Small kitchens are a challenge even for experienced kitchen designers, who aim to solve the lack of space in the most practical way possible. When designing a small kitchen it’s a good idea to especially think about the functions necessary for the functioning of the kitchen. There are solutions to make daily life easier in a small kitchen.
When designing a kitchen, it’s important to think about where everything will go. Small machines have their own place, tableware needs suitable storage space and dry ingredients need practical storage solutions. If there’s little counter space, it can be maximized by keeping it free of kitchen devices and other utensils. On the other hand, if there’s a dining table in or near the kitchen, it can also be used in food preparation if there is not enough workspace otherwise. If the kitchen has enough storage space, you can think whether it’s worth sacrificing a top drawer unit and concealing a mechanism there to allow a fold down counter.
Small kitchens are a challenge, particularly in town apartments. If the kitchen in your home is more of a kitchenette, you could consider whether the kitchen could be integrated into the living room. Could the kitchenette furniture be incorporated into the rest of the apartment interior design, extending the kitchen cabinets into the living room as part of the furniture? The cabinets don’t need to be as deep as on the kitchen side and could look more like part of the room furniture. Tableware could easily be stored in the living room. Why not make a nice coffee point with coffee-maker on the counter?
The higher the cabinets, the higher kitchen steps you’ll need. Since this might mean a bit of effort to reach the top cabinets, it’s best not to store the most frequently used tableware and things there. It’s worth considering glass shelving in the top cabinets to help you see what and where everything is. A wall cabinet can also feature a mechanism to allow the shelf space to be lowered to within easier reach.
If there’s room in the kitchen, it’s worth thinking about drawer units instead of side-hinged base cabinets. This will allow easy use of the full cabinet depth. Goods and foods at the back of a shelf in a side-hinged cabinet can easily be forgotten about and are difficult to reach. Also narrow apothecary cabinets could work well in this type of space for storing herbs and spices, for example. If the full draw comes out, it’s easy to take what you need.
Could you manage with a 45-cm wide dishwasher rather than a normal 60 cm one? Do you need a separate oven and microwave or could you solve the solution with a combination oven microwave? Refrigeration equipment comes in different sizes, which is worth considering when thinking about cold storage space.
Even though designing a small kitchen may still seem challenging after all these thoughts, there are solutions that make everyday life easier in a small kitchen. Start design by, for example, making a list of the things you definitely need in your kitchen and intend to keep. Once you have a list, it’s easier to approach a kitchen designer.
A Scandinavian kitchen is traditionally white, linear and possibly combined with wood in natural color. Traditional Scandinavia design is associated with a tranquil mood, light surfaces, black accents, shades of wood and functionalism. Light in interior design appeals since Nordic winters are dark. Efforts have been made to copy this style around the world!
More and more Finnish homes are dreaming of a black kitchen. The emergence of black kitchens began several years ago and they can already be called the new kitchen classic. Black gives interior design a poise and has now finally moved from being an accent color to play a leading role in kitchens, too. Black is an opportunity and there are many styles. For years, white has been the prevailing kitchen color and norm. Perhaps this is why for many, a black kitchen seems a big step outside their comfort zone. All the same, we can note that it’s a step worth taking!
Never mind the kitchen color of the kitchen as long as it’s white. This is how a textbook of Finnish kitchen design could begin. Even though in recent years we have noticed an increasing number of kitchens in black, natural wood colors and other shades leaving our production facilities, it seems that white in its various shades and forms is by far the Finnish favorite. Year on year, a white kitchen seems to be a safe choice that doesn’t go out of fashion.
