Kitchen - galley
Takeaways Don’t be afraid to go bold in a small space. Use counter-depth refrigerators and freezer drawers to maintain clean lines. Opt for panel-front appliances for a streamlined look. Consider a pass-through to another room to help make a kitchen feel larger and brighter and to promote social interaction. Prevent small appliances from taking up valuable countertop space by using an appliance garage, specified cabinets or a niche. Or designate well-organized stations for things like making smoothies or coffee. Create layers of light with recessed lighting, undercabinet lighting, and ceiling and wall fixtures. When opening up a galley to another room, consider the views into the kitchen and design accordingly.
“Using the same material on the countertop and backsplash [Organic White Caesarstone] was something we had not tried before,” she says. “It creates one continuous surface that’s easy to clean and simple.” She tucked a plug mold for the electrical outlets underneath the upper cabinets rather than interrupting the backsplash. Undercabinet LEDs add functional lighting and ambience.
Now, more efficient cabinetry — including deeper cabinets, upper cabinets that extend to the ceiling (Horowitz estimates they doubled the upper-cabinet storage space with this one simple move) and a new appliance garage — provide plenty of space for storing all of their food, china, glassware, small appliances, cookware and cookbooks.
As already mentioned, losing the continuity of tall units in favor of wall units or shelving will help open up the space. The choice of furniture also helps: High-gloss finishes in pale colors are best for reflecting light and enhancing a sense of space. Similarly, doors and drawers without handles give a clean look and take up less physical space than handled ones. Finally, lighting is key. Well-placed and oversized lighting will soften the kitchen’s look and create the impression of more space.
Storage that opens from the top is smart for families with little ones that they want to keep away from pullout drawers or cabinets, but the seat cushion will have to be removed for someone to get to the storage underneath. Storage accessed from the top also benefits those of us who tend to lose things at the backs of cabinets.
A bench built into a bay window will typically have an angled shape that doesn’t allow for a full width of standard rectangular drawers. In this case, the choice comes down to a flip-up top or a smaller set of drawers. The option that allows easier access is usually the more practical option — otherwise you might not ever bother to take out those items you’ve stored.
Open shelving to display Le Creuset pans
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