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When considering options for arranging a small kitchen, it is impossible not to be surprised - how do designers manage to arrange so much furniture in a limited space, making the entire room not only ergonomic, but also practical and beautiful? Sometimes in such kitchens you can even find a sofa - of course, small, but quite roomy.
Design trick - choose the color of the furniture based on the color of the walls
When choosing furniture for a small-sized kitchen, professionals use the main secret - both colors and shapes should be selected so as to expand the room, creating a visual illusion of spaciousness. If you are just planning the design and renovation of your kitchen, then keep in mind the following rules for combining the color of the walls and the color of the furniture in a small space.
- It is advisable that in a small kitchen the walls are light, monochromatic or with a small, unobtrusive pattern - the furniture against such a background looks less cumbersome.
- If you already have walls decorated in dark colors or you like contrasting combinations, then it is better to choose furniture in white, beige, gray and pastel shades.
- If both the furniture and walls in your kitchen are decorated in dark colors, it doesn’t matter. Get a lot of local lamps in the working and dining areas, and decorate the windows with translucent plain textiles.
Advice! To further expand the space, you can use glossy facades in combination with LED lighting.
When arranging furniture in a small kitchen, one should not forget about a large amount of equipment. To save usable space, you should purchase built-in or compact appliances. It is possible that your family’s needs do not include a spacious refrigerator, and instead of a traditional kitchen corner, you decide to place a sofa and a dining group. Read more about kitchen corners and sofas in the kitchen interior here.
Advice! Don’t forget that you can also use a window sill as a full-fledged work surface. Sometimes this part of the window decor can even replace a table for a small kitchen.
See also the material: Kitchen design 5 sq. meters from renovation to decoration.
Textiles in a small kitchen
Textiles in the kitchen should always be light. In any size room. These are fire safety requirements. It is appropriate to make heavy designer curtains only if you have a kitchen-dining room with a clear demarcation of functional areas.
Moreover, it is not advisable to use heavy, voluminous curtains in a small kitchen. Use Roman shades or blinds on the windows. Roller or simply short curtains that can be beautifully fastened so that they create beautiful atmospheric waves.
The kitchen is the epicenter of odors and greasy dirt. Therefore, even from a practical point of view, lightweight curtains will be more convenient. They are easy to remove and wash. Or clean it with a special compound.
Basic elements of furniture - types, designs, nuances
How to arrange furniture in a small kitchen and place a sofa, table, chairs or benches, work surfaces and all the necessary equipment in a limited area? To do this, choose a corner set or transformable furniture, as well as other compact, easy-to-use options.
The optimal set of furniture for a small room would be:
- Corner set – compact, small, with a maximum of 3 cabinets. It is better to use narrow oblong structures, thanks to which the room will visually stretch out. A single-section sink is installed, and the cabinets are equipped with sliding rather than hinged doors. The lower cabinets are combined with one tabletop and, if necessary, are used to accommodate built-in appliances.
- As an alternative to corner furniture with wall cabinets, long narrow pencil cases are used. To make the interior laconic, you need to place 2 of these pencil cases in the corners of the room and completely remove the hanging shelves from it.
- As already mentioned, it’s good when the ideal dining group for a small kitchen consists of a round folding table and light chairs. A bar counter is also suitable as a space-saving table - alternatively, a corner one.
- To increase the functionality of a small space, it is worth using railing systems - vertical or horizontal. The railing is a tube on which you can hang shelves or various kitchen utensils using hooks.
- Cabinets should have ergonomic doors - roller, folding, sliding.
- The table under the sink is equipped with a built-in container, divided into several compartments. This will allow you to place many useful items in an area that was previously inconvenient to search.
- Cabinets with drawers are complemented by multi-tiered trays for small items, which allows you to store many useful little things in order.
Choosing a place to store utensils and arranging furniture
Have you decided to use a folding sofa? Choose an option with niches where you can hide rarely used bulky dishes. Benches with folding seats are also suitable for the same purposes.
The issue of storing kitchen utensils can be solved in an unusual way - for example, by adapting a large basket under the dining table.
A room with a unique charm can also be created if you use an open corner counter - of course, only dishes that have been washed to a shine are placed there and the dust is often wiped off.
If the kitchen is small in size but wide (or the dining area is removed from the kitchen), you can make an island in its center - you can even put a refrigerator or sink there, or you can get by with open shelving.
Another interesting solution would be a kind of galley - in this case, a corner layout is not used, and drawers and wall cabinets are mounted along the parallel walls of the room.
In general, there are several standard layouts for small kitchens:
- Pieces of furniture (including a sofa or benches) are placed along adjacent walls (two-row layout).
- Placing furniture along adjacent walls (L-shaped) - here, as a rule, a corner kitchen set is used.
- Furniture is installed along one wall (linear layout). In this case, priorities are set - the working surface is located first, and then everything else. Narrow long benches will be a salvation for elongated rooms, and traditional chairs do not need to be complemented by a dining table (a bar counter or a wide reinforced window sill can play its role).
Advice! If the space is very “squeezed”, then the refrigerator and other bulky items are removed from the kitchen - perhaps you can find a place for them in the hallway or be able to redesign the pantry.
See also the material: Kitchen storage - 17 super-effective solutions and life hacks
Selection rules
For a kitchen whose size does not exceed 8 square meters, it is necessary to choose all interior items wisely. They must meet certain requirements:
- multifunctionality, since one element must perform several important functions at once, so that the space does not have to be crowded with numerous objects, therefore transformable furniture is considered optimal;
- small sizes that allow them to fit even into the most limited space, so bulky and large cabinets or chests of drawers, as well as standard dining tables, are in no way suitable for such a room;
- resistance to high humidity and regular temperature changes, since these are the conditions that are installed in almost any kitchen;
- ease of cleaning, since during the cooking process various liquids or dirt can get onto different surfaces of the furniture.
We arrange all interior items in such a way that no obstacles are created for free movement around the room, otherwise it will simply be impossible to use it for its intended purpose.
The best choice for small kitchens is the purchase of folding or built-in structures, as well as transformers. When assembled, they do not take up much space, and they are folded out only when the need arises.
Some more interesting recommendations
The space above the hob is never covered with cabinets - this is a place for the hood. If you do not want to damage the furniture by regular contact with grease, moisture and fumes, then place it at least 30 cm away from the stove. The distance between the upper and lower drawers is also taken into account - according to the recommendations of experts, it should be at least 600 mm.
Do not forget that there should be enough space for passage around work surfaces and built-in equipment.
Advice! All tall objects in a small kitchen are placed at the edges - a refrigerator, pencil cases, and so on. Under no circumstances should they tear up the tabletop.
You can visually increase the space with the help of rounded or beveled furniture facades, as well as if you use a “Spartan” sofa, high bar tables, chairs and benches (forged or carved, with delicate weightless elements). Don’t forget about ergonomics - from the idea of putting It is better to refuse a sofa or benches if there is a critical lack of space. It is better to use chairs that can be easily hidden under the table if necessary.
A small kitchen can be cozy, bright and comfortable if you choose and arrange the furniture in it correctly. It is important to approach the arrangement of the main place in the house with love, intelligence and creative enthusiasm.
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