Gah! At the end of my tether with my kitchen.

[LapCatLicker]

I'm so depressed. I've googled "very narrow kitchen" and this is what came up www.houzz.co.uk/photos/kitchen/query/very-narrow.
I would give my eye teeth to have the amount of space any of those have. Does anyone else feel this way? I'm so fed up with my kitchen I just hate going in to it anymore. The wall is so close to the counter that there is, literally, not enough room to get past another person. The fridge is under the counter in front of the back door and next to the cat's litter tray which is in front of the cupboard that holds baking pans. You can't get down low enough to see in the fridge because your butt hits the door so you have to contort sideways to get into it. The oven door is about an inch from the wall when it opens so you also have to contort to get anything in or out. I hate, hate, hate it and have outlined this in the accompanying pictures (Diagrams!!). DH doesn't see the problem with it and at this rate I might get an extension in 2040. I'm at the end of my tether. Please, oh Wise Ones, is there anything I can do with this? What would you do?

(p.s. my kitchen is NEVER this clean. I was taking these pictures for a uni project and it took me 2 hours to get it this way.)
(p.s.s this will out me if anyone I know is on MN. Hello, to anyone I know!)

[LapCatLicker]

Anyone?

[NamedyChangedy]

I do sympathise - it's certainly not ideal. If you can't manage an extension in the near future would it be worth having a designer look at how it could be better configured, within the current space? @OnePlanOnHouzz on here is the kitchen guru and may have some handy pointers for you...?

[venys]

Wow that is pretty narrow and I feel your pain. We had a galley kitchen and knocked out the internal wall (and put up RSJ) to make an open plan kitchen. Is this something you could do?

[venys]

Also get rid of that table and chairs..do you really use it ?

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

What's your budget and do you have somewhere else you can eat in your home?

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

My old kitchen was narrower and was a corridor to the bathroom... so I've got this once I know about budget

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

If you could do a floor plan (even a rough one) that would help visual the space.

What's the other side of the sticky out bit of wall?

[bojorojo]

What room is next door to the kitchen? Could you have an eat in kitchen if you amalgamated another room with the kitchen? This is better than such a corridor kitchen and is used a lot in London flats.

[Deux]

I'd get rid of the tall stools and table. There's quite a bit of space down there. I'd put the kitty litter there next to the washing machine.

Can you change the side of the hinge on the fridge, if it was on the other side would that make access easier?

You get ovens where the door slides underneath.

Are you looking for a completely new layout or just tweaking what's there?

[MsMims]

That's a terrible design. Is an extension definitely a no-go? I think any other compromises would slightly help, but not drastically change how badly planned the space is. Even a small extension would make a huge difference.

[wowfudge]

The obvious thing is to have the kitchen in a u shape in the area where the table and chairs are, i.e. the things you use most frequently altogether in a workable area as that seems to be the widest and lightest part. Have floor to ceiling cupboards for storage where the cooker and hob are currently - possibly slimline cupboards. Get a freestanding fridge freezer. Put the washing machine where the fridge is currently. This means moving services but should be doable.

And lose the bar stools and table. In a kitchen that size they are taking up far too much space. What's round the corner on the rest of the wall where the fridge is?

[BritInUS1]

Can you post some more pictures and a floorplan?

I would absolutely ditch the table and chairs and move the litter tray to that end

What is opposite the washing machine? It is another cupboard?

[RedSandYellowSand]

If it makes you feel any better, I've lived in 2 houses with kitchens so narrow, you had to squeeze past someone, and there was only one run of worktops.

Anyway, possible things to do.

• Move the litter tray to a bathroom.
  
• Get an oven where the door dissapears underneath the cooker when opened.
  
• If your replacing the kitchen, look at narrow work surfaces down one side, and standard on the other. Appliances under the standard worktop, cupboards on the other side.
  
• What's on the other side of the internal wall? More of your house, or nextdoors house?

[saladsmoothie]

Definitely move the kitty litter into a bathroom.

I have a long narrow kitchen which has all cupboards / storage down one side and all flat surfaces (sink, cooker and work surface) on the other side. Pic attached. I find it fine, but there's no space to be disorganised.

[monsieurpoirot]

If knocking through or an extension are out I agree with pp, have a u kitchen where bar stools are. I'd consider stacking a washing machine and dryer where microwave is and putting a ocket door in front as a utility cupboard. Cat litter could ho here too. You could possibly have narrow cupboards and a breakfast bar on the oven wall, depending on how much you need seating and storage

[OhDearToby]

Agree with the other posters about getting rid of the table and chairs unless they are used regularly (as somewhere to eat, not somewhere to put stuff). I'd use that space for the litter tray and possibly a freestanding drawer unit.

[OnePlanOnHouzz]

Thanks for the shout NamedyChangedy .

The shame seems to be that they have put the cooking in an area in totally the wrong space , as just by standing cooking you block up access to the other end - so not a two person space as it is currently - needs a compete overhaul - but could re use your cabinets if budget tight . ( we do this quite often as it's a greener option too )

Yes it's a small space - but there looks like there are other options - if I was working for you on this I'd ask for as much information about the whole apartment and so I'd look at the place as a whole to see if can relocate WM elsewhere for example and see if there are any other possibilities to free up space or make improvements. Then I'd look at a complete redesign of the kitchen area, either re using existing or if you wanted to buy from DIY or Ikea etc etc using their sizes so you can shop around and get the best deals for you.

(I've got guests this weekend - so just about to get on with making breakfast - so I won't be free to help on the thread today - sorry ! )

[StatisticallyChallenged]

I previously had a kitchen which was 2m square wall to wall - and it had u shaped units so there was about 80cm between the units. Fun!

Can you draw a rough floorplan just to show where doors/windows etc are and we might be able to come up with a better layout? It's hard to tell properly from pictures.

Definitely move the kitty litter - mine has been in the downstairs loo and now lives in the understairs cupboard.

[buckeejit]

Extension! As a quick fix Id agree lose the table & chairs-if you need something a pull down table (caravan style) & folding chairs/stools. You could put a dish rack on the wall space where the mirror is. If you can bear it, I'd lose the eye level cupboards where the cooker is & add a couple of narrow shelves so it's feels more spacious.

[buckeejit]

Does the end where the litter tray is lead to anything? If not a massive cupboard might be better use of that space?

[LapCatLicker]

Wow! Thanks so much for all those responses and ideas!
I'll do my best to answer but I'm on my phone...
-The other side of the kitchen cupboards is the lounge where we have a small table and chairs. We eat there rather than the kitchen.

• We never eat in the kitchen. That table and the high chairs are a leftover from DH's batchelor days.
  
• The indent wall by the fridge is a shelf/cupboard in the living room.
  

-There is no downstairs loo and the one upstairs has no space for cat litter.

• The wall opposite the cooker is the outside wall with a door out to the back.
  

The plan is for an extension eventually but probably not for a few years so I don't want to spend big on this just to change it. I haven't actually thought of budget. I'll have to sit down with DH and find a figure for interim fixes.
I'll put up a floor plan in a bit, just off out to shops now.

[7Days]

Even to get rid of the table and chairs would make a big difference. Sell them and put the moneg into your budget. Then move the kitty litter to beside the washing machine.
(Sorry but I did think that was an orange on the chair in the last pick. Thought, cripes shes right, it is a small kitchen)

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

Ok, I'll wait for floor plan but definitely lose the useless table and chairs. If there is enough depth (not sure where the window is) and you can afford it I would move the kitchen into a u-shape there but only with base units and then shallower open shelves above for things you use a lot. I'll post a picture of what I mean. This end would be where I would have all the appliances.

I would take out all the units on the run where you have the cooker now. The other end where the cat litter currently is (can it go elsewhere? Bathroom maybe??) I would have floor to ceiling units with a larder cupboard and a utility cupboard.

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

Actually maybe an L shape rather than a U now I think about it.

You need lots of useable depth on worktops if your worktop run is limited and the second photo with the big cooker (ignore that bit!) shows that. The other picture shows some good, shallow storage options. Have a look at bar storage for things like your glasses. It's cheap, you can easily screw it onto the bottom of a shelf or repurposed wall unit and you'll benefit from being able to get things quickly and easily.

You could also have shelves or cupboards running at head height along the wall between the two ends for things you don't use much if your ceiling is high enough. Not too deep or it will feel oppressive but cookbook/storage jar depth could work. Ikea kallax is what we have on the wall in kids bedroom and that seems a good depth.

[LapCatLicker]

Hello all, I've attached a floor plan that I nicked from a neighbouring property and made a few changes. You can see where my dining table and sofa and chairs are in the lounge. It is a very small 30s terrace which we've grown out of but we're in a great neighbourhood and have amazing views.
I hear you about the table and chairs, they are in the way. I'll have to convince DH that eating in the kitchen just doesn't happen anymore now that we have DS. Other houses on our street have a u shaped kitchen but they're also very small. I think getting a bigger fridge freezer in place of the cupboard opposite the washer and putting deep drawers in where the fridge is now would be good. Or possibly some narrow shelves on the wall with a small portable island to add counter space. What about raising the cabinets on the wall to reach the roof, would that give the illusion of more space?