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!

Mobile Kitchen

Mobile Kitchen

Limited for space, need a kitchen that you can move from one place to another easily. Well, then how about a cool mobile kitchen? Mobile kitchen have become one of the coolest and most innovative styles of kitchen on the market.





Tiny Kitchen

Tiny Kitchen

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

Small Kitchen Design Ideas - Kitchen Remodelling

Small Kitchen Design ideas 

A small kitchen design can be very difficult for anyone to use and if it is designed badly and inefficiently then it will be even worse. What many people do not realize is that both small and drastic changes can easily enhance the comfortability and the evaluation of your kitchen, saving you time and incorporating a welcoming look.

First thing you need to consider when designing the small kitchen is the placing of the kitchen furniture. Microwaves don't always need to be in the kitchen, instead can have extension chords and place it a few steps out of the kitchen. Separate freezers also do not need to be in the kitchen, as food needs to thaw anyway. Addition of cupboards and shelves can be simple but very effective, however in very compact kitchens you should consider whether or not the cupboard will be in the way of anyone walking within the kitchen (mind your head).

One other main factor is appearance, since a small kitchen can give a cramped feeling, what you can do is just make the walls have brighter color. However, while white may be effective and bold, it can also ruin the whole feeling of the home because the kitchen should not be completely out of place in the home. Instead give the walls of the kitchen some patterns according to the rest of the home and it will be much more welcoming.

Another problem that can easily arise when designing your small kitchen is the comfortability. Sometimes you need to be flexible and you need to sacrifice the comfortability of your kitchen for more effect. If you are going to live in the home for quite some time then you should choose comfortability over appeal. Just keep this in mind when designing and the decisions will be much faster.

Last of all, when you are designing your kitchen, the fastest method is to know all the information before you actually start this is because you do not want to make a few hasty last minute decisions. Since the kitchen is vital to the home, a good method is to talk it all over with someone else, because many times I have thought of perfect placements which actually made no sense when I tried to talk it over.

By Kale

Small Kitchen Design

Small Kitchen Design is Perfect for Your Country Kitchen  

Some country kitchens are large and spacious, part of a rambling farmhouse that has grown with one addition after another over the years. But you can also find more modern country kitchens in townhouse apartments or small houses where space is at a premium.

Careful Designs for a Country Kitchen

Small kitchen design should take into account the whimsical and practical details of a country kitchen while not sacrificing precious space. Here are a few tips to help fit your country kitchen remodeling dreams into a small kitchen design reality:

• Look for elements that do double duty. An island that doubles as a wine cabinet or a countertop all-in-one unit that slices, dices, and mixes everything are both good ideas for making the most out of a tiny space.
• Make the space appear larger. Careful placement of windows, a skylight over the center of the room, and appliance garages that carefully hide away the odds and ends are perfect for making the room look bigger than it really is.
• Forget the traditional. Do you really need a massive refrigerator? Opt for a vintage one that doesn't take up much space but bursts with character. Use a wall oven that is built into your cabinets and put the range on your island. Opt for flat burners to provide even more usable space when the range is not in use.
• When it comes to decorating, less is more. Fewer distractions for the eye means the space feels more open and airy. Choose your country kitchen decorations with an eye toward those big on charm.
• Finally, choose colors that are soothing, such as french white or sky blue. Easy, simple lines and harmonious colors are key points that can make your small kitchen design a success.

Whether you are planning to make this a do-it-yourself project, or planning to use professional kitchen remodelers, these are a number of practical ways you can make your small kitchen space big on country design.

by Ryan Stinson

Small Kitchen Design

Small Kitchen Design Ideas



Small kitchen design ideas should be ways you come up with to save as much space as possible while having everything you need in the kitchen. As stated before, a small island in your small kitchen design can help save space when it comes to storage for your pots and pans or utensils. If you are not financially able to work an island into your small kitchen design idea, you can use a mobile butcher block cart. This is a good idea for food prepping or to just use as a buffet.

The cart is very resourceful, and can be stored easily by sliding right in next to your sink. A small kitchen hutch is also a good idea since it has pullout parts like storage drawers and cutting boards. A small hutch also has glass doors on its upper portion where a few plates and fine china may be stored. An open plate rack can be built in or placed against the wall as an addition.

Kitchen tables can be placed in a small kitchen. If there is an island in the kitchen, you are already saving space. However, if you want a place in the kitchen to be able to sit down for meals you can nestle a table against the island. This will leave more floor space around the work space and the table altogether. Additionally, you can conform your island into a peninsula by adding it to the end of your sink counter space.

This will open up the middle of the floor for you as well as provide unrestricted access to the sink, stove and dishwasher. In order to preserve
kitchen space and have a more spacious look, built in cabinets are another kitchen design idea. Wall cabinets are in a location that is easily accessible, yet they are not in the way or taking up any excess space. If you have cabinets that have space above them, small baskets can be used to hold some of the loose items that lay around taking up counter space.

Lighting can play a big role in the way your kitchen space can appear in size. A small kitchen does not need fluorescent lights as they can depress a small kitchen. Any lighting that can be put up under wall cupboards will not make the room appear too bright or too small. Lighting should blend in with your colors and overall décor to give the room a good contrast.

The appliances should be next to each other when you are designing the kitchen. This increases their efficiency and prevents you from having to walk across the entire room to get from one appliance to the other. If you do not require a large refrigerator, you can purchase a smaller, deeper one to save more floor space. There are software design tools that can help you come up with design ideas for your small kitchen and appliances. You can also get great ides from home improvement stores.