Small Space Living: The Kitchen
Our last post on Small Space Living showed how custom furniture can maximize the useable space in a small residential area. Let’s continue the discussion with a look at the kitchen.
In the photo below, you can see the custom island in the foreground, featuring a shelf at the bottom for oversize pots and appliances, along with other heavy items you wouldn’t want to lift overhead. Cladding the island countertop in butcherblock makes the perfect chopping surface. A pull-out work surface is used as additional seating for guests while you cook and entertain. For mobility, put the island on rolling casters and wheel it wherever you need it to go.
Thanks to the addition of skylights, the space feels and looks light and airy. When remodeling your home, open up small spaces with skylights to bring in natural light. Benefits are twofold by adding to both your mental and physical well-being.
In the next photo, the island’s deep drawers are great for multi-use storage. Behind that is a mix of open and closed shelving ideal for displaying your china collection, or make the doors opaque and only reveal your better pieces. The shelving on the left makes excellent use of what could have been dead space, keeping your kitchen items readily available. Placing infrequently-used pieces that are also beautiful at the top of your cabinetry is a good way to utilize high shelves and the top surface.
The kitchen is a place used primarily for cooking, but also sometimes for entertaining. In the next installment, we’ll talk about entertaining in a small living room, and how to make the best use of a smaller space that is essential for both personal use and entertaining.
San Francisco interior design firm, Kimball Starr, provides kitchen design for homes throughout the San Francisco, San Jose, and Marin areas. Kimball works to “change lives one room at a time” through designing creative and innovative interiors individually suited for each homeowner.