Space Saving Kitchen Design Ideas
Jan '18
The hustle and bustle of Christmas is over and you can now finally concentrate on making the first steps towards creating the spacious kitchen of your dreams.
Thanks to a range of simple kitchen designs and space-saving techniques, you no longer need to feel restricted in a small kitchen.
U-Shaped Kitchen Ideas
Even a mini kitchen can be practical, inspirational and gorgeous to look at with the combination of our expert retail members and your imagination and creative plans.
A U-shaped kitchen is a popular choice as it can provide an abundance of space for small kitchen cabinets and appliances, while also allowing room to comfortably move around or relax in.
Try and aim for at least 2 metres of space between opposite units as a rough guide. This way, you can sit back and enjoy the calming atmosphere of your stunning new kitchen, without wasting space.
If possible, it’s definitely worth bending your U-Shaped kitchen so that you have a window at the peak of your layout. This will allow you to look out over your beautiful garden while performing daily tasks such as washing up.
When thinking of how to plan a kitchen, you may want to consider opting for a peninsula as opposed to an island. Peninsula units are a great alternative as they offer everything that an island provides, but save space by being connected to a wall on one end.
A peninsula can still achieve that gorgeous, efficient U-shaped kitchen design, while creating extra work space, storage and seating options.
L-Shaped Kitchen Ideas
Another space-saving small kitchen design is the L-shape. A classic option that provides space and can save you money in terms of installation, an L-shaped kitchen can work in any size.
The great thing about the L-shape is that it is extremely flexible, capable of working in both a traditional and contemporary kitchen. If you seek a multipurpose kitchen design for a small space, this could be the perfect solution.
This small kitchen layout focuses on practicality, namely traffic flow, structure and storage. Traditionally, an L-shape will feature all storage and appliances on two sides of the room, leaving space for the requirements of dining and hosting elsewhere.
Small kitchen storage ideas
Storage is a necessity in every kitchen; you need enough room for your crockery, cutlery, pots, pans, glasses, mugs, appliances, and that’s without mentioning the most important aspect: your food! So, how do you ensure you have enough room for all of this in your tiny kitchen?
To maximise storage, you need to be clever with your cabinet choices. This is something our retail members can of course help with. With a small kitchen plan, you need to make the most of every inch, using techniques such as recess storage and storing objects upwards with the help of shelves and innovative cabinets.
A great space-having hack in terms of small kitchen storage is to hang your most-used cooking utensils above your cooker/hob. This is especially useful for things like frying pans, pots, sieves and spatulas.
When opting for an island or peninsula for your small kitchen layout, a great space-saving idea is to choose a hollow unit with in-built shelves to store things like cookbooks, cutlery, mugs or even fresh fruit and spices.
Displays such as hanging and rack storage can increase efficiency as well as space, particularly for items that you regularly use, such as plates and cutlery. Stacking plates on a rack at the side of your small kitchen cabinets or having a basket for condiments or cutlery, for example.
Shelves are also a great way of making the most of what would otherwise serve as unused wall-space – you can even buy innovative shelves that are able to hang jars and additional storage options underneath them.
Storing things upwards will of course create more space for you to perform your culinary tasks, as well as socialise with your loved ones. Another way to continue creating space is to opt for pull-out storage options with multiple shelves.
Space-making Hacks for Your Kitchen
There are many kitchen space-saving ideas and tricks of the trade that our retailers can enlighten you with in order to maximise space in your small kitchen. Our members are always happy to listen to your ideas, requirements and hopes, and will do everything in their power to create the kitchen of your dreams.
One thing to keep in mind when designing your small kitchen layout is the golden triangle rule. This means that your fridge, cooker and sink should be no more than 120cm and 270cm away from each other.
When coming up with tiny kitchen ideas, it’s best to think minimal but consider out of the box design techniques.
In terms of colour, you should consider a largely white scheme to keep the light levels up. Continuing this theme, you should always use windows as focal points to add character and light into your kitchen. Adding a mirror and glass cabinets as opposed to solid doors will also create a sense of space.
As well as the abundance of expertise offered by our expert retailers and the Kbsa brochures and guides, you can find plenty of clever ways to make a small kitchen appear bigger online and using our FAQs page.
As you know, sitting down and enjoying a meal at a dining table is a great way to end a long and tedious day at work, particularly when you can converse with those you live with over a lovely meal. This, you may feel is not possible in your tiny kitchen, but that’s only because you haven’t found a space-saving kitchen table.
A solution to this issue, without having to eat your dinner on your lap in the living room, is to opt for an island or peninsula. If, however, you would prefer a traditional table, there are plenty of innovative products and table shapes to suit a smaller kitchen.
A round table, for instance, is a great, flexible option as you can arrange your chairs in whatever way suits your available space. It also requires minimal table legs, as opposed to the traditional rectangular tables, meaning you have more leg room.
As we mentioned a moment ago, glass can be very useful in creating the illusion of space, which is why many small kitchen owners opt for a glass table to complete their plan.
A master of disguise in terms of space are foldable tables, which you can then store away elsewhere in the house, like under the stairs.
How to plan your kitchen
So, you have the knowledge and the techniques, meaning the next step is to get in touch with our expert retail members.
Find your local retailer today and start making your dream kitchen a reality, no matter what space you have to work with!