The Small Kitchen

Tiny kitchens have to be designed primarily for the person or persons who use them and not the other way round. How many people can fit into this confined space at the same time – or will need to fit – during the times of the day when there is peak ‘traffic?

Unlike the straight line kitchen, featured in one of our previous blogs, with the small kitchen you can use more than one wall, giving greater scope for using every nook and cranny in the room. Just like in the straight line kitchen, space is very much at a premium, so you really need to do your homework, thinking properly about what your needs are, and what appliances are essential to your lifestyle (and are within your budget). Go back to my checklist, published at the start of this second series, and fill it in religiously. Keep in mind that time-saving appliances come in standard sizes (not just widths but also depths), so you need to take these measurements into consideration.

Start with the door and work your way inwards. Can you get by without a door (using saloon-type swinging doors), or is a door essential (in which case you could consider a sliding door)? Can you work in a hatch, to give access to a separate dining room/eating area, or is it an open plan?

Consider closing windows off completely to get extra wall space and perhaps opening a wall that would allow light to enter from another room. Would purpose-built, custom-designed units solve some of your space problems?

Functionality is a key factor. There is no leeway for frills; yet, neither should a small kitchen end up looking drab or dreary. Good design, built in right from the planning stages right through to the execution can make this room look larger than life.

Go for clean, open lines and slick, streamlined shapes, with the emphasis on light, if not necessarily bright colours. Try to avoid dark woods since they tend to give an overpowering, claustrophobic feeling. You could also paint the walls to match your colour scheme, using tiles for extra cleanliness.

The better a small kitchen is lit, the less tiny it will feel. Try to avoid harsh shadows and consider using spotlights to ‘iron out’ these darker corners. Storage has to be maximised to the limit. Think storage, storage and as much as possible, more storage. Apart from building lengthwise, don’t forget you can also build upwards, making your hanging cupboards higher than the average height (keep a folding stepladder handy for those topmost shelves – where you should store the least used items).

Hang utensils and other frequently used items of kitchen ‘equipment’ in handy locations.

Buy a practical sink (forget the more showy, multiple bowl varieties). Unless you only use the kitchen for warming up pre-cooked food or quick meals, think seriously about including a combination oven. The fridge should be at least 133 litres unless it is for one person only; a fridge-freezer with three/four freezer drawers is even better.

If you are going to integrate a washing machine, go for a combination washer and dryer and think seriously about whether you have space for a dishwasher. Small kitchens should ultimately reflect your character and approach to life. So, don’t let it cramp your style. Work on the strengths, and turn the dimension to your advantage. And if you do decide to go for a dishwasher consider a 45 cm width dishwasher.