
As somebody who has by no means had a giant kitchen in any of the flats I’ve lived in, I actually love and recognize the ingenious concepts that come out of designing a small area (most notably, kitchens). I personally have needed to get somewhat artistic with this particular kind of room so in case you have a small kitchen you need to improve, I’ve really been in your footwear. Truly, I’m in your footwear proper now! I take a look at my candy little kitchen on daily basis and ask it, “How can I make you higher?! Speak to me!” So my hope as we speak is to encourage some cool concepts that you should use whether or not you’re a renter or renovator. Possibly I’ll get some enjoyable concepts too:)
Challenge M+’s Studio Kitchen

Okay, okay I do know that you simply simply noticed this kitchen final week however because it was the inspiration for this put up I assumed it must be first. I believe probably the most notable first concept to steal is the timeless design concept. Whereas it was shot and styled for Em’s new e book, this kitchen was really designed not less than seven years in the past. Might you inform?? Me neither. The traditional supplies (white oak and white marble), the impartial however stylish colour pallet, the clear strains, and the easy home equipment are all substances for a kitchen design that’s going to look superior for a lot of a few years.


One factor that Ryann identified within the put up was how the island and kitchen counter tops had been made out of the identical marble. Not solely is it easy and fairly however it helps to make that nook space look extra cohesive. Your eyes are additionally in a position to relaxation. That could be a good thing since they went with open shelving. As you will notice in a second, I’m a HUGE fan of open shelving when it is sensible. I particularly assume actually small kitchens are an ideal place for them. Why? Nicely, in the event you stay alone or with simply one other particular person you probably don’t have a necessity for a ton of dishware, glassware, and so forth. This makes it waaaay simpler to keep up and hold all the pieces trying organized. It additionally opens up the highest half of your kitchen, making it really feel larger and visually lighter. And lastly, it’s a straightforward method to make your kitchen look fairly and provides it some private fashion. You’ll be able to effortlessly add colour with plates or glasses, fashion some fairly vases and bowls, the sky’s the restrict. It’s a enjoyable playground:)
Oh, and I in fact have to say the transformer-like capabilities of that island. As proven above, it may be an island however it will also be a desk. And if vital, it may be moved into the middle of the studio and turn into a eating desk for 4 (possibly even six:))
Jess’ Tiny Longish Kitchen

And right here is my former little oasis. Whereas I don’t miss the shortage of usable closed storage (peep the cupboard dealing with the oven – lower than easy accessibility) and UGLY flooring, I do miss most all the pieces else. This kitchen was an actual labor of DIY love that probably made my dad think about disowning me resulting from my “particular and detailed” requests.


So what did I really do to my really tiny kitchen?? Enjoyable reality: this was not the smallest kitchen I lived with – Hey, San Francisco! Okay right here’s the checklist:
- Customized alder plywood counter cowl and backsplash by my dad (no injury to precise ugly “stone” countertop). There have been a number of tries earlier than it was excellent:) Keep in mind the disowning joke??
- Replaces cupboard knobs (I beloved the pop of matte black to floor the area a bit and balanced with the darkish tones within the decor and banquette backrests).
- Added steel shelf as a spice rack to unlock counter area and added some extra visible curiosity to the wall.
- Added a mirror (household heirloom) to make the sunshine bounce round and assist the area to really feel a tiiiiny bit larger. Ha. However really I believe it helped!
If you’re questioning if I eliminated the cupboard doorways off of the uppers, I didn’t. They had been already like that. Though I believe as soon as upon a time they did have doorways. I beloved attending to fashion them out and displaying all the issues I beloved to take a look at and use. Having doorways would have been such a missed design alternative for my part. Sooo in case you have sufficient closed storage think about taking down some (or all) of your higher cupboard doorways and paint all the pieces the identical colour so it seems intentional (until all the pieces is already the identical colour). I’m really contemplating this in my new kitchen.


So then to the left is my different love – my outdated banquette. Look, I might have plopped a fairly bistro desk and two eating chairs and known as it a day. However a) I have a tendency to love to make issues extra difficult for myself however extra so b) I wished to actually make the most of as a lot of the sq. footage as attainable – one thing everybody ought to attempt to do if they’ll when designing a small area. Each. Inch. Counts. Plus I can say from expertise this made the world really feel a lot larger. I briefly had a bistro set in there and it actually did make it really feel smaller.
All of the wooden items had been constructed from stair risers! This meant that the entrance of every piece was already rounded. Now, I used to be loopy fortunate that my dad had mates with cool instruments that might around the corners and sides very simply. However if you wish to make a bench or banquette between two partitions, then you definitely don’t have to fret about that! I then made these blue velvet backrests with my cousin (not stitching machine vital) and the brass poles had been cut-down Restoration {Hardware} curtain rods from their outlet retailer that my dad’s girlfriend discovered. I get into all the particulars within the authentic put up however I simply wished to indicate you that even if you’re renting there’s SO MUCH you are able to do nonetheless. Don’t let the “I’m solely renting” hold you from actually designing a house you actually love.
My solely remorse with the kitchen (except for not doing one thing about these flooring) is that I didn’t get a freaking roman shade for the window. At all times room for enchancment proper?? 🙂
Now let’s see probably the most ingenious but stunning 49-square-foot kitchen possibly ever.
Velinda’s Basement Kitchen

Welcome to Velinda’s basement condo kitchen. It lives in an condo, or as she kindly refers to it, “the 400-square-foot tiny hobbit-home that my 980-square-foot bungalow sits above” that she rents out. There are really so many concepts so buckle up. First, let’s speak home equipment. That little oven you see there’s really a 5-in-1 oven! In accordance with her “it bakes, grills, broils, cooks and microwaves…and may slot in a 24” cupboard.” I’m SO sorry to report that I don’t assume that one is offered anymore however you get the concept, with regards to home equipment and small areas, see what you possibly can mix.

One other actually sensible and out-of-the-box factor she did was take a standard-size sink and rotated it sideways. I’ll let her inform you why:
“I didn’t need the usual, mini-kitchen sink. I wished one thing that’d match a inventory pot or dutch oven however nonetheless maximize counter area. So I turned a standard-sized sink sideways…that means the drain isn’t centered. Uncouth, I do know, however this utilized each inch allowed by the slender 20” vast (but 24” deep!!) base cupboard. PLUS, it maximized the cupboard space beneath by positioning the rubbish disposal (which was certainly one of my must-haves) off to 1 facet as an alternative of centering it, releasing up half the cupboard!”
Good, proper!!!!? Additionally, discover how she selected a wall-mounted faucet so she didn’t want the counter area when she turned the sink’s orientation. All of it feels so intentional…as a result of it’s.


Velinda additionally talked about that she selected these glazed Zellige tiles to assist bounce the sunshine round. It’s such an effective way to make the area really feel larger. It’s like a mirror however with out having to take a look at your self! Mainly, assume twice earlier than utilizing a matte tile in a tiny kitchen for that cause.
Did you discover these stunning super-skinny cabinets too?? Since she made a much bigger design assertion with the tiled partitions and hood, selecting these slim steel cabinets was the right option to not overwhelm the area but not compromise the wanted storage. Plus they give the impression of being so good!

The final little Velinda’s tiny kitchen hack (however significantly go learn her full put up) are the steel bars she used as a kitchen device storage rack. One is a hand towel bar that’s subsequent to the hood for heavier pots and the opposite on the facet of the cupboard is a tie bar. It was the right measurement, had plenty of hooks, and helped to unlock drawer area. A should when a kitchen is fun-sized:)
Prepared for an additional rental kitchen and a very good DIY?
Brady’s DIY Kitchen

Sure, I’m speaking about these DIY vinyl flooring tiles. How good do they give the impression of being? And all of it value UNDER $50! This isn’t the one steal-worthy concept however boy will it eternally be an awesome one.

So until you’ve been round for a very long time you may not be tremendous accustomed to Brady Tolbert. He’s an unimaginable designer and was certainly one of Emily’s first weblog assist hires (who additionally labored at EHD for five years). He’s additionally a little bit of a insurgent as you’ll quickly see why:) These cabinets weren’t at all times there. Initially there was an higher cupboard on one facet that he determined to take down and exchange with all open shelving. He could or could not have cleared it with the owner however I don’t assume anybody can say they don’t look wonderful! He clearly stands by the concept open shelving is good for small kitchens. Clearly, there’s already A TON of closed storage so why not make the entire area look larger, proper? However possibly examine in together with your landlord first until you might be prepared to gamble your deposit.
Apart from that, see how utilizing all these brass accents helps to heat up and brighten the area??

At all times do not forget that a fairly reducing board in your range burners may offer you extra show or prep area. Simply take away it earlier than you flip something on, ok?


I now need to level your eyes to that rolling butcher block island/desk. First off, stylishly they add a lot heat and character. Second, the additional counter/prep area they supply is wild. I’ve one which I used to be given in my kitchen by a household buddy and now I can’t keep in mind how I prepped meals earlier than it. Plus they’re normally small which is nice when sq. footage is tight. They are often pricy however in the event you hold a watch out on Craigslist or FB Market, you may get fortunate.
Sara’s Galley Kitchen

Okay, Sara’s new stunning kitchen will not be tiny however it’s undoubtedly not farmhouse measurement, proper? So lots of considerate and intelligent planning had to enter maximizing all of the storage capabilities in an effort to get all the pieces they wished.


She additionally went for a single open shelf on one facet of her galley kitchen to maintain it feeling completely satisfied and ethereal (and in addition so she might retailer all her cookbooks, fairly reducing boards, and artwork brazenly). However she doubled the performance of that shelf with these fairly brass rails beneath. See how they’re excellent for storing garlic, onions, potatoes, and so forth? Consider how a lot that frees up the countertop.



Sara additionally actually utilized kitchen group merchandise to assist hold all the pieces in there place and accessible.

When a kitchen is small and begins to say no into chaos as a result of issues don’t have a spot, it makes life a lot more durable. You may clearly say that for any kitchen however a small kitchen, because it has fewer locations to shove issues, can get and keep loopy SO FAST with no dialed-in system. Sara’s has an awesome system:)
Mel’s Minimalist Open Plan Kitchen

The largest concept to steal from Mel’s kitchen (except for the gorgeous heat however minimal aesthetic) is designing a customized island that works greatest for you. What can be so impactful about making an island for a kitchen that’s open to a communal area is that it helps to create a definitive “kitchen zone”. When you go to the tip of her revel put up you will notice what I imply. And with this island particularly, I like how she used the facet dealing with the eating/lounge to show her stunning kitchen issues. It invitations you in versus having a stable piece of wooden which could look visually heavy and abrupt, particularly since this island isn’t raised.

Whereas her home equipment got here with the house, I like that they’re smaller than normal US sizes however not mini if that is sensible. It is a two-bedroom condo, that means there probably wouldn’t be sufficient folks to large want a full-sized dishwasher or vary, proper?

In fact, everybody has totally different measurement wants, however in case you have a small kitchen and never lots of people residing within the dwelling, why not create more room for storage or counter area, proper? Nonetheless, I’ll say that whereas I like my small SMEG fridge a lot and it was excellent in my final place, my life could be minimally 10% higher if I had a bigger freezer since my love for cooking and utilizing contemporary veggies in a well timed method continues to be a piece in progress. Mel’s fridge lives in my desires.
Orlando’s Rental Kitchen

Final however most undoubtedly not least is Orlando’s rental kitchen that acquired renovated. This was his LA kitchen earlier than he left for Yosemite a few years in the past. As a design influencer, he desperately wished to replace his kitchen and acquired his landlord’s permission.


What Orlando did such an awesome job with is toeing the road between expressing his fashion whereas additionally honoring the fashion of the house (and the truth that many individuals had been going to have this kitchen after him). The 2-tone cupboards really feel particular and but are a straightforward method to make the kitchen really feel lighter (the white uppers) and but grounded (the darker lowers). He additionally went with traditional, inexpensive tiles for each the partitions (enjoyable tan grout!) and flooring. Then for some actual Orlando-ness, these trendy brass knobs had been the right addition (and one thing he might have taken with him and changed with an excellent inexpensive possibility).

One other Orlando design stamp is a enjoyable, geometric form. So releasing up the counter area and utilizing a spice rack that screams “THIS IS ORLANSO’S KITCHEN, DUH” was an awesome and simple method to make this kitchen actually appear like it belonged to him. Mainly, it may be scary to put money into dangerous everlasting finishes so nonetheless ensure that so as to add items that basically communicate to your particular person fashion.
Numerous concepts, proper?! Fingers crossed if a small (or large) kitchen design has been in your thoughts that your artistic juices are actually flowing and also you’re able to go:) When you noticed a kitchen you’re keen on, please you’ll want to learn the unique put up (and possibly even the intro if it has one). They’re full of A LOT extra info that can most likely be fairly useful.
Love you, imply it.
Opening Picture Credit: Design by Velinda Hellen | Photograph by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Velinda’s Tiny Kitchen Makeover Takeover (with Tons of Good Storage Hacks)
The put up Small Kitchen Concepts To Steal (For Renter And Renovators) appeared first on Emily Henderson.
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