We don’t all have the space to create a jaw-dropping kitchen with an expansive central island, oodles of workspace, endless storage and every kitchen gadget going.
If you are in a flat, a smaller house, or a cosy country cottage, space may well be at a premium but that doesn’t mean you need to compromise on quality or functionality when it comes to choosing your kitchen. What you do need is a well design solution that makes the most of the space. Rather than decide what stays and what goes, spend your time reading through our design guide for smaller kitchens to find out how you can have it all.
Here are our top 6 design tips for smaller kitchens
- The sky’s the limit
Maximise the available space by having cabinets that go up to the ceiling. Whether they are wall cupboards or full floor to ceiling storage, don’t waste space with a gap at the top. It’s more hygienic as there is nowhere for the dust and grease to settle. Many standard kitchens will only supply set height wall units, leaving a gap at the top.
- Delight in drawers
Drawers are much better use of space than standard cupboards with shelves. They make the space fully accessible – not only can you get more in them but you can see it all clearly. We create all sizes and shapes of drawers for our clients with pull out options – pan drawers, spice racks, appliance drawers are just some examples.
- Room to breath
Consider smaller than standard height wall units so you still create the vital space between the worksurface and the wall units. We have worked in many older properties with low ceilings where standard wall cupboards would encroach on the available space and effectively make the worktops unusable.
Similarly, get shallower depth counter height units built so you retain storage but keep enough open space in the kitchen and walkways. In this example, the units with the fruit bowl on top, are shallower, keeping the doorway accessible.
- Ergonomic appliances
Consider smaller appliances and sinks. We are big fans of the Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer™ Dishwasher. The clever designed dishwasher only takes up the space of one pan drawer allowing another drawer underneath or on top. They do away with the large drop-down doors found on standard dishwashers in favour of more compact drawer openings. This means you get greater access and you don’t block pathways or other cabinets as much when you load and unload dishes.
Many appliances will come in scaled down versions. In this recent country cottage kitchen we created, our client wanted an AGA to complete the look. We sourced a single hotplate version at just 60cm wide and even got the colour matched to the splashback.
- Undermounted sink
To complete the country look we installed a scaled down butler style sink. But importantly we had it undermounted. This works very well with a quartz style worktop where you can have the drainer grooves moulded in. Not only does it keep the lines clean and simple in the kitchen, giving an illusion of space, you can easily use the drainer worktop as extra counter space by placing a board over the top.
- Go bespoke
Many of the suggestions we mention above can’t be easily achieved with an off-the-shelf kitchen solution. If you want to make sure that every unique nook and cranny is incorporated into your design to maximise your space, whilst creating something that will work wonders and wow your guests, then a bespoke kitchen is the way forward. (To give you an idea of budget for a bespoke kitchen, see here).
We have created kitchens of all sizes and shapes over the last 35 years. We find the challenge of building smaller kitchens especially rewarding when our problem-solving skills come to the fore.
We’d love to chat to your about your smaller kitchen renovation project. Please give us a call or send us an email.
P.S. If space really is a premium, you could always consider our Kitchen in a Cupboard solution – perfect for small holiday homes or studio flats.
