In a small kitchen, you inevitably sacrifice either the size and capacity of the unit, or the size of the dining area. How to choose a kitchen table for a small kitchen if your family has more than 2 people? Manufacturers offer original and practical solutions in the form of transformable tables and other folding structures. We'll talk about all the possible ideas below.
Basic criteria for choosing a kitchen table
The main guideline for choosing a table for your kitchen setting is your lifestyle. To understand which table is right for you, answer the following questions:
- Is your family somewhat large?
- Are family meals a tradition in your home or do household members eat at different times?
- How often do you receive guests?
- Where do you arrange get-togethers: in a cozy kitchen or at a table in the living room?
Small folding table for two people
This little test will help you understand whether the table is a vital object in your home or is it just a piece of furniture. In the first case, the design of the table for small kitchens should be cozy and meet the personal preferences of the household. In the second, it is quite simply practical and made in the same style as the rest of the decor of the dining structure.
Round table for a compact corner sofa
Metal, glass, wood?
What are kitchen tables not made of today? You can find the most unpredictable combinations of materials, and each model brings with it certain atmospheric moods to the kitchen interior. So a wooden table will fill the space with warmth and comfort, plastic will make it stylish, and the shine of a glass tabletop will add elegant grace.
Original table made of metal and wood
Color solution
This design indicator also plays a significant role in how the table fits into the kitchen interior. Of course, dark tables look stylish, impressive, solid, however, they bring a depressing effect to a small space and look disproportionate in it. The choice of designs with bright countertops will not be very successful. They will also not become a desirable accent spot, because they will tire and cause irritation. The optimal solution can be considered products in soft, light colors and designs with a tabletop made of glossy, transparent glass.
Small round table for the kitchen
What else to pay attention to
To ensure that your transforming table serves you for a long time, when purchasing, pay attention to the quality and strength of the fasteners and fittings, as well as the performance properties of the base material. The most common and successful option is compact tables made of chipboard.
- Firstly, this is a very light material, so you can easily change the location of the table in space.
- Secondly, furniture made from chipboard today costs much less than its wooden counterparts. In addition, this material comes in many colors, so you can easily choose a table to match the style of your kitchen set.
Attention! Tables of this type require careful use: chipboard can deteriorate from exposure to moisture.
Wooden tables are gradually becoming a thing of the past: despite their durability, this option does not justify its high cost, as it can deteriorate from mechanical damage and other factors. Modern tables with transformational properties are increasingly made of plastic.
If desired, the customer can cover such a table with veneer or other durable finishing material.
A stylish option for a transforming table for a small kitchen is a glass model. Modern glass tables have excellent durability, fit well into any interior and harmonize with other materials (for example, steel legs or a wooden base).
Metal transformable tables are extremely rare - and it’s clear why: visually such a table will not be perceived as light and compact, to unfold the structure you will have to put in more effort than in other cases, and the appearance of such tables is significantly inferior to other modern models.
Table design for small kitchens
Round and square models
Interior designers do not recommend arranging the dining area in small kitchens with traditional rectangular tables. Small structures with round or square countertops will look much better in this situation. Their sophisticated design does not burden the space.
Ergonomic square wooden table
The absence of sharp corners on the table has a particularly positive effect on the kitchen atmosphere. Some may think that round tables are not a good choice for limited space, but practice has proven the opposite. Gracefully shaped tables do not take up much space and do not make the atmosphere heavy.
An elegant round table will not take up much space
Glass models
In table designs for small kitchens you can often see a glass top. It can be matte or have a transparent gloss finish. For a darkish and gloomy kitchenette, the last option is most acceptable. A reflective surface that plays with glare will add a cheerful note to the atmosphere.
A table with a glass top will not look bulky
Transforming models
Tables of this design are an excellent solution for organizing the space of even the smallest kitchen. Transformers are equipped with an additional panel, which, if necessary, extends in the center of the table. As a result, a small square tabletop takes on a rectangular shape, and a round one takes on an oval shape. Accordingly, the number of seats increases.
Practical transformable table
There are models where the “spare parts” simply slide out from under the edges of the main tabletop. Transformers also include cabinet tables. When folded, the wings of the tabletop serve as the façade of the structure.
Pull-out table
Folding models In general, folding tables have always been the prerogative of transport interiors, but savvy designers have managed to adapt them to small kitchen spaces. When not unfolded, their tabletops look like only part of the wall, that is, they do not occupy any space at all. No less pleasant is the fact that in working condition their tabletop is quite spacious.
Folding table is an excellent solution for a small kitchen
Pull-out models “A distinctive feature of the design of such a table for small kitchens is the presence of only two legs standing on casters”
Extendable table
A distinctive feature of the design of such a table for small kitchens is the presence of only two legs standing on casters. Typically, pull-out tables are a structural part of built-in furniture and are not removed from its depths unless necessary. They can have a tabletop of any length, because they do not steal the work space at all.
A retractable table will save work space
Triangular models
This type of table will help out if in the kitchen only a corner space can be allocated for a dining area. The option is unusual, but it will fully satisfy the needs of a small family and will save a lot of space. Ideally, find such a wonderful triangular model in a transformable form, then you can also seat guests behind it. It will be enough to change the shape of the design of the table top for a small kitchen in the direction of enlargement and a real full-sized dining table will appear in the setting.
A triangular table can be installed in the corner of the kitchen
Bar counter
The main advantage of this type of table is its extreme functionality. Bar counters have just a colossal number of devices that allow you to super rationally organize the storage of all utensils and utensils. Moreover, they are simply created for snacking. In parallel with this, racks are active participants in the zoning of space and its decoration. The unusual shape of this element of furniture cannot go unnoticed.
The bar counter zones the space
Window sill table
This option is also a salvation for tiny kitchen spaces and equipping it is a couple of trifles. Here they simply increase the area of the window sill and decorate it accordingly. The design of this type of table for small kitchens can be very diverse. The design is often made folding, although it may well remain fixed. You can make the kitchen space even more functional in another way, for example, by smoothly transforming a wide window sill into a peninsula table, at which it is very comfortable to sit.
Functional table window sill
Bistro table
The model has an elegant design. The round tabletop is supported by a thin leg. Elegance does not prevent the table from being spacious. The most impressive in a small space are the combined versions of bistro tables, where the base is made of sparkling chromed metal and the tabletop is made of glass. It is rational to complement high tables with bar stools.
Bistro table with bar stools
Side tables
The design of the cabinet table is similar to the design of the bar counter for small kitchens. It is also made to rise above the line of the kitchen countertops and is complemented with beautiful bar stools. In the functional aspect, the cabinet table is more rational. It can be used not only as a storage system for utensils, but also as a quite large table, at which you can comfortably accommodate a large company.
Practical side table
A few words about legs
When choosing the shape of the tabletop, do not forget about the ergonomic shape of the legs of the dining table. Massive options should be immediately given a firm “no.” Priority should be given to models with turned wooden or gracefully curved metal supports.
Small table with narrow metal legs
The number of legs also does not have to be four. If there are three or even one, the table will not become less stable and reliable in use. In addition, tables with an unusual design are much easier to fit into the style of the kitchen interior.
Folding table with two legs
Classic trends will be impressed by a wooden version of the table with a rounded tabletop supported in the center and a carved leg. The combination of glass and metal is in demand in more modern minimalist interiors, such as hi-tech and loft.
A round table with one leg will fit perfectly into the kitchen space
Varieties
Transformer is a general name for different furniture options. There are several types of common designs of dining tables for a small kitchen:
Dining
This is a standard type of table with legs. When assembled, the product is characterized by compact dimensions. Increases by 50–100% due to the additional sector. This element can be pulled out and attached. A popular model is with a collapsible tabletop. If you move the surface into two halves, you can insert another part in the middle.
Such a piece of furniture can be of any shape - square, rectangular, oval, round table.
Wall-mounted
The most economical option for modest square meters of living space. Shape: semicircular, square, rectangular, triangular. When folded, such a table does not take up space at all, since it is fixed to the wall.
When you need to have lunch, the tabletop is raised and placed on special supports - this is how dining surfaces are made on trains.
Folding tables are the best choice for a cramped kitchen. There are also products that are placed close to the plane of the wall, and the countertop is used in a similar way. When not decomposed, the system is used to store utensils. Other wall-mounted models are made like a bar counter - high and narrow. An interesting idea - the window sill smoothly transitions into the tabletop.
Folding
Tables with folding tops vary in design. The most popular are “butterfly” or “book”. Compact when assembled, they can be equipped with storage niches. When disassembled, they provide a spacious dining surface.
For children
It can be a retractable, reclining or roll-out (on wheels) table, characterized by its small size. Designed to provide a place for feeding a child in a cramped kitchen. In addition to this piece of furniture there is a high chair.
Manufacturers present various options, they combine different principles of transformation. To order, you can make a table of any configuration, which will allow it to fit perfectly into a specific kitchen.
Design tips for choosing ergonomic dining tables
“It is better that the table design for small kitchens is not sharp-angled”
- Choosing a table design for small kitchens begins with assessing the size of the free space in it. Planning nuances, if any, are also important. For rooms with an unusual shape, choosing a table can be very difficult. When you go shopping, it would be a good idea to have a diagram of your kitchen with you. In this case, you can count on qualified advice from the seller.
Take advantage of expert advice by taking a kitchen plan to the store
- When looking for a table for a small kitchen, don’t get hung up on contrasting models. This item should not look like an awkward spot on the interior. Give preference to options that are in harmony with the overall interior style. The issue with its texture is resolved in the same way.
The table should be in harmony with the style of the kitchen
- Particular attention is paid to the wear resistance of surfaces and the quality of fittings. The former must be heat and moisture resistant, and the latter must be durable and easily movable.
Table with movable legs
- It is better that the table design for small kitchens is not sharp-angled. In addition to the fact that it does not look massive, it is easier to seat a small company behind it. Round tables are classified as universal. They can become a full-fledged piece of kitchen furniture in any stylistic interpretation.
Round table is a universal option for small spaces
- Avoid dark-colored tables, the only exception being glass tables, which may have dark legs.
Try to choose tables in light colors
- Don’t try to squeeze a full-fledged dining table into a small space, even if it’s ergonomically designed. It may well be replaced by models with a non-standard design solution such as folding, folding and retractable options.
A folding table will perfectly replace a full-fledged dining table
How to choose and which one is better
When choosing a table, you must decide on your needs. So that you can decide what kind of table and what material you need. After this you need to move on to choosing a color.
A round or square option will fit best into a small room.
Even for a small room, you can choose a suitable option that will be the optimal addition to the interior. It will not take up much free space, but family members will be able to comfortably sit behind it.
Everything that comes into contact with food in one way or another must be environmentally friendly, otherwise it jeopardizes people's health.
