8 Tips for Designing A Small Kitchen

1.     Assess what you have now, are there elements that you like, what is not required? Do you have unused cupboards or appliances? Do you need anything extra? This is also a good time to do a clear out, so that you can minimise duplications and get rid of unused items.

2.     Make sure your cabinets go right up to the ceiling. You can usually gain an extra shelf by doing so. It also gets rid of the dust-trap gap above the units, making the kitchen a cleaner place.

3.     Use integrated appliances, this gives a uniform finish, which creates a sense of calm.

4.     Choose an electric hob. This might be a controversial one with the clients who love using a gas hob but hear me out! Because the electric hob can be used as prep space when not in use, it looks sleeker and less eye catching along the worktop. It’s also easier to clean. If you’re worried about the time it takes to heat up, choose an induction hob.

5.     Use space saving appliances. Narrow dishwashers, smaller washing machines etc are now widely available and used in a lot of apartments. If you don’t do a lot of cooking, consider using a microwave oven instead of having a separate oven and microwave.

6.     Find ways to disguise your extractor fan. Feature extractor fans are great in big spaces, but a built-in fan is better in small spaces.

7.     Use an adjacent room or space elsewhere in the open plan area for overflow/ rarely used items such as appliances, glassware or tableware that you only use a few times a year. Box items in categories (such as “Baking”) so that you can take all of your baking items to the kitchen in one go.

8.     Assess if you move the washing machine/ tumble dryer to another location? Sometimes there is space in the downstairs guest WC, an unused hot press or another controversial suggestion would be to move it upstairs!