Designing a small apartment kitchen: tiny spaces, big style

A small apartment kitchen design doesn’t necessarily seem any more like struggling to hold a dinner party in a broom closet, but there is nothing to be afraid of. The smallest kitchenette will become a dream of the chef with the appropriate approach, a pinch of imagination, and a sprinkle of humor. It can be a tiny studio apartment kitchen, a small condo kitchen, or a 49-square-foot kitchen in a brooklyn based apartment, but you can transform the small space into a working, lovely, and somehow magical kitchen.

Evaluating your space: the start of the small kitchen adventure

Take time to evaluate your kitchen space before purchasing glamourous new cabinets or installing a high end kitchen island. The first step to designing a kitchen in a small apartment is to know what you are dealing with otherwise you will be attempting to fit a dutch oven in a cupboard that is smaller than a cereal box.

Measuring the kitchen area

Take out your tape measure, draw your floor plan and be totally honest about the size of your kitchen. Small kitchens require planning. Is it an l-shaped apartment kitchen, a galley-style kitchen or a semi-open apartment kitchen which is just a small corridor with a sink? Inch matters and familiarity with your small kitchen floor plan is the way to avoid future unhappiness.

Determining existing features

Inspect your oven, kitchen sink, and stove and any existing kitchen cabinets. Do the kitchen cabinets on the upper floor reach up to the height of your pots and pans, or are you going to have to get creative with ways to store your kitchenware, such as racks mounted on the wall or showering the kitchen with multi-purpose carts? Any tiny kitchen can fit all you need when you are a bit creative.

Knowing your cooking and storing requirements

Question: how much do you actually do cooking? Are you a stovetop superstar or a microwave magician? Which small appliances do you have- blenders, toasters or a dutch oven that can serve as a table centerpiece? These are some of the questions that you should answer in order to make sure that your small kitchen area is practical and not a mess.

Selection of the proper layout to small kitchen success

It is not just a question of stuffing as much as possible into small apartments: it is a question of movement, economy, and of being sane at the end of the day.

Most on-trend small kitchen layouts

The common ones are l-shaped kitchens, galley kitchen, one-wall kitchen and very small corner kitchens. A smaller galley kitchen may be awkward, but it is a heaven of efficiency. The l-shaped apartment kitchen creates an open area in front of a small kitchen island or mobile kitchen island, and a one-wall kitchen may be much more functional than expected with smart storage and small appliances.

Pros and cons of each layout

• Galley-style kitchen: economical and can be considered claustrophobic when a person opens a cupboard at the inappropriate time.
• Kitchen l-shaped: it is ideal due to its ability to move around but may need ingenious counter management.
• Single-wall kitchen: these are perfect in studio apartments but they can be very limited in storage, unless you maximize the vertical space.

Trade offs are the key to designing a small-apartment kitchen: find what suits your cooking style and lifestyle best.

Flow and accessibility maximizing tips

Stick to the traditional triangle kitchen principle: the fridge, sink, and stove must be accessible and not difficult to reach so that one has to move like a circus artist. Pull-out drawers, wall-mounted shelves and even compact condo kitchen islands will keep a small kitchen floor open. Contemporary kitchen concepts usually have a modular storage and smooth kitchen, which makes the most out of every square inch.

The choice of space-saving appliances: small but mighty

Any small-scale kitchen remodel is incomplete without smart gadgets. Small gadgets like compact, multifunctional appliances are the saviors of small kitchens.

General history of compact appliances

Another option is to substitute oversized ovens with microwave-oven compounds or a small cooktop. Dishwashers, mini-kitchen sinks, under-counter fridges are saving space. In the case of a brooklyn apartment kitchen, make the small kitchen look large with the appropriate small appliances.

Multi-functional appliances

Find multitasking appliances. A dutch oven can be used as a slow-cooker, a braiser and a serving dish. The intelligent lighting systems are not only capable of establishing the mood, it also helps you feel like you have a bigger cooking area.

Small space-efficient energy saving

Small kitchens heat up quickly, and this applies particularly to a basement-flat kitchen or a small condo kitchen. Energy-saving appliances will keep your kitchen cooler, cost you less and will help you avoid the need to trigger your smoke alarm every time you boil an egg.

Smart storage solutions: making small kitchens look big

The secret of designing a small-apartment kitchen is storage. Even a very small kitchen can be turned into a full-fledged cooking place by using clever cabinets, shelves, and pantries.

Utilizing vertical space

Maximize the vertical space with upper kitchen cabinets, wall-mounted racks and floating shelves. Even a small kitchen floor can be open when pots and pans are suspended by hooks, or cupboards having pull-out organizers.

Creative storage ideas

Go beyond the cupboard: under sink storage, pull out drawers, mobile kitchen islands, and useful kitchen carts can all save space. A small kitchen island in a small apartment can be used as both a preparation area and storing place of frequently used kitchen items.

Essentials of decluttering and organizing

Clean up countertops and keep the hardly used items in a pantry or less frequently used cabinets. The organization of kitchen is in harmony with the principles of easy home decor: it is neat, functional, and a bit whimsical.

Materials and colors light, durable and fun

Although this is in a tiny kitchen, style is important. When your kitchen is properly furnished with the right materials and colors, it will look bigger, brighter, and more welcoming.

Light colors to bring illusion of space.

Light grays, pastels, and whites are able to make a small kitchen look airy. Reflective glossy cabinetry or light countertops are also of great benefit in petite galley kitchens or small loft kitchens.

Small kitchens durability materials.

Choose easy to clean laminate or quartz or tile countertops. Kitchens are exposed to spills, splash-ups and the incidental burnt toast disaster hence durability is needed. Flooring and floor tiles made of hardwood can further provide some textures without the space being overcrowded.

Using textures and patterns and not overwhelming.

Character can also be added by a faint backsplash, two tone kitchens, or whimsical patterns of flooring. Consider Scandinavian kitchens or ultra-slick kitchen cabinets-style without downsizing your miniature kitchen.

Lighting ideas for small apartment kitchen

A tight kitchen can be ruined or made with lighting. Lighting will make your tiny apartment kitchen look spacious, bright, and instagram-worthy.

Importance of natural light

When you have windows in your little apartment, make use of natural light. Light walls and reflective surfaces can reflect the light in a small galley kitchen, and it will appear bigger.

Layered lighting solutions

Integrate ambient, task and accent lighting. Minimal intelligence lighting solutions or led strips below cabinets can turn a gloomy space into a workable prep station.

Kitchen quick lighting ideas

Small kitchen island pendant lights or wall-lights mounted above your kitchen sink are able to illuminate the room radically. Even a small kitchenette in a studio apartment can be modern and airy due to the considerations of lighting.

Customize your kitchen: small space, mighty personality

Even the small kitchens are worthy of style. The design of a small apartment kitchen must portray your character without causing clutter.

Implementing personal touches without being too much

Put on some cook-books, and odd mugs, or jars of all colors. Apply easy home decor ideas to make your small kitchen area look pleasing especially without losing on counter space. Even slightly redecorated kitchen may seem whimsical and unique.

The use of plants and decor

Small potted herbs, hanging planters or even a very tiny kitchen cart give life to your kitchen. Minimal effort should be required to make functional kitchenettes cozy and green.

Finding the middle ground between aesthetics and functionality

Classy cabinets, mobile kitchen carts and countered tops make your kitchen clean and tidy. The current kitchen designs demonstrate that even a small kitchen can be cozy and effective.

Care and attention: tiny kitchens happy

It should be a small kitchen that is easy to maintain. Being durable, clean, and smartly arranged, you can guarantee your design to be useful over time.

Selecting surfaces that are easy to clean

The countertops, floors, and the appliances are tiled, and cleaned with smooth surfaces using stainless steel. A semi-open apartment kitchen or a small cabin kitchenette that is relatively small in size also has a positive aspect of surfaces that can be wiped in a few seconds.

Planning advice on small kitchen planning

Clean up frequently, arrange the cabinets of the kitchen and keep common kitchen items in place. You do not have to have sterile functional kitchens; you only have to offer it a little.

Planning for future needs

Small apartments renovate and so must your kitchen. Regardless of whether you are planning the kitchen upgrade, a small kitchen island, or a replacement of cabinets, the flexibility in designing a kitchen that fits small apartments will be long lasting.

Summary: small kitchens are big

Planning a small apartment kitchen is not restrictive it is more about the innovative thinking solutions. Choose wisely, choose the correct layout, combine small appliances, maximize storage and add color to your room. Adding to the kitchens of studio apartments, to the small condo ones, every square foot can be a blessing.

Keep in mind that even a small kitchen does not have to be of small style. Even the tiniest kitchen will turn into the paradise of the chef with intelligent lighting and colorful design and contemporary kitchen concepts. Therefore, do not be afraid, be creative, and transform your little kitchen into a functional, chic, and personality-filled space. Who told you a small kitchen could not be big?