Although the kitchen has supposedly become the heart of the home, growing in size and prominence and incorporating sitting and dining rooms in its footprint, many of us urban dwellers face the opposite situation, squeezing kitchens into ever smaller spaces. It's very common now to find that a kitchen occupies one sad-looking wall of a sitting room, or to have to navigate tiny galley kitchens. But if you want to add a bit of character to a kitchen when it's in the middle of your living space, and maximise storage and character, there are a few clever design solutions that can help. We've picked a few of our favourites.
The open plan U-shape
Most people who live in flats now are faced with incorporating kitchens and dining areas into living rooms. The trick that some designers turn to in smaller spaces was to differentiate between the cooking and eating or sitting areas – often all found in the one space – by installing a U-shaped kitchen (sometimes known as a peninsular). This immediately creates an additional surface on which to serve food or use as a bar. In the kitchen on the left, designed by Lonika Chande, what was once separate kitchen and living rooms was transformed into one space. 'We took down the wall between the sitting room and the kitchen, which meant both rooms got a lot more light thanks to the dual aspect,' Lonika notes, adding, ‘bench seating is a practical, space saving option. A round table can work better in a smaller open plan kitchen, as the curve is more forgiving’, she says. Other types of seating, such as bar stools tucked neatly under the ‘peninsular’, are a brilliant way to create additional seating which doesn't occupy too my space. In the project on the right, a 1960s flat in west London designed by Natalie Tredgett, there is not enough room for a dining table. Instead, stools are tucked under the bar that doubles as an entertaining area, lit by the softly pooled light of a mid-century lamp.
The open galley
A galley kitchen is a familiar enough layout, but this idea from textile designer Carolina Irving's house on the Portuguese coast is rather inspiring. The small whitewashed fisherman's house emerges from the Melides rice fields, and is designed to fit in with its surroundings. In the rustic kitchen – a clap-board appendage to the house heated only (even in winter) by a corner wood stove – marbleised tiles designed by Carolina create a dazzling splashback. Though diminutive, the open, airiness of the kitchen area creates the illusion of more space, and links it seamlessly with the dining area beyond.
In a similar vein, the kitchen in Zoe Zimmer's small but ingeniously designed flat in Notting Hill adds a little more panache in an open-plan area. First of all, the galley functions as a passageway from one end of the flat to the other, avoiding closing off any spaces with doors. Although it is largely separated from the sitting and dining area by a wall, the large open space allows one countertop to serve as a bar, so that Zoe can be in the middle of the action when entertaining. The final clever touch is the mirror at the back of the kitchen, which reflects the sitting room, and also bounces light around infinitely with mirrors at the back of that room.
The one-wall wonder
‘I wanted this space to read as a dining room rather than a kitchen,’ says the interior designer Emma Burns. Thus, an antique table takes centre stage here, where she has paired it with chairs from OKA. The kitchen units, painted the same shade as the wall (‘Studio Green’, a moody dark green by Farrow & Ball), blend seamlessly into the background of the room.
In a completely open plan loft in Shoreditch, the architect Rients Bruinsma has created an extremely clever design for the classic one-wall kitchen. First of all, it is built onto the outside wall of the bathroom, which is situated in a marble box in the middle of the flat. The smart walnut cabinets conceal a washing machine and dishwasher, and also offer a little bit of open shelving and plenty of storage high up in the top cabinets. It may look compact, but it has everything Rients needs to cook ‘huge meals’ and entertain guests.
