Unfortunately, not every apartment is equipped with a spacious kitchen. However, every experienced designer will say that when it comes to arranging a kitchen area, the main thing is not the number of meters, but the proper use of space. The design of a small kitchen may well be both convenient and beautiful, but for this you need to take into account some planning features, as well as the rules for decorating small spaces.
Kitchen area layout
Speaking of a small kitchen, it is understood that its area is less than 8 square meters. Most often, rooms of this size are either square or rectangular in shape. If you plan to do major repairs in the apartment and want to slightly increase the area of the kitchen area, you can slightly change its layout, for example, by connecting this room with the living room. In this case, the door in the kitchen is either completely removed or replaced with an arched opening. The lack of a door will visually increase the kitchen area and, moreover, will allow moving some kitchen furniture to another room.
If you do not want to combine the kitchen area with the living room, but at the same time the kitchen has a balcony, it is worth changing the layout a little differently. Creating the design of a small kitchen with a balcony, you can remove the balcony door and window, and use the wall lintel as a countertop or bar counter. Naturally, for kitchen equipment in this way, the balcony must be glazed and insulated. As insulation, it is most convenient to use a warm floor. Also, sometimes all communication is transferred to the balcony, but for this you need to obtain special permission.
If you do not have the opportunity to expand the kitchen area at the expense of the balcony, use its area for arranging the dining area or for storing kitchen paraphernalia. But, at the same time, you should not make a warehouse from a balcony. It is enough to install a multifunctional cabinet with drawers on it, in which it is convenient to store dishes and other kitchen utensils, and the kitchen design of a small area will immediately become more free.
Furniture in a small kitchen
When thinking about the design of a small kitchen in a Khrushchev-era building or an apartment with a different, but equally miniature layout, many believe that in their case, for the sake of convenience, they will have to give up some pieces of furniture. However, even in the smallest area you can install all the necessary furniture; it is only important to take into account the specific layout. For example, in a long and narrow room, it is better to install most pieces of furniture along one wall. If the kitchen has a square shape, then it is recommended to place the furniture in the form of a corner.
Very often, a small kitchen is also distinguished by its small height. In this case, you can well increase the useful area of the room by installing hanging cabinets and shelves directly below the ceiling.
In addition, a real boon in arranging a small kitchen area is modern compact furniture with various built-in drawers and pull-out shelves. For example, if the room is so small that you cannot create a comfortable dining area in it, use countertops with a pull-out table.
If you're short on work space, look for countertops and cabinets with pull-out cutting boards. If your biggest problem is a lack of storage space for kitchen utensils, utensils and utensils, use drawers and magic corners to make the most of your kitchen space.
Ideas for placing a refrigerator in a small kitchen
In addition to furniture, a comfortable arrangement of the kitchen is impossible without the presence of various technical devices. If you can create various niches for storing small kitchen appliances or select several separate shelves, then it is much more difficult to choose a good location for the refrigerator.
Creating a small kitchen design with a refrigerator, you can use several options:
- First, if there is a possibility, organize a built-in niche in the kitchen. A refrigerator installed in this niche will not occupy the kitchen space. If desired, a niche can be decorated with light curtains or sliding doors.
- Secondly, it is not necessary to buy a standard refrigerator, because its functions are perfectly handled by two separate devices - the smaller refrigerator itself and the freezer. A refrigerator without freezer typically measures no more than 140 cm in height and 60 cm in depth, so it fits perfectly even in a very small kitchen. A compact freezer can be safely installed under the countertop or in the work cabinet area.
- Thirdly, the design of a small kitchen can even accommodate a standard-sized refrigerator, if you use the space above it for arranging open shelves or drawers.
Design ideas for a small kitchen
To make the interior design of a small kitchen look as harmonious and stylish as possible, any specialist uses the “visual illusion” technique. For example, as you know, light tones tend to “stretch” the boundaries of space, and dark tones - to conceal. Therefore, in the design of a small kitchen is recommended to abandon the dark colors in favor of pastel. However, it is quite possible to use bright saturated colors as additional shades.
Studying various design ideas for decorating a small kitchen, note that many experts recommend using transparent or glass surfaces in the case of a small space. For example, if we compare a glass table and a wooden table of the same size, the glass product will appear somewhat smaller. Has a similar property and furniture with a glossy finish.
And, of course, if you want to visually enlarge the space, take care of sufficient artificial and natural lighting. For example, give up thick curtains in favor of translucent tulle, and instead of central lighting, use spotlights that evenly illuminate the space.
Only at first glance, it seems that stylish and comfortable design of a small kitchen is an impossible task. Having arranged your miniature kitchen, following the above rules, after a while you will forget about the insignificant size of this room, and it will even seem larger to you.
