With some clever planning and creative styling, your compact kitchen can be the star of your home.
Having a small kitchen can feel frustrating and limiting, especially if it’s the hub of your family home, but some things can be done to give you more room to work and create a kitchen that looks and feels bigger than it is.
Layout
Clear worktops make for easier, safer cooking and create an illusion of space, so keep the surface free of utensils, appliances, and ornaments.
Get chairs or stools that tuck completely under your dining table or breakfast bar. Katie chose simple fuss-free stools that could be pushed right under her breakfast bar when not in use, freeing up floor space in her compact kitchen.
Open shelving rather than full walls of cabinets will keep things light and spacious as well as add interest. Add hooks to a shelf to hang your mugs on, freeing up cupboard space elsewhere.
For wall cabinets or tall tower units, try to leave a gap between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling; this will create the illusion of a larger room.
Colours
Keep colours light and neutral with a limited palette throughout. This will open out a room and let light bounce around. Consider continuing a laminate worktop up the wall as a splashback for a cohesive look. Dark colours can feel oppressive in large blocks, but there is no reason accents of darker, bolder colours can’t be used around the room.
This customer kept their kitchen feeling open and light with the smooth-fronted J-Pull cabinet doors in white, an undermount sink with a sleek tap, and a simple colour palette.
Lightening
In small kitchens, the key is integrating as much as possible to keep things streamlined and simple. That goes for lights too. Unobtrusive spotlights in the ceiling, under cabinets and even under plinths work best.
Sergi and Miriam used spotlights to light up their small London flat and maximise the feeling of space.
Storage
Storage is your friend. Keeping walkways and work surfaces clear is safe, practice and will make you feel calmer. A few well-placed wall cabinets and drawers to keep your kitchen essentials tidied away is ideal.
You might be surprised how much storage space you can find – in the smallest gaps between cupboards, under the sink or on top of wall cabinets. Speak to a Wren designer who will come up with some options for you.
There are so many clever storage solutions available at Wren for you to keep your kitchen accessories, crockery, small appliances, and bins neatly out of the way and out of sight until you need them. Pull-out units, magic corners and carousels are all perfect for small or awkward to access spaces. And extra deep drawers can store that slow cooker or toaster that doesn’t get used very often.
Have fun!
Tracey made a statement in her small kitchen with plants. The clever positioning of the mirror also makes the space feel larger.
Express your personality and style with a few considered accessories. Bright, bold accents will add character. This is along the lines of matching retro-style toaster and kettle, a few plants, or fun, patterned tableware.
Appliances
A single combo-microwave oven with a range of functions is a great option when space is at a premium. Building it into a tower unit could work well and using the cupboard below the oven to store all the pots, pans and baking trays keeps everything neatly in one area.
Ovens with slide and hide doors will keep walrus clear and look streamlined and tidy.
To keep a streamlined aesthetic throughout the kitchen, which makes spaces feel more open, avoid ornate appliances and accessories. A tap in a simple style, with an undercount sink is ideal for that ‘barely there’ impression.
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