Creating the Perfect Small Kitchen

Creating the Perfect Small Kitchen - Ian Grainger

When it comes to a small kitchen then performance is key. Using some serious planning, clever fittings and a design that suits your way of life and how you cook - rustic, modern or a mixture - your new kitchen can be incredibly useful and attractive. In addition, your small kitchen will not need many units, so you can spend more on high quality finishes to make it look even better.
For even greater utility, look out for scaled down, smaller versions of full-size appliances. These will provide you with the same level of performance and save you space for more storage. Slimline dishwashers are a prime example of the kind of appliances you'll want to have in your kitchen interior design.

Adding Space To Your Space
Before you get started looking at breathtaking designs in brochures and showrooms, take a look at the kitchen you have now and decide what you can change immediately. Consider things like ditching or moving bulky items to another room, replacing your washing machine and tumble dryer with a washer dryer, moving the sink to a better position. Would it be possible to expand your kitchen into a different room or build an extension to increase your available space? Even think about freeing up space by binning everything you simply never use - old blenders and other kitchen appliances are commonly found tucked at the back of a cupboard!

Create A Layout Based On How You Work
Now you're ready to start planning your kitchen interior design, grab a piece paper (check out the back of Ikea's kitchen brochure for the ideal one!) and mark windows, doors, power points and pipes so you can plan out your units.

You'll need work surfaces for food preparation, a unit for your sink, space for your hob, oven, microwave and fridge (freezer) - and bear in mind you're likely to have your kettle, bread bin and some utensils on your worktops so plan spare space for those too.

Keep the oven and sink 40cm from the corners, and away from doorways. If you're including tall units, put them at the end of a run, again to maximise worktop space. A corner sink looks good and frees up worktop space elsewhere. It's easy to mark out units on a plan, but always bear in mind that the people using the room are just as important - the cook not only takes up quite a bit of space but also needs room to manoeuvre and to open doors and drawers.

A Good Look For Your Kitchen
Keep your unit fronts the same - same design AND same type. A row of all-doors or all-drawers will look best in the small kitchen, while unit widths should be of a standard size and where this isn't possible, the other size should be at the end of a row - this looks far better than a mix.

You can't do without wall units in a small kitchen, they are a must for storage, but that doesn't mean they have to be on every wall. Pick one or two walls at the most and, if you can, consider using shelving instead as this can be even more attractive and certainly less obtrusive. As far as the doors on your units go, carousels and doors that lift up rather than out will take up less space and look better to boot.

Getting It Done
You're now ready to head out and get your kitchen interior design properly planned and implemented. Unless you fancy tackling the job yourself, use a reputable kitchen designer and fitter as this is one room you won't get a second chance with!

Small Kitchen Planning



Small Kitchen Planning

by D Wong

A small kitchen can function as well as a large kitchen if it is planned carefully. There are two main elements that need to be considered when designing a small kitchen. Firstly, how to maximise storage and work spaces in a small kitchen and secondly, how to make a small kitchen look more spacious. Here are some ideas:

To ensure there is enough storage space in a small kitchen, consider installing cupboards up to the ceiling to maximise storage in a small kitchen and glass cupboard doors make a small kitchen feel more open and less "boxed in". Open shelves can also make a small kitchen look more open, especially glass open shelves, which can let light through and brighten up a small kitchen.

Sliding doors and roller doors require less space to open than swinging doors and are perfect for small and narrow kitchens. If there is a lack of counter space, consider a pull-out table in a small kitchen. It’s only there when you need it and won’t take up any extra space.

Use the empty wall space for storage. You can free up your counter space by making use of the empty space above your countertop. The easiest way is to use one of those wall rail systems. You simply put things wherever you like along the rail. For example, matching accessories such as hooks for hanging utensils, paper towel holders, cutlery holders, spick racks, dish drainers and wine glass holders can be positioned to suit your needs.

Putting your microwave oven in a wall cabinet will not only maximise your counter space but will also reduce clutters on your countertop, just make sure the microwave is mounted at a safe level for you to operate.

A sink without a drainer makes the countertop look more spacious and provides more work space. A portable draining tray can be used instead. The tray can easily be put away when not needed and can sometimes fit over the sink bowl to give extra work surface.

A freestanding range cooker may be easy to install but a built-in oven and a built-in cooktop (hob) will help a small kitchen look more spacious by creating one continuous line along countertops and kickboards. Also by integrating appliances such as dishwashers and fridges behind cabinet doors, the run of cabinet doors is not interrupted and can flow across the room thus making the kitchen look more spacious.

A kitchen on legs also creates a visually larger space by maximising the exposure of the floor. To further increase the visual illusion of a bigger space, low-heat lighting may be used underneath the base cabinets to create a floating effect of the kitchen.

Light reflective surfaces brighten up a small kitchen and make it feel more open and try not to use very large tiles on the floor and the wall in a small kitchen. Smaller tiles visually increase the size of the room. And small cupboard knobs and handles may look less obtrusive than large chunky handles.

You can also choose from a huge range of compact kitchen appliances to suit a small kitchen: Narrow dishwashers, narrow cooktops/hobs, compact ovens or ovens combined with microwave functions, etc.

Small Kitchen Ideas - Kitchen Design Videos 2

How to Maximise a Small Kitchen Space