Making the most of space in a kitchen is a problem most city inhabitants have to deal with - we've gathered three design ideas to steal if you're puzzled about where to put everything
Although the kitchen has supposedly become the heart of the home, growing in size and prominence and incorporating sitting and dining rooms in its footprint, many of us urban dwellers face the opposite situation, squeezing kitchens into ever smaller spaces. It's very common now to find that a kitchen occupies one sad-looking wall of a sitting room, or to have to navigate tiny galley kitchens. But if you want to add a bit of character to a kitchen when it's in the middle of your living space, and maximise storage and character, there are a few clever design solutions that can help. We've picked a few of our favourites.
The open plan U-shape
Most people who live in flats now are faced with incorporating kitchens and dining areas into living rooms. The trick Beata Heuman and her senior designer Fosca Mariani use in small London flats was to differentiate between the cooking and sitting areas – previously all found in the one space – by installing a U-shaped kitchen. This immediately created an additional surface on which to serve food or use as a bar. ‘It also provided a wall against which to place a banquette, which was something the owners really wanted,’ says Beata.
The open galley
A galley kitchen is a familiar enough layout, but this idea from the above small but ingeniously designed kitchen adds a little more panache in an open-plan area. First of all, the galley functions as a passageway from one end of the flat to the other, avoiding closing off any spaces with doors. Although it is largely separated from the sitting and dining area by a wall, the large open space allows one counter top to serve as a bar, so that homeowners can be in the middle of the action when entertaining. The final clever touch is the mirror at the back of the kitchen, which reflects the sitting room, and also bounces light around infinitely with mirrors at the back of that room.
The one-wall wonder
In a completely open plan loft, architects actually create an extremely clever design for the classic one-wall kitchen. First of all, it is built onto the outside wall of the bathroom, which is situated in a marble box in the middle of the flat. The smart walnut cabinets conceal a washing machine and dishwasher, and also offer a little bit of open shelving and plenty of storage high up in the top cabinets. It may look compact, but it has everything one needs to cook ‘huge meals’ and entertain guests.
This story originally appeared on House & Garden UK.
