The kitchen is the functional heart of a home: one of the environments that we inevitably “use” the most. In addition to being a place dedicated to the preparation of meals, the kitchen is traditionally also a space for meeting and exchanging.
Modern houses usually have small rooms: kitchenettes, kitchen corners or living spaces but with very limited sizes. In this article we will see how to furnish a small kitchen in such a way as to make it comfortable and welcoming.
Eat-in kitchen: what you shouldn’t give up
A small but eat-in kitchen requires in-depth study to be exploited to the maximum and offer all the features we want.
Below is a short list of the elements to pay more attention to during the design phase:
- The work surface: in addition to the support surface for the appliances, provide a space equipped with cutting boards and knives where you can prepare the ingredients.
- A small built-in dishwasher: it is possible to have a support for cups, plates, glasses and cutlery for the whole family. In half the space.
- An induction hob: it is ideal for small kitchens as, when not active, it can become a support surface.
- Light Colors: Remember that choosing colors that are too dark or bright risks creating the feeling of a cramped space.
However, the main focus of an eat-in kitchen is being able to sit and have a meal inside. Here are some possible solutions when there is little space available:
- A kitchen with a peninsula: the peninsulas are ideal for 2 or 3 people, but some can even accommodate 4 or 5
- A bench or console with stools: it performs a function similar to that of the peninsula
- A round table, ideal for 2 or 3 people
- An opening table, which easily reduces to a console.
Square
If the kitchen is small and square, we will have to deal with a series of elements, such as the arrangement of the door, radiators or any window doors, which will greatly affect our project.
In principle, we can think of dedicating two walls to the kitchen furniture and the refrigerator. A wall, on the other hand, will be the ideal support for a table, which can be moved towards the center if necessary.
The main suggestion, however, is not to furnish the fourth wall with furniture to make the space more airy. Instead, you can think of dedicating that space to television or a bulletin board with family communications.
Rectangular: narrow and long
The long and narrow rectangular kitchen is a great classic. Also in this case the project will take shape starting from the position of the door and the window, which, however, are usually located near the “shorter” walls.
To furnish a long and narrow kitchen, we will have to make an important initial decision: whether to provide a console or a coffee table to make it habitable or whether to dedicate the entire space to furniture, pantries, appliances.
If we want to make it habitable, the main solution is to buy a linear kitchen and furnish only one wall with wall units, furniture and appliances, allocating the other to a table and chairs.
Alternatively, if you want to use all the space to store utensils, pots and food, you can also furnish the second wall. The advice is to provide low furniture, which offer a good support surface, in order to make the environment airy and not overfill it.
How to furnish the corners
Corners are a critical point of the kitchen and require functional thinking to be managed in the best possible way. We all have memories of foods that have become archaeological finds because they were positioned in the corner of a pantry or a wall unit where it was difficult to reach. Fortunately, modern kitchens include dedicated solutions such as pull-out baskets, which make it easy to reach every point of the wall unit without creating blind corners.
If, on the other hand, an empty corner remains, free from furniture, here are some tips for using it at its best:
- A column bookcase where you can store all the volumes dedicated to the recipes
- A plant holder
- Stackable baskets for separate waste collection
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