features: Quirky touches – such as cabinetry panelling arranged in different directions and contrasting floor and wall tiles – tie in beautifully with the apartment’s chic, off-beat vibe.
Designer: Atelier FB
Features: Quirky touches – such as cabinetry panelling arranged in different directions and contrasting floor and wall tiles – tie in beautifully with the apartment’s chic, off-beat vibe.
24. Location: Sydney, Australia
Features: Marble flowing from countertop to backsplash, black cabinetry and a dramatic patterned-timber floor.
Tell us
Which of these narrow cooking spaces impresses you the most? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
Features: Marble flowing from countertop to backsplash, black cabinetry and a dramatic patterned-timber floor.
Tell us
Which of these narrow cooking spaces impresses you the most? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
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Really lovely designs from minimalist to full mismatched clutter. Nice collection, but what is it with North Americans and rugs on kitchen floors?
if they are 'small' then my kitchen is miniscule!
I like the modest inviting look of most of these kitchens, and the use of colour. I think my favourite is 21.