The kitchen is not just a room for cooking. For many, this is the place where most of the time is spent with family, meeting with friends, and in light of recent events, working remotely.
Arranging a small kitchen is not an easy task. Here you need to place everything you need and make the room look spacious and comfortable. Designers told what tricks will make a small kitchen stylish and functional.
Small kitchen design mistakes
1. Lots of furniture
The most common mistake when planning a kitchen is trying to fit as much furniture as possible in a small space in order to arrange all the kitchen utensils, Andrey Bubnov, the founder of the Decart design studio, emphasized. “If you think about it, with the modern rhythm of life and in modern realities, we do not use a large amount of dishes. This is especially worth keeping in mind for those who have a small kitchen. It is also worth considering that in a small space, a pile of furniture, on the contrary, visually makes it even smaller. This leads to another common mistake when, when planning a kitchen, they try to force all the free walls with furniture, ”Bubnov clarified.
2. L-shaped kitchen
Often people try to place furniture at an angle. “I don’t think it’s practical because a corner or L-shaped kitchen doesn’t add much usable space, but it eats up space and narrows aisles that are so necessary in a small kitchen. Therefore, I would recommend in a small room to give preference to a linear kitchen, built along one long wall. And if there is a need to make an L-shaped kitchen, then in order to visually unload the space, I recommend making one wall with cabinets to the ceiling, and the second with only lower cabinets without using the upper ones, ”said the founder of Decart design. He explained that this technique will expand the space and make the kitchen interesting and modern.
3. Corner sink
Another common mistake in kitchen design is the use of corner sinks and corner hobs. According to him, it is non-functional and takes up too much space.
4. Baroque and classic
In a small kitchen, it is especially important to choose the right style for the future interior. “For example, baroque or classical style clutters up the place and is only suitable for large spaces, while modern style, loft or minimalism is more appropriate in a small kitchen. I would pay special attention to the eco-minimalism style, which combines the use of natural materials with a minimum amount of furniture and decor,” Bubnov summed up.
How to furnish a small kitchen
1. Solid color finish and wood
The space of small rooms can be visually enlarged by combining plain wall decoration with inserts made of natural materials: stone, wood or decorative plaster. Due to its properties, decorative plaster has become a favorite in wall decoration, reminded Bubnov. He emphasized that decorative plaster can be washed even with a metal brush, it is scratch-resistant and retains its appearance for many years.
2. Light colors and gloss
When choosing facades, it is better to give preference to glossy ones, with them the kitchen looks expensive, visually they increase the space. “In terms of color, light colors are suitable for small spaces. I would recommend using white. It is versatile and goes with everything. Along with it, you can use dark colors, but in combination with white and light elements. A combination of white facades and oak veneer facades will be a win-win,” Bubnov advised.
3. Appliances and furniture
First, you need to understand what is needed in a modern kitchen and what can be discarded. “For a small space, fashionable cabinets to the ceiling are suitable today, in which you can build everything: an oven, a microwave, a refrigerator – this is undoubtedly the right solution for a small kitchen. The dishwasher should be chosen narrower – 45 cm. The sink and stove can also be made narrower, but this advice is only good if there is absolutely no room for the standard 60 by 60, as this affects the convenience of work. It is also worth entering here all the appliances that the hostess is going to use often: a coffee machine, a water filter, a mixer, and so on, because they will also need to find a permanent place, ”said interior designer Elina Nivin. She emphasized that the bottle storage box can be ditched to accommodate something more important.
4. Bar countertops
When designing a small kitchen, you can abandon the dining group and install bar countertops, Stepan Bugaev, the founder of the Flatplan service, recommends. According to him, such a snack area not only looks better in a small space, but also better suits an active lifestyle, in which there is no time for cooking at all.
5. Furniture modules
Special furniture modules, which are becoming increasingly popular, can rightfully be recognized as an effective solution for small kitchens. “All equipment and storage systems fit manufacturers into compact and functional blocks, from which the necessary interior is formed. For such a kitchen, more ascetic sets of appliances and headsets are selected, leaving only the most necessary,” recommended the founder of Flatplan.
6. Small range hood
When planning the design of a small kitchen, it is worth abandoning large hoods that eat up a lot of space, advises interior designer, ADDI board member Irina Dymova. “The smallest kitchen, less than a meter, was made by me in an art workshop, where the task was to fill the space with the smells of coffee and vanilla buns. As a result, it was equipped with only an oven and a coffee machine in the column. No cooktops or hoods! But seriously, the kitchen, first of all, is a utility room, so its design is often concise. Then mistakes are easier to avoid, ”explained Dymova.
7. Single line layout
If the kitchen is narrow, there are three layout options. “It is best to make the kitchen single-line. But if the window in the room allows you to place a kitchen base at its level, then you can safely try on the option with U-shaped configurations. It also makes sense to combine the kitchen with an adjoining room or think about placing an opening in the kitchen on the long side of the wall,” Bugaev emphasized.
8. Style
A small kitchen should be chosen in a modern style with smooth facades, similar in color to the color of the walls, so the room will seem larger than it really is, said Sergey Petrov, designer and head of Design Bureau No. 1. “Classic facades and elements are suitable only for full-fledged, large rooms. If you really want classic elements, you can try Provence and rustic style,” Petrov specified.
9. Light
Particular attention should be paid to lighting. Illumination of the upper and lower facades of the kitchen visually facilitates it, Andrey Bubnov from Decart design noted. According to him, it is also worth using different types of lighting – this allows you to zone the room, visually enlarge it and make it more interesting.
Small kitchens in different styles
1. Minimalist kitchen
Minimalist interiors and light-colored finishes will visually enlarge a small kitchen. Today, this style has ceased to be super ascetic and can combine many unusual shapes, colors, materials and textures.
2. Small kitchen + Scandinavian style living room
The Scandinavian style looks great both on large area and in small apartments. It combines the purity of lines, shapes, colors, and finishes.
3. Kitchen + living room in a modern style
Modern interior design is often a mix of styles, whereby one direction can dominate and the rest will complement it. It is perfect for the interior of a small kitchen, as one of the main principles of modern style is a minimum of furniture, decor and things.
4. Small kitchen + eclectic living room
This interior design combines eclecticism and classicism. Such a decision does not put one style into a rigid framework – it contains history and modernity, elements from different countries and cultures. Therefore, equipping the kitchen, in this direction, you can use objects of bygone years.
5. Urban style kitchen
The urban style is a reflection of the spirit of the stone jungle and the fast pace of life. It is characterized by bright colors, glass, wood, black clear lines, and most importantly – functionality.
The most important thing about our X that it is for
those who are in a hurry
