4 mistakes to avoid when designing a small kitchen
Even the smallest of kitchens can be beautiful and functional, provided a precise and strategic design is defined. Here we will give you a series of valuable information and show you ideas to copy. However, we first want to list 4 mistakes to avoid:
- Underestimate the importance of colors: they are fundamental, also because they allow you to make any environment look bigger. The result in question, however, can only be achieved by choosing light and neutral shades and this naturally also applies to the kitchen, walls, floors and furniture. On the other hand, dark or overly "loaded" shades should be prohibited.
- Don't take advantage of heights: this is a decisive move, especially for kitchens. Therefore, choose very high wall units and consider equipping the walls with shelves and open shelves.
- Don't consider the hypothesis of buying an extendable table: today the choice is very wide in terms of materials, colors, styles, sizes. The opening and closing mechanisms have evolved and are extremely practical and safe.
Moreover, not everyone thinks about the fact that glossy, shiny surfaces are also reflective, therefore they make the kitchen brighter and make it look bigger.
Ikea offers many solutions for small kitchens. We have selected some of them.
First of all, there is the Knoxult modular series, which allows you to create small but complete, personalized compositions with everything (if you wish, even with appliances); wall units and base units are already equipped with doors and worktops. Here is an example: the wall unit is 75 cm high, the base unit is 90 cm high, the whole structure is 180 cm wide and 61 cm deep.
Ikea demonstrates that the island is also suitable for small surfaces, and indeed it can become an original space saving solution: let's dispel a cliché and see in the photo a version of the Askersund system including appliances. Measurements: 240 + 100 + 60 cm.
The third photo we publish shows a kitchen that can be attributed to another modular system, namely Kallarp . The dimensions - including appliances - are as follows: 120 + 290 + 250 + 150 cm. Note the originality and practicality of the doors with blackboard panels, on which you can draw and write anything.
Designing a small corner kitchen : ideas and advice
It is well known that when space is limited, angles become fundamental. When designing a small corner kitchen, you must first take all the measurements carefully and, we repeat, make the most of the heights. Wall units that reach the ceiling, for example, are useful for organizing objects that are not frequently used but still need to be used.
The corner can be used as a worktop but can also accommodate the sink and even the stove: the choice is related to personal preferences, the important thing is to be aware of the different options. It is also essential to position the various kitchen elements so that they do not move around too much when preparing meals.
It is also good to know that various basic units are also angled and contain, for example, practical storage baskets.
The small open kitchen in the living room
As for the project of a small open kitchen in the living room, we advise you to opt for a linear composition that occupies only one wall: this leaves room to comfortably arrange the table, chairs, sofa, coffee table and / or a table and a nice storage unit.
The sofa can also be used to delimit the kitchen area from the rest, but you have to make sure that it does not make the environment even smaller or get in the way. As we have seen and as we will see later, in some cases even a composition with an island or a peninsula can be an excellent solution but there must be certain conditions.
We recommend that you don't neglect lighting and instead give it the value it deserves: the ideal is to differentiate the lighting in the kitchen from that in the space dedicated to relaxation and conviviality. The optimum? A harmonious mix of suspended, table lamps and recessed spotlights.
How to furnish a small kitchen : The kitchen of the island or peninsula in a small space
Until recently, a small island or peninsula kitchen project was only feasible in the case of fairly large rooms. Today this is no longer the case, as many compositions of this type are also designed for small spaces . The important thing is to organize them well and it is also essential that the room plan allows you to do so; that is to say that it is free of irregularities. Here are 3 ideas to copy :
- In the first photo, you see an island equipped with a double sink and a small induction hob; the oven and microwave are integrated in a column, in the linear part of the composition. White gives brightness and enlarges the space.
- In the second photo, here is a modern and minimalist kitchen, characterized by a wooden peninsula that contrasts chromatically with the other elements, giving a greater dynamism to the whole, and which simply serves as a snack counter. Note the reduced thickness.