Setting up the perfect Kitchen in a small home can seem like a daunting task. A perfect small kitchen amounts to preparing a place where you can manage cooking, cleaning, and storage within a limited space without compromising on the functionality of the area. To walk that tight rope, a great deal of thorough thinking and error-free execution is required.

In this article, we assist you in setting up your perfect small kitchen by providing some pictorial design inspiration. We will also look at some tips that will help you run your small kitchen efficiently.

Small home kitchen layout

Since walls take up a lot of the space, opt for open-layout kitchens for a small home, especially if you are in a studio apartment or a 1-BHK flat. In homes, where assigning a separate kitchen space is not possible, an open-layout kitchen can be made an extension of the living room.

Furniture for small kitchen

Retail therapy is a real thing, and we all end up buying stuff just to satisfy a whim. But be aware of this when shopping for your small kitchen. You may have found the grand dining table of your dreams. But buying it may be counter-productive. It may just end up blocking all the kitchen space. When shopping for kitchen furniture, be extremely mindful of the size of the kitchen and the actual space that you can use to place the furniture. Look for foldable dining tables or tables with storage options to make the most of the space available to you.

Multi-tasking dining tables

Opt for dining tables that can act as your workstation, and turn the kitchen into a lounging area, as and when required.

Make-shift furniture for small kitchen

Make-shift furniture is ideal to create a dining space within your kitchen. This gives you the liberty to use the space for other purposes, as and when the need arises.

You could also try the Japanese seating arrangement, Zashiki, for your small kitchen. Aside from the fact that moving them is easier, the low-floor table can also be used for other purposes. When not in use, this table can be easily stored away unlike your standard dining table.

Colour scheme for small kitchen

Since light colours make any area look bigger, use light and bright colours like white, cream, or shades of yellow for your small kitchen to get a visual expansion. Being well-lit is also a pre-condition for a small kitchen to operate seamlessly.

Storage in a small kitchen

When space is an issue, walls have to be used to create vertical storage spaces in your kitchen. To avoid a messy kitchen, turn all the available space into storage space to keep kitchen items hidden.

Small kitchen ventilation

No matter how small the space, good ventilation is a must. Build a small window for the kitchen area. Install an exhaust fan or kitchen chimney to clear the fumes and heat that is regularly generated in this space. For small Indian kitchens, having a fan is a necessity if a kitchen chimney is not possible.

Clubbing spaces together is a good option for those who can’t build a large kitchen due to space constraints.

10 tips to build an efficient kitchen in a small home

1. Large utensils and kitchen equipment need bigger storage areas. Buy each and every item for your kitchen keeping in mind the storage area in your home. If you think, there is enough storage in, say, the bedroom for a piece of equipment, consider the effort it would require to move the equipment back and forth from the kitchen every single time.

2. Open-kitchen layouts may be your only option in a small setting. Since the kitchen area is exposed, clean them regularly to keep them mess-free at all times of the day.

3. Avoid dark colours for kitchen floor tiles or kitchen slabs. Even though light colours show dirt easily, they also put psychological pressure on the residents to maintain cleanliness. The opposite is true for dark colours. Since the grime and grease may not be evident on a dark kitchen floor, kitchen sink, or kitchen slab, you may not clean them as often as needed.

4. Keep a large stool or a small foldable ladder handy to reach the higher cabinets in your kitchen easily, and to optimise space use in your small kitchen.

5. Rolling kitchen carts and bar carts are highly recommended for small kitchens to keep miscellaneous items.

6. It is difficult to operate in a small kitchen that is over-burdened with utensils and equipment. Be mindful of this before you invest in that new coffee maker. Everything that you purchase should be on a must-have basis.

7. A portable pot rack would do just fine if the small kitchen area does not allow you to install a modular kitchen. It is a better option for wet dishes and pots.

8. Opt for a corner sink. Corner sinks have U- or L-shaped kitchen counters and work well in small kitchens. Be sure to buy a deep sink to ensure that dirty dishes are not visible in an open-kitchen layout.

9. Keeping the refrigerator in a small kitchen is a bad idea. Aside from eating up valuable space and making movement within the kitchen difficult, your fridge will also add to the heat generated in your kitchen. Keep it in the lobby or the living room instead.

10. To add light to your small kitchen, add decorative pendant lights. The more light there is in your kitchen, the less small it would appear. Install cabinet lighting to easily find items within the cabinets.

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