All right, so get real with me: you are standing in your small kitchen and you are thinking how the heck do you fit in all of this without making it look like a cluttered mess? Believe me, I have. In my fist apartment, the kitchen was so small that I actually had to decide, do I want the dishwasher OPEN, the oven open OR neither, but never both.
The upshot? It can be quite diverted that smaller kitchens are more functional than their oversized counterparts as long as you are aware of the proper tactics. Years of living in small apartments and making small kitchens of friends smaller have convinced me that in order to do more with less, efficiency is the answer, not the size of the kitchen.
The Galley Kitchen: Your New Best Friend
Ever think that have ship kitchens managed so well? They have the galley arrangement and it is ideal in compact situations. In this arrangement, all of the items were firmly stationed along two parallel walls and this arrangement makes the kitchen feel like a well-choreographed dance of cooking.
I made my newly renovated 6-foot wide kitchen with this method, and to be quite frank, it did make all the difference. You have as much counter space, storage and surprisingly good traffic flow as you can get. The trick is to have one side set aside as a prep and cooking area and the other solely to cleanup and storage.
Making Galley Layouts Work
Here’s what I learned the hard way:
Make the narrowest aisle at least 36 inches so you won t feel like you re walking down a hall • Place a sink and dishwasher on the same side and the cooktop and food prep surfaces on the other • Stain walls and cabinets light colors to avoid that tunnel feeling • Add under-cabinet lighting to “widen” the work canvss
Pro tip: If you are able to do it, place a fridge at one end and not dismantling your counter top. When you can attempt to roll out a pie dough you will appreciate your future, long-ago you :))
L-Shaped Layouts: Corner Magic
L shaped layout is quite simple the Swiss Army knife of small kitchen design. You maximise two walls but open up the rest of your area? Brilliant, especially as your kitchen leads to a dining/living space.
I assisted my sister with a redesign of her L shaped kitchen last year and we somehow managed to fit in all that she required still leaving enough space with her kids being able to complete their homework at the breakfast bar. The weapon of secret? Infact working Corner solutions.
Corner Cabinet Solutions
And what about those wonderfully embarrassing corner cabinets which eat everything up:
Lazy Susans – Just as old as they are good, but not always ideal in every situation • Magic corners – These pull-out systems help bring things to you rather than requiring you to go into a cabinet on your hands and knees • Diagonal drawers – My personal favorite–diagonal drawers can take advantage of corners of a cabinet as well
| Layout Type | Best For | Main Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Galley | Narrow spaces | Maximum efficiency |
| L-Shape | Open floor plans | Flexible storage |
One-Wall Wonders: When Space is Really Tight
Other times you only have a single wall and that is fine! I have been to the point of seeing an apartment with a one-wall kitchen with a larger kitchen that has more space than the one-wall kitchen has functionality. The trick is to go vertical as though your life depended on it.
Consider your wall as priced real estate- all the inches are important. You will want to take the floor to ceiling room literally. Never be lazy with that space over your upper cabinets as it can be utilized due to storing your items that you do not use on a daily basis in it.
Maximizing One-Wall Efficiency
Put cabinets to ceiling height (step stool as needed) • Insert a fold-down table or slide-out counter on unused space • Use magnetic-friendly surfaces, hooks, rails everywhere possible • Look to a fold-away mini all-in-one unit if you are truly space-starved
Reality check: You will need to be very organized to have a one-wall kitchen. Of course, it may be that you are that kind of person who leaves dishes lying all over the place; in that case this layout may be the one that will make you go mad. It is just being very real here!
The Mighty Peninsula: Almost an Island
Can not get a whole island, but would like that extra workspace and storage? You may use a peninsula. It is simply an island that connects to the structure of cabinets you currently have and it can revolutionize the functioning of your small kitchen.
I built a peninsula on my existing kitchen and FYI it is likely the wisest choice I have done in years. It provides me with an additional space to prepare, a seat of two people and storage. Moreover, it forms a natural limitation between the kitchen and living space with an access point that is not closed.
Peninsula Design Tips
Here’s what works (and what doesn’t):
Make it skinny- Between 24 and 30 inches deep at most • Install electrical outlets to plug in small appliances • Use the back side to provide extra storage or seating opportunities • Consider an overhang with a breakfast bar when there is enough space
The downside? What you lose is a little floor space and traffic flow. The extent to which it is advantageous or not, though, depends somewhat on how you place it; positioning can easily turn the scales in your favor.
Vertical Storage: Your Secret Weapon
Here is where things fall flat on their head and most individuals miss the mark. They are all mired down in floor space and they forget that they have walls that stretch to the ceiling! Vertically stored items have the potential to literally double your kitchen size without you giving extra space.
I mean the inch by inch use; floor to ceiling. Spice racks mounted to the walls, magnetic strips on the walls to hang knives on, ceiling-mounted racks to hold pots and pans, hooks on the inside of the cabinet doors, well, name the feature.
Smart Vertical Solutions
Pot rack – Free up-cabinet space and look restaurant cool • Fold-down tables – Near wall tables are great when you need a little extra prep space • Tall skinny pullout cabinets – Great to stash your baking sheets and cutting boards • Cutting boards over-the-sink boards – Instant extra counter space
Personal experience: I heard about ceiling pot racks and was not so sure until I put one up. I can not imagine myself cooking without it now. Just be sure you can reach the things really, learned it the hard way :/
Multi-Functional Everything
In little spaces, every object must justify itself by being useful twice (or thrice), The key utensils in small kitchens must have more than one use. Your island in the kitchen must offer both storage and space to sit. your backspash needs to contain the spices AND be an attractive sight. The additional working space can be provided by the fact that your cutting board should fit over the sink.
I have now become completely enamoured with furniture that multi-tasks. Ottoman storage stools, nesting tables, flip-out lifetime cutting boards – triple tasking or else in any tiny galley they comes.
Smart Multi-Use Ideas
Rolling carts, which provide prep-space and storage • Cutting boards that fit over a sink to create instant counter space-typically under cabinet appliances that free up clock space.
Lighting and Color: Making Space Feel Bigger
Here is what you don t hear people mention enough: correct lighting and fill colors can help make your small kitchen seem twice as big. I do not exaggerate here. A great lighting is the Instagram filters of your kitchen.
Under-cabinet LED strips prevent the creation of shadows and give the impression of more spacious counters. Darker cabinet visibly reflects less light in comparison to light-colored cabinets. And, to boot, do not take little pendant lights in a small area- everything will appear to be quite cramped.
Light and Bright Strategies
Paint cabinets and walls in light colors • Add under-cabinet LED light • Mirrors, or reflective backsplashes • Reduce the number of and increase the size of light fixtures
Hot take: All-white kitchens can be really photogenic but in person can appear sterile. Do not fear accessorising and spot accents.
Storage Hacks That Actually Work
Here I would like to offer you some storage tips which have helped me save my sanity. These aren t Pinterest-pretty fixes that crumble in just a week but what really works on actual people that have actual lives.
It is a fixed point that drawers have a divider. And who needs them? Without them your drawers are junk tornadoes in which nothing can be found. Invest in those that can be adjusted and can increase and shrink with your needs.
Storage on doors is criminally underutilised. The back of interior cabinet doors can be utilized to store spices, cleaning items, cutting boards, and so on. Merely keep in mind not to mount something that obstructs shelving.
Proven Storage Solutions
Clear, stackable containers to store your pantry • Drawer divider racks to put everything (I mean everything) • Railing racks and holders on the door of the cabinet • Baskets on shelves that turn out extra storage space • Pull-out drawers in bottom cabinets
Making It All Work Together
The fact is that the small kitchen design is all about hard choices. You cannot afford to have everything and therefore you have to concentrate on what you use most. Are you a constant baker? Fields should be a priority when it comes to counter space and storage of baking supplies. Rather a takeout man? Clean up and dish up can be a specialty.
The lesson is being harsh with what to keep, what to delete. That bread maker of yours that you used twice? Gone. The 47 coffee cups various vacations? Discard all but five of your favorites, give the rest away. Anything that is utilised in a small kitchen must justify its presence.
Your compact kitchen should not be crammed or restrictive. By cleverly arranging furniture, innovative use of storage options and a mindset that allows you to think vertically, you can create a space that is a workhorse, compared with any other 2-kitchens in size.
Clutter is not simply about how much space you have–it is about making better use of the space you do have. Well, at least you wont have to walk far to get anything when you are cooking at least! That is not such a bad compromise IMO.