10 Small but Perfectly Formed Kitchens
In these kitchens, space may be limited, but practical ways to work are infinite
Laura Gaskill
29 April 2015
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
From layout challenges to a lack of light, compact kitchens can prove challenging to live with and tricky to change. Gather inspiration for your own small-kitchen design from these 10 creative homeowners and their hard-won space solutions.
1. Colourful touch in the Netherlands
Who lives here: Matt Steinglass, Pauline Oosterhof and their kids, Sasha (age 11) and Sol (nine)
Location: Haarlem, the Netherlands
When renovating their 1920s property, Matt Steinglass and Pauline Oosterhof decided to knock down a wall separating the small kitchen from the rest of the living space. Now light shines in from the glass doors, and an aqua tile splashback adds a welcome dose of colour.
See the rest of this home
Who lives here: Matt Steinglass, Pauline Oosterhof and their kids, Sasha (age 11) and Sol (nine)
Location: Haarlem, the Netherlands
When renovating their 1920s property, Matt Steinglass and Pauline Oosterhof decided to knock down a wall separating the small kitchen from the rest of the living space. Now light shines in from the glass doors, and an aqua tile splashback adds a welcome dose of colour.
See the rest of this home
2. Harbourside haven in Sydney
Who lives here: Sydney interior designer Tamsin Johnson, her husband Patrick, and Hector the British Bulldog
Location: Darling Point, Sydney
When the old kitchen in this property was demolished, it was discovered that white ants had been merrily munching on the floorboards. The boards were replaced and painted in gloss white.
Who lives here: Sydney interior designer Tamsin Johnson, her husband Patrick, and Hector the British Bulldog
Location: Darling Point, Sydney
When the old kitchen in this property was demolished, it was discovered that white ants had been merrily munching on the floorboards. The boards were replaced and painted in gloss white.
An eclectic and relaxed taste is now apparent in the simple compact kitchen, with Elba marble benchtops, black and pine cabinetry, tribal plaques and brass tapware. The casement window and exposed brick, also painted white, are charming original features.
The dining area adjacent to the snug kitchen shows how antique, vintage and modern sit together well. The table is antique oak, the chairs are vintage Thonet bentwood and the cabinetry is sleek gloss black.
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The dining area adjacent to the snug kitchen shows how antique, vintage and modern sit together well. The table is antique oak, the chairs are vintage Thonet bentwood and the cabinetry is sleek gloss black.
See the rest of this home
3. Total overhaul in Montreal
Who lives here: Sarah Brown, Chad Zentner and their cats, Chairman Meow, Bill Murray and Steven
Location: Ville Saint Laurent, Montreal
Sarah Brown and Chad Zentner’s 1950s cottage was structurally in good shape but hadn’t been updated much, so they knew they had their work cut out for them. When they first bought the place, “two people couldn’t even stand in the kitchen at the same time,” Brown says. The room was cramped, dark and closed off with two door openings.
Who lives here: Sarah Brown, Chad Zentner and their cats, Chairman Meow, Bill Murray and Steven
Location: Ville Saint Laurent, Montreal
Sarah Brown and Chad Zentner’s 1950s cottage was structurally in good shape but hadn’t been updated much, so they knew they had their work cut out for them. When they first bought the place, “two people couldn’t even stand in the kitchen at the same time,” Brown says. The room was cramped, dark and closed off with two door openings.
Before Photo
After removing the side entrance door, the couple was able to add a full bank of cabinetry and knock down the opposite wall, opening up the space to the dining room. The white quartz benchtop glossy cabinet finish and subway tiles give the updated room a fresh, modern look.
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Kitchen cabinets and appliances:Ikea
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Kitchen cabinets and appliances:Ikea
4. Long and lean galley in Salt Lake City
Who lives here: Erik and Lisa Craighead, and their cat, Cha Cha
Location: Downtown Salt Lake City
Galley kitchens sometimes get a bad rap for being cramped, but the long layout has its advantages. For homeowner Lisa Craighead, the long, narrow kitchen in the apartment she shares with husband Erik is her favourite place. “Even though it’s a galley, I love the size and layout – all the divine, uninterrupted space to prepare and cook. Guests love hanging out in there too.”
Who lives here: Erik and Lisa Craighead, and their cat, Cha Cha
Location: Downtown Salt Lake City
Galley kitchens sometimes get a bad rap for being cramped, but the long layout has its advantages. For homeowner Lisa Craighead, the long, narrow kitchen in the apartment she shares with husband Erik is her favourite place. “Even though it’s a galley, I love the size and layout – all the divine, uninterrupted space to prepare and cook. Guests love hanging out in there too.”
When the couple moved in, the kitchen was painted dark brown, which made the space feel small and gloomy. After painting the walls a lighter hue and revamping the back area to include a coat cupboard and breakfast bar, their kitchen is now light-filled and highly functional.
See the rest of this home
See the rest of this home
5. DIY remodel in Portland
Who lives here: Chris and Jennifer McCormick
Location: Portland, Oregon
Before renovating, Chris and Jennifer McCormick’s bungalow kitchen had an awkward layout and felt closed off from the rest of the living space. The couple knocked down the wall between the kitchen and living room, and reconfigured the space, replacing the bulky old oven and stovetop with a slim unit and microwave embedded in the wall.
Who lives here: Chris and Jennifer McCormick
Location: Portland, Oregon
Before renovating, Chris and Jennifer McCormick’s bungalow kitchen had an awkward layout and felt closed off from the rest of the living space. The couple knocked down the wall between the kitchen and living room, and reconfigured the space, replacing the bulky old oven and stovetop with a slim unit and microwave embedded in the wall.
Before Photo
“The kitchen remodel changes the way we use the house,” Jennifer says. “When I’m in the kitchen cooking, my friends are in there with me now.”
See the rest of this home
See the rest of this home
6. Bright basement studio in Montreal
Who lives here: Maryline Lambelin and her Labrador and Bouvier-Bernese mix, Canaille
Location: Latin Quarter area of Montreal
When Maryline Lambelin was converting the basement of her duplex into a studio apartment, she made a bold decorating move, deciding to paint a kitchen accent wall in her favourite colour, orange.
“The whole house was white at the time,” she says. “I asked my painter to paint the white brick orange. After every brushstroke, he came to ask me if it was okay!” Between the bold colour and strategically placed lighting, the petite lower level kitchen looks bright and inviting.
See the rest of this home
Who lives here: Maryline Lambelin and her Labrador and Bouvier-Bernese mix, Canaille
Location: Latin Quarter area of Montreal
When Maryline Lambelin was converting the basement of her duplex into a studio apartment, she made a bold decorating move, deciding to paint a kitchen accent wall in her favourite colour, orange.
“The whole house was white at the time,” she says. “I asked my painter to paint the white brick orange. After every brushstroke, he came to ask me if it was okay!” Between the bold colour and strategically placed lighting, the petite lower level kitchen looks bright and inviting.
See the rest of this home
7. Small-space living in London
Who lives here: Sasha and Sabrina Kolmakov
Location: South Kensington, London
At only 52 square metres, Sasha and Sabrina Kolmakov’s London apartment has to pack a lot of living into a small space. In the open-plan kitchen-dining-living space, soft sconce lighting, small-scale furnishings and open cupboards with glass shelves keep the room feeling surprisingly spacious.
Who lives here: Sasha and Sabrina Kolmakov
Location: South Kensington, London
At only 52 square metres, Sasha and Sabrina Kolmakov’s London apartment has to pack a lot of living into a small space. In the open-plan kitchen-dining-living space, soft sconce lighting, small-scale furnishings and open cupboards with glass shelves keep the room feeling surprisingly spacious.
“Although our flat is small, it is very functional and allows for six guests around the dinner table,” says Sabrina. “With a little glass of wine and a nice meal, we love to chitchat and share our adventures.”
See the rest of this home
See the rest of this home
8. Sleek and sophisticated in Manhattan
Who lives here: Deby and Vivek Matthews, and their cat, Penny
Location: East Village neighbourhood of Manhattan
A reflective mirrored splashback and glossy white cabinetry enhances and opens up the compact kitchen in Deby and Vivek Matthews’ East Village apartment. The smoky grey-blue wall colour helps the kitchen blend seamlessly with the rest of the open-plan space.
Wall paint in ‘Night Train’: Benjamin Moore
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Who lives here: Deby and Vivek Matthews, and their cat, Penny
Location: East Village neighbourhood of Manhattan
A reflective mirrored splashback and glossy white cabinetry enhances and opens up the compact kitchen in Deby and Vivek Matthews’ East Village apartment. The smoky grey-blue wall colour helps the kitchen blend seamlessly with the rest of the open-plan space.
Wall paint in ‘Night Train’: Benjamin Moore
See the rest of this home
9. Modern makeover in Melbourne
Who lives here: Josh Barton, a lawyer, and Sarah McIntosh, a consultant, and their two young children
Location: North Fitzroy, Melbourne
In this house, a galley kitchen runs down one side and accesses the pantry within it. Horizontal rows of black and white subway tiles, with gunmetal grey grouting, pick up the linear accents on the plywood panels. The benchtop is polished concrete, and flooring throughout the house, apart from the front hallway and bedrooms, is polished concrete with exposed aggregate. A compact laundry is located behind cabinet doors beside the kitchen.
See the rest of this home
Who lives here: Josh Barton, a lawyer, and Sarah McIntosh, a consultant, and their two young children
Location: North Fitzroy, Melbourne
In this house, a galley kitchen runs down one side and accesses the pantry within it. Horizontal rows of black and white subway tiles, with gunmetal grey grouting, pick up the linear accents on the plywood panels. The benchtop is polished concrete, and flooring throughout the house, apart from the front hallway and bedrooms, is polished concrete with exposed aggregate. A compact laundry is located behind cabinet doors beside the kitchen.
See the rest of this home
10. Mod house on wheels in Salt Lake City
Who lives here: Jordan Menzel and his baby daughter, Penelope
Location: Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah
Think your kitchen is small? Try living in a vintage Airstream caravan! A space this small has to make use of every inch, from compact appliances and multifunctional pieces, such as a benchtop that doubles as a desk, to closed storage that keeps clutter out of sight.
See the rest of this home
SHOW US
We’d love to see your small but perfectly formed kitchen. Upload a picture to the Comments and tell us how you’ve made it work.
MORE
8 Tricks to Make Your Small Kitchen Work Harder
Find More Space in the Kitchen With These Clever Storage Hacks
How to Organise Your Kitchen Cupboards
Who lives here: Jordan Menzel and his baby daughter, Penelope
Location: Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah
Think your kitchen is small? Try living in a vintage Airstream caravan! A space this small has to make use of every inch, from compact appliances and multifunctional pieces, such as a benchtop that doubles as a desk, to closed storage that keeps clutter out of sight.
See the rest of this home
SHOW US
We’d love to see your small but perfectly formed kitchen. Upload a picture to the Comments and tell us how you’ve made it work.
MORE
8 Tricks to Make Your Small Kitchen Work Harder
Find More Space in the Kitchen With These Clever Storage Hacks
How to Organise Your Kitchen Cupboards
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This article is inspiring. I especially like the McCormick's kitchen. So refreshing to see a kitchen with no stainless steel. Mixing a black cooktop with white appliances and sink just reinforced my decision to do the same. Thank you!