How to Design the Perfect Small Kitchen
People often think that having a small kitchen means you have to sacrifice the features and accessories you want in your home for functionality. While the layout is important in any home, it comes down to your personal preferences and what you need in your kitchen to cook up a storm!
What is important to you?
Appliances
If certain appliances are an important part of your cooking routine, design the kitchen with this in mind. In having your appliances in the right spot this will help with your flow as you move around the room making it quicker and more efficient to get tasks done. This is especially handy when you have kids and are trying to get dinner on the table as quick as possible! For example having the toaster and kettle together makes getting breakfast organised a breeze!
Entertaining
If you entertain guests or family and often spend time in the kitchen think about how you can create an open living space with seating. Having a breakfast bar with a few barstools is a great way to let guests relax while you still cook away in front of them – rather than a kitchen that is tucked away or hidden from the rest of the living area.
Remember: The kitchen is the heart of the home and having a connected space is important for social interaction.
Simplicity
Think about the features that need to be in the kitchen, then work backwards as to have other features you can include and if there is a smaller option. Larger features such as dishwashers or sinks can often take up large amounts of room. Try aiming for a smaller dishwasher to save space, but don’t cut down too much on a sink as you need to be able to fit your pots and pans in there to wash!
Layout
The layout of the cabinets along with features is so important in a well-designed kitchen. The most important thing to think about is the kitchen work triangle. This is used to determine whether your kitchen layout is efficient or not. In the kitchen, the primary tasks revolve around the stove, sink and refrigerator. The lines between these should make up the triangle.
Do you need plenty of storage?
Think Vertical
Small kitchens lack vertical space to store your cooking utensils and crockery. Think about how you can utilise your storage vertically to take full advantage of your kitchen space. For example having cupboards above the bench tops or shelving so that you can store things away but still be within reach.
Glossy Benchtops
Having shiny surfaces in the kitchen create the illusion of a large space. With natural lighting reflecting off each surface it gives the appearance that there is more space than actually available. Solid colour or matte finishes can appear heavy and “blockish” making each the room look smaller.
Natural Light
Windows are a kitchen’s best friend when designing. Incorporating a highlight window or full-length windows give the room plenty of natural lighting creating the illusion of more space.
For more information on our designs, head to the Hotondo Homes website.
