Calling those with tiny kitchens!

[scribblegirl]

DP and I are buying our first flat! Super excited but we are moving from a gigantic kitchen in our rental flat to one that is 6 X 7

The current kitchen needs a full refit so we can design the new one to our wishes. We also have a fab builder who has pointed out that the fridge freezer can be built in under the stairs to save room there. We also have a tiny utility so no need to get the washing machine in there.

Owners of tiny kitchens, please tell me it can be done? I suppose all we need is counters, a sink and the oven but any design tips or general living advice would be much appreciated...

Look at apartment therapy, us website. Has lots of small kitchens in real flats and houses.

Also the room displays in IKEA are good.

We have a tiny kitchen/corridor. We have a short-ish fridge with a shelf over it where we keep the microwave! Also we have a slightly smaller washing machine (and tumble dryer in shed -although this doesn't really apply with a flat!)

Congrats on getting on property ladder!

We have a tiny kitchen and built a pantry under the stairs. I also Googled small kitchen storage ideas.We don't have space but I loved the idea that you could install long thin pull out shelves down the side of fridge for tins etc. I believe the key is to build in multi functional storage.

We have a small U shaped kitchen. We went for handleless pale grey and white with marble like worktop to create a spacious feel. Also have grooves in worktop for ocassional draining as we have managed to fit in a slimline dishwasher.
Congrats and good luck with your plans.

at 6' wide you don't have room for full depth units (600mm, 2') on both sides.

I'd go for sink, cooker and worktop on one side, with full depth units (preferably pan drawers) underneath, and possibly open shelves above to feel more open, and on the other side, full-height units, but only wall-cabinet depth (300mm, 1') and preferably with 300mm, 1' doors so you can open them without blocking the room. It is easier to use them if they are each 600mm wide units with a 300mm door on each side. Depending what you spend, you can stack standard wall units, or cut-down the depth of tall floor-standers, or have them made to your size.

It will look neater, and be cleaner, if your tall wall goes right to the ceiling, with cornice and/or top boxes to take up any gap. I think pale colours will feel less oppressive than dark or bright.

If putting a tall FF under the stairs, check for utility meters, stopcock and consumer unit which might be in the way and must be accessible.

If the back door is in the kitchen consider a flap like in a bar to give you extra worktop space. There is a special counter-top hinge and retaining latch for the job.

Yes you can only have those pull out shelves if you have an integrated kitchen ie you
cannot use them against free standing appliances as I found to my cost.Even if you do not have space for units on a wall you can put shelves there instead.Any wall space for a microwave? Space for hanging pans from wall or ceiling?
You can put a dish drainer on the wall to stop you knocking into dishes on the sink drainboard ie put small items on the wall bigger things on the main drainboard
Round sink might be smaller? Do not get a ceramic Belfast sink as if something falls on it it may crack You can get sinks which have chopping boards that go over
them saving more space
If you have any corners get one of those magic corners units ; you can have a pull out thing with those as well useful for pans possibly.-these are a real godsend
A washer drier would be good too though they tend to be less reliable than plain washing machines but obviously need less space than the 2 separate machines
Finally if you decide to get a new ceramic/induction hob (as is the fashion) you need to guard against scratching it .It is easy to forget and dump something on it
Also ceramic hobs can remain hot (not sure about induction ones)
If you went for a gas cooker with a cover you can actually use this as extra worktop
space. It is also a bit cheaper than separate oven and hob

I Would avoid overhead units. They make a small kitchen even smaller and my experience is that you will constantly get annoyed bumping into them specially above the sink.

Open shelves and low thin storage for chopping boards and pans are great. Also having one tall floor to ceiling unit to make up for the lack of overhead units is a good one.

Avoid having the cooker next to the fridge, this makes the fridges life a lot shorter. Happened to our rental as its so compact the landlord placed them next to each other. A year on the fridge sounds like it's going to blow.

Oh forgot! make sure light switches and electric sockets and windows are on your
plan . ie where are you going to plug in everything Also make sure you use certified electricians only . This does come at a price because he is obliged with any work he
does to bring it up to current standards and will charge accordingly.

Is there any way you can knock a wall down and have open plan living? Will washer and dryer go in bathroom (very common in France).

I had a very small kitchen in my flat and weirdly quite enjoyed the feeling of having to fit everything in! Apartment therapy is great. I had open shelves (be warned - dust regularly), hooks for pans we used frequently hanging on wall (Ikea has some great wall rails you can hook stuff on). Also we put a shelf high up above the door, which is where we kept stuff that wasn't in use all the time. You need to think about using the wall space to it's maximum as well as the floor space.

you will probably have no room for a radiator. This is one of the few cases I would go for electric heating, either underfloor or a plinth heater. If you can afford wet UFH it would be many years before the saving in electricity covered the installation cost (if ever).

Ikea is really great for these situations. I would suggest as many multipurpose things as possible-

• all in one cooker with lid or induction top
• like the small "boholmen" 70cm sink which has compact drainers, chopping board etc to fit
• try to get one decent bit of work space or you will go mad
• if you are not sure about wall units, leave them out over work areas but put them in corners. A wall cupboard diagonally across a corner will take a lot of stuff.

It's worth paying a bit more for design and fitting to make use of every inch, will probably involve some customisation. -spend a bit on good pull out storage etc. -think about using items not in kitchen range like a shallow bookcase as a larder.