One of the most popular planning solutions is corner kitchen units. They combine ergonomics, convenience and efficient use of space.
Pros and cons of a corner kitchen
Corner or L-shaped kitchens are suitable for different types of spaces. However, there are some restrictions that may prevent you from installing a corner kitchen inside.
Therefore, such a project is not suitable for a too narrow room. In addition, modern furniture of this type cannot be installed in rooms with a large number of cornices or niches.
The corner kitchen design has a number of advantages and disadvantages. They can be listed in separate lists.
The advantages of the L-shaped kitchen design include:
- Convenient organization of space: you can install everything you need for cooking, in a way that is convenient for the owner of the kitchen.
- Make the interior more practical: install all the components of the kitchen using the triangle method, you can increase the free space in the room.
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- Possibility to place large equipment (for example, a washing machine) under the countertops.
- Rational use of space: can be divided into separate zones. In one corner there are dishes and utensils necessary for cooking, and in the other there is a dining area.
A corner kitchen with a sink in the corner may have several disadvantages:
- Problems with access to the sink.
- If the kitchen is too narrow, it will be difficult to place L-shaped structures.
- In stylish settings where niches and overhangs are required, installation of L-shaped furniture comes at an additional cost. To adapt all the elements of the kitchen, you will need to create custom furniture.
Advantages
A corner set for a small kitchen creates the most comfortable working triangle. Thanks to the increased ergonomics of this arrangement, the housewife can easily use the refrigerator, sink, stove, and work surface.
In such a kitchen, not a single minute is wasted, which allows you to cope with the cooking process much faster.
Additional advantages of the L-shaped arrangement of objects are:
- Compactness and the ability to furnish a kitchen with a non-standard layout.
- Visual approximation of the far wall in narrow rooms.
- Capacity. Corner kitchen cabinets allow you to use usually empty space without losing functionality, and sometimes get additional storage space due to trapezoidal cabinets.
- Originality. The rotating and circular sections look very unusual, make it easier to get to objects located on the far wall and improve your mood with their ease of use and unusual opening mechanisms.
- Convenient zoning. In fairly spacious rooms, the dining group is placed in the corner opposite from the suite, highlighting the dining area without unnecessary design techniques and the cost of material and time.
Any shaped room is suitable for arranging furniture in an L shape, although it is best to use it in a square room.
Layout features
The corner layout meets the needs of different rooms. Designers distinguish several types depending on the type of apartment:
- L-shaped kitchen, in the corner of which there is a sink, and on the right and left there is a built-in stove and refrigerator.
- A kitchen with a peninsula is more suitable for a studio apartment or a large, rectangular room.
- A set with an island allows you to properly separate the cooking area and the eating area.
- A kitchen with a breakfast bar is a suitable option for owners of small apartments. This piece of furniture can be not only a place for eating, but also a work surface. Under the counter there are niches for kitchen equipment.
- A two-level set makes it possible to arrange a storage area.
- A layout with a window or 2 windows allows you to use the window space as a work area.
You should start planning by working on the central part of the set. The most important elements of the kitchen are the upper and lower modules.
Additional parts - a box in which all the necessary kitchen equipment can be stored, a bar counter, illuminated curtain rods, shelves and built-in sections for household appliances.
With a sink in the corner
All parts of the kitchen with a sink in the corner are arranged according to the triangle principle: in this design, the sink is located in the corner, and the stove and refrigerator are on the sides of it.
The refrigerator in this case can be separate or built-in.
It is important that the cabinet doors open in different directions from the corner.
When arranging a kitchen, you need to focus on whether the owner of the set is right-handed or left-handed. For right-handed people, it is more convenient to have the sink on the left and the dryer on the right.
In the corner you can place both a regular sink and a corner sink.
It is recommended to position the dishwasher so that it opens at the same time as the cabinet with the trash bin. Do not wash next to the stove.
Cooking often takes some time, and being near working burners causes discomfort.
To make cleaning easier, it is recommended to purchase a faucet with a water filter and a built-in dishwashing detergent dispenser.
You can install a dryer in one of the wall cabinets.
Those who want to put a dishwasher in the kitchen need to place it so that it can open parallel to the cabinet where the trash bin is located. The inability to do this often causes inconvenience in everyday life.
To make cleaning easier in a kitchen with a corner sink, it is recommended to buy a faucet with a built-in faucet for filtered water and a cut-in dispenser for liquid detergents.
The sink should not be placed next to a stove or hob. It is important that there is a tabletop between these items or there is free space left. The distance must be at least 50 cm.
L-shaped kitchen
L-shaped sets are an excellent option for efficient use of space, so they are often chosen for decorating small kitchens.
The most common design is a corner kitchen with a sink in the corner.
Wall cabinets are placed at the top.
At the same time, the option with a corner sink is not convenient for everyone: people with a corpulent physique will find it difficult to move in a limited space.
Sometimes it is not located in the very corner, but a little to the side.
You can fit a refrigerator into the L-shape, as well as tiles if you place them on the sides.
When installing a slab that requires separate installation, it is installed to the side at the optimal distance from the set.
Island
This corner kitchen design is perfect for a studio apartment and large space (including a guest area).
In small apartments, an island can replace a small mobile table.
Bar counter
For a small family, the counter will replace a standard dining table. The base is suitable for installing a mini-fridge for drinks or a built-in bedside table with pull-out drawers.
The stand can be used as a work surface. Usually it is installed along the wall, but in a studio apartment or a spacious room it can be placed in the middle (a common method of zoning).
In a cramped apartment, some designers equip a counter from a window sill. Its design and materials used may vary.
For the classic and Scandinavian style, lofts, wood, marble surfaces, and artificial stone are well suited.
Two-level
This set is attractive because it allows you to create a spacious storage area.
When choosing a headset, take into account its design, dimensions and capabilities provided by the cabinets, cabinets and other elements included in it.
Closed wall cabinets with smooth fronts are well suited for a small kitchen.
With window
When the window sill is at a height of more than 0.85 m, a tabletop can be installed on the same wall.
It can be used for eating or as a work surface.
The location should be planned before finishing work is completed, while it is still possible to adjust the slopes.
Combination with living room
In such cases, residents often resort to installing partitions. This can be a sliding structure or a curtain suspended on a crossbar.
The use of partitions is a common option for organizing redevelopment in homes with a gas stove without approval from the authorities. It is often practiced in old houses.
Unauthorized demolition of the wall between two rooms in such apartments is prohibited (it violates a number of safety requirements, including fire safety), so those who want to equip a place in the kitchen for receiving guests have to use light partitions.
Choosing an interior style
The style of a corner kitchen can be absolutely any depending on personal preferences. Let's talk about some of the most popular styles.
Classic style
This style has not lost its popularity to this day. It is practical and suitable for any interior.
The materials preferred here are natural wood. Most often this is massive furniture, so small kitchens are not recommended to be decorated in a classic style.
The set is decorated with decorated inserts, carvings, and expensive fittings. Insertion of glass facades is also allowed. Choose a noble color, such as brown, white, cream, plum.
Provence
This is a rustic and at the same time sophisticated style, attractive with simplicity and naturalness. It is characterized by a light palette of colors, floral prints, ornaments, the effect of aging furniture, and ceramic dishes.
Modern
This style is one of the most practical, so it is well suited for small kitchens. There is nothing superfluous here, only the essentials, without unnecessary parts and accessories.
Features include the presence of built-in appliances and a variety of hidden spacious cabinets. Materials can be very diverse, the main thing is to focus on lighting. Colors can be either bright or more subdued.
High tech
This is a modern style, rich in original solutions and technological innovations. Strict lines are important here, but at the same time glossy and glass surfaces make the design more original and unique. High-tech is suitable for a room of any size and shape.
Design methods
Most often, a sink is located in the corner. A work surface can also be placed there, which can be solid or formed by the junction of two bedside tables (then the sink is located next door).
It is important that the cabinet doors are opened in different directions from the corner. The upper part may contain wall cabinets or a corner shelf.
Right angle room
The joint of the components of the set at this angle makes it possible to install compact furniture, therefore it is suitable for a small kitchen.
But access to the corner bedside table in this case can be problematic. If there is a sink in the corner, there may be a trash can underneath it and a reverse osmosis filter behind it.
If there is a cabinet there, the most convenient way to solve the problem of difficult access is to install a drawer with a closer or other roll-out or rotating structures. This will require additional budget investments, but will ensure ease of use.
If it is not possible to purchase such boxes, then a deep box is installed on one side (you can store utensils and dishes that are rarely taken out in it for storage), and a standard swing door is installed on the other.
Beveled corner, trapezoidal cabinet
A corner sink or hob is built into such a cabinet. At the same time, the cabinet turns out to be deep, roomy and comfortable, it is easy to get things out of it, but it is not suitable for building in a dishwasher (for this you can put a regular straight cabinet on one side).
Due to the large dimensions of beveled cabinets, they are usually not used in small kitchens.
Such cabinets go better with classic and neoclassical interiors than with modern ones.
Ventilation box
An air duct in the corner of the kitchen not only does not improve the visual impression, but also makes it difficult to arrange furniture. This problem occurs both in new houses and in Soviet-built buildings.
If the box is small, the floor tables should have a shallower depth. When the box protrudes strongly forward, the headset is often divided into two parts.
Flaws
A corner kitchen set for a small kitchen has certain disadvantages.
The very corner of the set is traditionally allocated to place the sink, and approaching it is significantly difficult. This option is especially inconvenient for people of non-standard build: it is inconvenient for chubby people to reach the water, tall housewives can periodically bump into wall cabinets.
In a kitchen with ledges, small niches and other architectural excesses, it will be quite problematic to install a standard set of furniture. However, this will be difficult to do with other options for arranging furniture.
Dimensions
The main condition is the correct calculation of the space for the working and other important areas. There are compact modern corner kitchens, due to which you can distribute the maximum number of pieces of furniture in a limited space.
For small rooms, designers recommend ordering them according to individual parameters in order to compactly integrate household appliances.
Tips for choosing furniture
The size of the room and the style of the interior play a huge role when choosing furniture. Therefore, some tips can help with choosing a configuration.
If the kitchen is small, then it is recommended to place the lower and upper cabinets on either side of the corner to provide maximum storage space.
If the room is spacious, then it is advisable to install the upper cabinets only on one side of the corner, and decorate the other side, for example, with paintings or hang shelves. The second option would be to use cabinets on the other side, which will contain built-in appliances.
Advice! In the latter option, cabinets should have blank fronts. This will imitate a wall, which will prevent the interior from becoming cluttered.
Even if the choice is a corner kitchen, this is not a reason to refuse a corner sofa. It can also fit into the interior, the main thing is to match the chosen design. In addition, it is not only more compact than a table with chairs, but can also provide additional storage space located under the seats.
