8 square meters - is it a lot or a little? If we evaluate it by modern standards, then, of course, such space is not enough to equip it in the best possible way. This area was considered optimal in the distant Soviet times, when the kitchen space in some layouts (for example, in a Khrushchev or small-family apartment) could reach a record 2 square meters. Therefore, everything is learned by comparison, and besides, in our case we have to proceed from what we have - a kitchen of 2 by 4 meters.
Let's try to understand the details of how to design an interior, while keeping an eye not only on attractiveness, but also on functionality and practicality. As an example, we will give a photo of how some of our compatriots have already managed to equip a kitchen with such parameters.
Design features of a narrow kitchen
To prevent a long kitchen from looking too gloomy, you should give preference to wallpaper in pastel colors. White in a milky shade, as well as peach and cream tones, will look good.
A cream-colored kitchen is a wonderful choice for a small kitchen.
If the kitchen is very long, you can place a bright painting on one wall as an accent, which will visually divide the room.
Furniture in a narrow kitchen will also look better with light-colored facades. However, this is not an axiom. The combined option will also look great, when the lower cabinets are made in deep bright light, and the facades of the upper ones are lighter.
Light facades and walls of the same color visually expand the kitchen.
An important role is played by the choice of flooring. The main task of finishing a kitchen is to visually expand the room. If you decide to use floor tiles, you can lay them diagonally.
If laminate is used, it should be laid perpendicular to the longest wall. A dark floor color will add a little depth and height to the room, while a light color will brighten the perception of the long kitchen tunnel.
Flooring greatly helps to make the most of limited space.
For the ceiling, the best choice is suspended ceilings. The lower they are located, the lighter the shade should be.
For example, with low ceilings, PVC stretch glossy ceilings will look good and visually enlarge the room thanks to the reflective surface. High ceilings can be decorated with canvases with stained glass or linear patterns.
The light ceiling does not distract attention and gives the kitchen additional volume.
Small equipment
When the fundamental elements of the kitchen are placed, it is worth taking care of the location of small appliances. After all, her position should also be comfortable. If a microwave oven is used, it is better to place it on a shelf, at some elevation from the work area.
You can also take care of cells for other small equipment. Such an organizer can be very convenient if you think carefully about the size and placement.
Which layout to choose for a narrow kitchen
There are several planning solutions for narrow kitchens.
Linear layout
The saddest option is a very narrow kitchen. In such a situation it is impossible to even combine a dining area with a set stretched along one wall. The refrigerator is placed in a row with the furniture, usually near the entrance.
Such a kitchen is also inconvenient because the housewife has to put on extra meters while cooking, constantly moving between the refrigerator, sink, stove and work table.
Placing the set along one wall is the most obvious solution, but not ergonomic.
Such kitchens are so narrow that to create a comfortable environment you have to move the dining area into the adjacent room. The only alternative is a narrow transformable table or a tabletop that folds away from the wall like a bar counter.
Several techniques will help brighten up carpal tunnel syndrome:
- place a TV on the wall above the entrance;
- stick photo wallpaper with a kitchen theme on the wall opposite the set;
- use wallpaper with vertical stripes or vertically directional patterns - they will visually shorten the room a little.
To enhance the feel of your kitchen, you can use patterns and shift the emphasis to decoration and color.
Parallel layout
This can be called a kitchen, in which a kitchen set will fit on both sides or there is room to place a dining area opposite the furniture.
In such a room it is already possible to arrange the work area more conveniently - place the stove and refrigerator opposite the sink. The main thing is that the width of the passage should not be less than 90 cm.
You can visually expand the room by replacing the top drawers with open shelves. You can, on the contrary, expand the kitchen upwards, solving the storage problem at the same time.
An additional row of drawers under the ceiling can be used to store rarely used household appliances or dishes. To prevent the drawers from hanging over your head, it is better to order a set with light-colored wall cabinets.
Light furniture will not “crush” in an already very limited space.
P-kitchen
You can arrange the furniture set in a U shape in kitchens that are closer to a square. In this case, the window sill on the window is removed and a work area with a sink is installed in its place.
A layout flaw can easily be turned into an advantage by relocating the sink.
For the housewife, this option is the most convenient in terms of cooking and storage. But to create a dining area, you will have to use again either a narrow table along the wall or a transforming table.
However, planning problems can be solved by placing the eating area near the window and placing a corner sofa there. In this case, the work surfaces should end in front of the dining area.
The place at the foot of the window is an ideal dining area in a small kitchen.
G-kitchen
This is another planning option, permissible in cases where the door to the kitchen from the corridor is not installed in the center of the wall, but asymmetrically.
There are 2 options for furniture placement here:
- The set forms a corner near the entrance, and a dining table is placed near the window.
- The set forms a corner near the window (the window sill is removed and a work area is installed in its place). A narrow dining table is placed near the free wall.
By placing cabinets and appliances near a narrow wall, you can reduce “tunnel syndrome.”
In conclusion, here are some general tips for planning a narrow kitchen:
- Move the eating area to a separate dining room. To avoid doors getting in the way when serving food, replace them with sliding ones.
- A bar counter along the wall will help solve the problem of daily lunches and breakfasts. You will have to receive guests in the living room.
- A corner sofa and stools will take up less space than a table with chairs.
- If the cabinets cover part of the doorway, simply narrow it by 25-30cm. This will solve the problem and there will be no need to rack your brains over planning decisions.
- Buy narrower kitchen sets - they will allow you to widen the passage and leave room for a table.
- Provide additional lighting - it is unlikely that one ceiling lamp will be able to provide the required level of lighting. You can stretch 2 rows of spotlights along the ceiling or separately illuminate the work area with lamps located at the bottom of the wall cabinets.
To make a narrow kitchen comfortable, you can order a set of individual sizes.
Scandinavian style
There is a lot in common with the minimalist style, but there are also differences. For example, there is a clear trend towards the use of open shelves, the use of comfortable, spacious tables, paneled furniture facades, moldings, frames and even lace curtains, which do not combine with the minimal style. There are differences in colors and type of materials used.
Scandinavian cuisine is closest to the traditional appearance of the kitchen, which can be found in the apartments of most people in the post-Soviet space. Therefore, this narrow kitchen design will be the most familiar and familiar.
Wooden work apron Source pikabu.ru
The color scheme of the Scandinavian style is black and white, with the addition of soft cold and moderately warm colors - light green, light blue, and sometimes beige. White and gray colors dominate here, copying the gray Swedish sky - even in summer they often wear warm jackets and hide from the rain under an umbrella. Therefore, it is better to choose just such a color scheme for the walls and ceiling - paint the ceiling with a “terry” facade roller, matte paint to give it a certain texture, and it would seem higher, and cover the walls with light wallpaper or paint it in a light color.
It is not recommended to use glossy surfaces for this style. If they somehow took root in minimalism, for example, for dark-colored furniture facades, then here all surfaces should be soft, matte and should not reflect light, of course, unless it is a metal faucet spout or a refrigerator handle.
Black hob Source design-homes.ru
The kitchen apron is usually made with “hog” tiles to match the brickwork. It is not necessary to lay it in offset rows. You can make any pattern from such material, for example, parquet, or lay it at an angle of 45 degrees, or maybe even vertically. Small square grout tiles also look good. The size of the material is chosen small. Large tiles for a long kitchen will be a departure from the style.
Tiles of the “hog” type with a complex pattern for the apron Source avito.ru
The floors are made either of wood, coated with a good light varnish, or made of tiles designed to look like wood. An economical option is linoleum, made to look like light wood. At the same time, you should try to imitate the arrangement of wood planks across the kitchen in order to make it visually shorter and wider. The lamp, as in the minimal design, should be used large; you can hang a lamp with a large and simple lampshade in the middle of the room, and also place a couple of wall lamps at the entrance.
The layout of the classic Swedish kitchen is U-shaped.
U-shaped layout Source houzz.com
This allows for minimal movement for cooking. Unfortunately, the case with a long narrow kitchen does not allow this. You have to place all the pieces of furniture in a line, and so that the room does not lengthen even more, either make a free zone somewhere in the middle, or change the side along which the furniture is placed.
Narrow kitchen with window
The window in a narrow kitchen is the only source of natural light, so it needs to be pampered and cherished. Curtains should be short and translucent, blinds should be light. Since the window space is functionally important, it does not need to be cluttered with curtains.
Roller blinds, Roman blinds and blinds save space near the window, especially in the work area.
Near the window in a narrow kitchen you can install a dining table with a kitchen sofa. You can zone the area using lighting - place a couple of rows of spotlights along the ceiling along the working areas, and hang a long beautiful chandelier above the dining area.
If the dining area is moved into the dining room or placed along the wall, you can use this place more functionally. If you install a desktop near the window and combine the tabletop and window sill under a common tabletop-window sill made of artificial stone, such an area can look truly luxurious.
A large window expands the kitchen, letting in light and breaking up the long wall.
A bold option is to move the sink to the window. Of course, we will have to consider redesigning the water supply system. As for the radiator, you can make a cabinet for it with holes in the doors. The efficiency of the radiator, of course, will decrease.
If the kitchen faces north or is on an upper floor exposed to winds, you can move the radiator to an open wall. To prevent the mixer from interfering with opening the sash, install a bayonet model of the mixer, which can be removed and laid on its side.
Tastefully selected furniture, lighting and accessories will make even the most uncomfortable narrow kitchen cozy and chic.
Decor and textiles
First of all, give up lush curtains, expensive upholstery and unnecessary curtain partitions. Use simple Roman blinds - they are also the most durable and safest in the kitchen. In the dining area, add some colorful pillows and slipcovers for a dynamic feel. And don’t forget about potholders, towels and coasters - in a small, narrow kitchen this is a full-fledged independent accent.
Narrow kitchen with sofa
A narrow, cozy sofa will increase the number of seats at a narrow table and take up little space. This is a great alternative instead of a table with chairs getting in the way.
You can place a sofa along the window, creating a separate dining area. To fit into the style ensemble, the upholstery must match the color scheme of the table.
Light colors are the most suitable for furniture in a narrow room.
Provence style
Provence is a style that originated in the province of the same name in France. It is characterized by soft colors and shades, retro-style furniture and furniture fittings, as well as antique-looking plumbing fixtures, painted paneled furniture facades, lattice fillings instead of traditional glass cupboards, and bent furniture.
Interior in Provence style Source geoskuhni.ru
The design of a narrow kitchen in this style must be made with many small details. For example, for backsplash tiles, small tiles with a print are used, reminiscent of stove tiles. The hood is never made in a modern style, it should be made either in the form of a fireplace hood on a chimney, or in the form of a simple hood for a kitchen wood-burning stove, which were often found in French houses at the beginning of the last century. The interior must contain indoor plants and wicker baskets.
Curtains can be hung with decorative elements, tassels - the main thing is that they are not too heavy, “palace-like”, or too dark. It is welcome to have multi-colored rugs on the floor, knitted rugs on stools and chairs, a beautiful tablecloth and napkins on the dining table, as well as various “country” dishes - jugs, pots, colorful plates, beautifully stacked.
Light curtains with floral print Source dizajnintererov.com
For a narrow kitchen, this style is quite suitable, with the exception, perhaps, of only the most cumbersome solutions, such as large round tables with bent legs or huge wide tables for cooking. Furniture can be a challenge for an ordinary person - purchasing a façade of this design, rich in panels and curly handles, can be expensive, and you often have to search for a long time for a contractor who could make it to order.
In a similar style, you can easily make the kitchen wider by placing a large number of small details opposite the side along which the furniture is placed - decorative plates, flower pots, small open shelves. The eye will be distracted by this detail, and too much extent will not be noticeable. You can also use a lamp with a lush shade, traditional for French interiors, or a chandelier with colored opaque lanterns somewhere in the middle of the kitchen to illuminate the room.
A large chandelier shifts the emphasis from the far side of the room to itself Source designer-info.ru
Turquoise wall Source kakpostroit.su
Narrow kitchen with balcony
The balcony in the kitchen is a real planning find. In the kitchen with a balcony there is a full-fledged place for the dining area. First you will have to carry out work to combine the balcony with the kitchen: remove the balcony door with the window, insulate and glaze the balcony, install wiring there.
Panoramic glazing will allow you to admire the city views while eating. The remaining partition can be used as a table for serving dishes and dirty dishes, or you can remove it by moving the radiator to a free wall. Then you can put a bar counter in the vacant space.
If there is a balcony next to the kitchen, it can take on part of the load of furniture and appliances.
A balcony-dining room is the best option for using additional space and does not require additional modifications. If the balcony is narrow, in any case it will help expand the space for the dining area.
If a spacious loggia adjoins the kitchen, then you can arrange a full-fledged dining room there. In this case, the 2 zones can be separated by an arch or transparent sliding doors.
Remember that any redevelopment work requires obtaining permission. It is even more necessary if you expect to ever sell your apartment.
Attaching a balcony and placing a dining group on it is the most logical solution for a narrow kitchen.
Large equipment
With only an area of 2 by 4 meters at your disposal, arranging the space is not so easy. The main element of the room is the refrigerator. You need to try to place it so that it does not take up precious square meters. If there is any niche, the device can be placed in it. Also a good solution may be to place a refrigerator on the balcony if there is one in the kitchen. However, in this case there is one condition - the balcony must be insulated and glazed to ensure the necessary conditions for operating the equipment.
A standard modern refrigerator has impressive dimensions: a height of about 2 meters and a width of about 50 cm. Therefore, even installing such a large item in a corner may turn out to be an ineffective solution that will “eat up” precious “squares”.
When placing the refrigerator, you should remember the basic rules recommended by the manufacturers. The distance from the back wall (grid) to the nearest surface should be about 15 cm, no less. This is necessary for normal air circulation.
Situations in which, for example, to open a refrigerator, you need to close a door or window, are unacceptable. Tasty and healthy dishes are excluded from such a kitchen.
The stove, sink and refrigerator should be nearby. The stove must be installed in a safe place if an open fire is provided (gas modification). It is advisable to use the built-in option, which will take up less space and blend in with the headset. If the oven is rarely used, you can simply use the hob, and the freed up space will be suitable for placing kitchen utensils in the cabinet.
Organizing the space at the sink is also important. It should be convenient to place the dishes when they go through the washing procedure. If you have to move, there will be inconvenience, as well as a constantly wet floor, which is unsafe.
Narrow kitchen-living room
If you are lucky enough to become the owner of a narrow kitchen-living room, you will have to reconsider the principles of furniture arrangement. All furniture should not be placed parallel to a long wall, because this will make the room stretch out even more.
A long set and a longitudinal arrangement of floor boards are two main mistakes in arranging a narrow kitchen. It is advisable to zone the room using furniture.
You might consider a kitchen with an island. The island can be used as a work surface, or you can install a hob on it.
The essence of this arrangement is the installation of large objects across the room: sofas, an island. A narrow room will seem more proportional this way.
You can divide the room into 2 zones: make a kitchen at a distance closer to the window, and create a living room closer to the entrance, or vice versa, dividing the 2 zones with a bar counter.
A sofa by the window is a romantic change in the kitchen interior.
Lighting and backlighting
A series of spotlights along short walls visually separates them, like rectangular planks on the floor. A central chandelier in a narrow room is ineffective - it does not provide uniform illumination. It is better to use pendant lamps in series for zoning - for example, above a table or bar counter.
The built-in lighting in the headset above the work surface will repeatedly help you out in the evenings. The hidden LED strip gives the feeling of floating structures - this is a strong visual accent. Wall sconces pointing upward visually raise the ceilings.
80 inspiring kitchen design ideas 12 sq.m. (photo)
Small narrow kitchen
A small narrow kitchen is the most difficult layout option.
First you need to try the option radically:
- organize a dining room in the next room;
- demolish the partition with the adjacent room and create a combined kitchen/dining room;
- move the partition deeper into the next room, expanding the kitchen and reducing the room;
- if there is a balcony, combine the room with a balcony;
- expand the kitchen through the corridor.
For a family of 1-2 people, a small kitchen may be enough to prepare food, but you still have to look for a place for a table outside of it.
If all this doesn’t work out, you’ll have to figure out how to arrange the furniture:
- buy a narrow kitchen set, and for eating, arrange a narrow table that folds down from the wall. Folding chairs can also help save space;
- To increase the storage area, place the upper tier of cabinets under the ceiling. Use lower cabinets to install built-in household appliances - dishwasher,
- oven, refrigerator;
- rationally use the window sill to create a table;
- purchase a narrower 2-burner stove instead of a standard 4-burner stove.
Multifunctional furniture and appliances are simply a godsend for arranging a small kitchen.
A narrow kitchen does not tolerate clutter; perfect order should reign in it. It must contain decorative elements: bright utensils, flowers in pots, a painting or panel on a free wall - all these accents will not only attract the eye, but will also distract the attention of guests from the disproportion of the room.
Rails and hanging shelves provide additional space for placing appliances and decorations.
A little about design
The modern trend in the kitchen space is the studio kitchen, divided into zones. If the layout of the apartment allows, you can remove one wall, combining, for example, a kitchen and a corridor or room. This will expand our limited 2 by 4 meters, giving us more space.
From a design perspective, this is a winning move. You can see the options in the photo. It will be much easier to arrange such a room. Just remember that changing the layout requires contacting government authorities to obtain permission. After all, during actions, load-bearing walls may be affected, which can irreparably affect the entire house.
As for colors and materials, it is better to choose light shades for the kitchen, and materials that can withstand high humidity and constant temperature changes. To preserve interior solutions in their original form, it is recommended to use a hood.
The ceiling can be made white, using tension technology. On the walls you can use washable wallpaper, tiles or decorative plaster. Laminate will look great on the floor, you just need to choose a waterproof series.
Narrow kitchen real photos
Product materials
Considering the aggressive environment in the kitchen (high temperature, high humidity, dirt), you need to carefully consider the choice of upholstery for upholstered furniture.
- The leather looks chic, is easy to clean, lasts a long time, but it is expensive and in the heat it is uncomfortable to sit on such a surface.
- Faux leather is similar in properties to leather, although it is more affordable.
- Flock (synthetic fabric) does not absorb odors, moisture, or fat. Cleans with a dry cloth.
You can use ecological cotton fabrics, but remember that they are not durable.
Good fillers for seats and backs made of polyurethane foam or holofiber. Foam rubber is much cheaper, but short-lived. You need to choose a dense one.
Wooden frames must be treated with special compounds, metal structures are protected by a coating, aluminum bases are welcome. Photos of a narrow kitchen can be viewed in fashion magazines or on Yandex.Pictures.
