Case study: making a small kitchen look bigger

It seems everybody wants to make the most of the space they have got, a sign of the times!  Here is a really small dining kitchen, the area of the working kitchen was 2mx2.5m.  Into this we needed  to build in a dishwasher, washer/dryer, under counter fridge/freezer, a boiler and as much storage space as possible. 

Here is a before picture:

 

The first consideration was where to put the boiler.  There were various options – outside, in the roof space, eventually it was decided to re-site the new one in the same place as the old one.  The next consideration was the archway which separates the living room from the dining area.  The units could not cross the base of this arch and the existing units were not metric size or full size.  They were put in by the original builder who had chopped them down to fit in the area.  So, with millimetres to spare we fitted in a full size kitchen!

 

 

The third consideration was the fun bit.  Choosing reasonably priced kitchen units, worktops and flooring.  As it is such a small space, any bright colour will bring 'it in'.  White units were chosen with a neutral/black/twinkle flecked worktop

The flooring is in ceramic tiles which tone with the worktop.

Here is an 'after' photo.

 

 

Think you will agree, there is much more of an illusion of space in this kitchen now. Neutrals were chosen with elements of green. Green is a receding colour which gives the illusion of space. The blinds are white, the ceiling is white and the walls are Natural Calico. The dining furniture is black, glass and chrome, this will give more of a focus to the room and stop it becoming a sea of beige.

 

 

 

Anne Stuart