Design a small kitchen with an island

More is not always better, especially when it comes to the kitchen. The smaller it is, as a rule, the more functional its interior is. Effective work area and stylish design are not attributes of exceptionally large kitchens.

All you need is some good ideas for the organization of the working area, as well as a couple of fresh design solutions. And then your kitchen will play with new colors: it will become as practical as possible, original and correctly organized.

"If you can organize your own kitchen, you can organize your life" (Luis Parrish).

We have assembled the best solutions for small kitchen interiors. They perform the tasks assigned to them and at the same time have a refined style. We will assume that there are three most common problems of compact spaces: clutter, lack of space for storage and lack of lighting.

Disorder

Laconic design with unexpected accents

This is usually a side effect associated with a lack of free space. In an effort to relieve the interior, homeowners very often refuse things that they really need.

Conduct an audit of all cabinets and boxes (especially the most distant ones) and sacrifice what you have not used for a long time. Ask yourself if you really need a tool to remove the cherry pits or the egg. After the cabinets are released, the external mess can be eliminated by placing everything that interferes with the surface in the vacant storage areas.

Lack of storage space

Great idea of ​​using a useful space near the sink

You have already released your cabinets, but feel that this is not enough? This is a well-known problem. Use compact devices to maximize the usefulness of horizontal and vertical surfaces, such as a trick to turn the sink's side wing into a cutting board (pictured above).

Тёмная кухня

Fashion for stylish, dark kitchens continues its march through urban interiors

Dark rooms always look less visually, so it is recommended to decorate walls in light colors. If you like a rich, dark kitchen design, add different lighting options.

The use of additional lighting under the hanging cabinets will make it possible to distinguish the area of ​​the working space and to focus attention on it. Good illumination makes the space more visually, regardless of the palette. Consider the following ideas:

• to equip with LED strips or long fluorescent lamps the shelves and the lower surfaces of the cabinets to illuminate the work surface;
• replace incandescent lamps with energy-saving analogues;
• to install additional pendant lamps in order to realize the idea of ​​different lighting in addition to the existing system;
• replace obsolete fixtures;
• hang mirrors on kitchen walls or consider adding small mirror elements for additional reflection of light.

The most simple to implement ideas:

• suspended dishes for dishes;
• wall for placing kitchen tools;
• transformable furniture;
• working surface of a larger size;
• additional shelves

1. Suspended stand for dishes

An easily implemented solution that does not spoil the appearance of the kitchen

In most compact kitchens, there is not enough space to install large and capacious shelves that can be stored, pans, frying pans and other kitchen utensils, but there are still options for limited spaces.

Suspended posts do not have to be fixed to the ceiling: some of them can be placed on the wall, like a perforated panel with hooks in the image above. It looks very organic.

2. Wall for placing kitchen tools

All the most necessary at hand. And do not need to drag!

Take an example from bustling restaurant cuisines, which use industrial structures and shelves to store various appliances and utensils. Here are some ways of placing all kinds of kitchen utensils on the wall:

• Hang up the dishes. A simple hinged design with several hooks can hold the tools with a loop or holes;
• decorate and fix a cutting board on the wall, and use it to hang your tools. Organize storage according to color or functional principle;
• Use wall magnets to store knives and jars for spices.

3. Transformable furniture

A tiny dining table is built into the wall, and the stools are capacious boxes with lids. All ingenious is simple!

Use creative approach to empowering your kitchen with the maximum number of functions. Look for ways to create a multifunctional space with practical pieces of furniture that can be removed if necessary. Here are some ideas:

• bar stools without backrest, which can easily be pushed under the island's countertop;
• folding and extendable countertops;
• cutting boards, scales and other useful items equipped with a folding or retracting mechanism.

4. Increasing the working surface

Transparent bar chairs do not weight the space and, if necessary, slide under the countertop

When your goal - to create a modern look of the kitchen, a logical choice for you should be a minimalist, spacious kitchen island. It not only looks stylish, but also increases the working area, so that the cooking process becomes easier and more pleasant. The first step is to remove all small appliances and objects under the countertop.

Here are a few more ideas for increasing the work area:

• electric hobs. Today, almost all of them are smooth and compact. They have the additional advantage of being able to be installed almost level with the main table top, so you can put a cutting board or other items on it when not using it for its intended purpose;
• gas cooking surfaces. If you use a gas surface, you can buy a hood, when you put it on, the plate will turn into an additional work area. some of these hoods are so strong that they are suitable for fairly vigorous manipulations right up to the cutting of meat.
• Portable cutting table or even light tables on wheels function successfully as an additional working space. Buy a new wheel table or upgrade the old one yourself. Add a couple of simple stools to the cutting table and get the original breakfast rack.

5. Additional shelves

Add a couple of shelves to the kitchen island. Do you see how much everything in it and on it can be accommodated?

Find a place to install shelves or small racks for additional storage. For example, a series of narrow shelves added to the island, ideally will cope with the role of the receptacles of culinary books. Look for additional places, including corners or mezzanines.

We hope that this article will inspire you to transform your compact kitchen. What was your favorite idea? Leave comments, discuss, share experiences!

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