8 Kitchenette Ideas to Suit Your Small Space – When you picture a kitchen, the first thing that comes to mind will probably be what you would find in most homes, whether it’s a house, apartment, cottage or bungalow. However, there are also a number of spaces, properties and sectors where some type of cooking and food preparation facilities are required, but there isn’t necessarily the room or the need for a full-sized kitchen.
Kitchenette Ideas to Suit Your Small Space
This is where a kitchenette could be the ideal solution. Also referred to as a mini kitchen, compact kitchen or micro kitchen, this modern, functional and adaptive concept is a great way to make the most of even the smallest spaces.
From studio apartments, offices, leisure facilities and student accommodation to hotels, staff rooms and shared houses, mini kitchens can be tailored to almost any space, with a wide range of options for style, colours, appliances and more.
To give you some inspiration, here are our top 10 kitchenette ideas to help you make the most of your small space.
1. Planning
The first thing you need to do is adequately plan for the kitchenette, by looking at the space or room that it is for and considering things like;
– What will the kitchen be used for?
– Who will be using it?
– What needs to be included?
– How much room is there to work with?
Once you have the answers to these questions, you can start to build up a clearer picture of what you want, and this will help you to make decisions about everything that follows.
2. Choosing the Right Cabinets
The kitchen units and work surfaces can have a huge impact on the look and feel of the space. With small rooms, gloss cabinets can help to reflect light, making it feel bigger and ideal for pairing with glass fronted doors on the upper units. Alternatively, wood style cabinets can be very affordable and give you a lot of great colour choices, or the option to paint in the future if you fancy a change.
3. Complimentary Colours
Just because you have a kitchenette, doesn’t mean you have to be afraid of colour. Take the time to look at the space available, the natural light and the type of units and worktops you are having and think about what colours would work best.
It might be that a white kitchen is the perfect way to create the illusion of more space, or that a bold, bright colour works best for the property to fit in with the quirky nature of the decor. Whatever it is, don’t think that a small kitchen has to be boring!
4. Give It Some Character
Just like with the colour, you don’t have to forgo any kind of decoration or character just because you are working with a small space. The backsplash, wall tiles and flooring can make a huge difference and really elevate even the most basic kitchenettes into something fun, luxurious, quaint or eye-catching.
5. Be Practical
Whilst you can make the most of your limited kitchen space, you also have to be realistic, and this might mean making some compromises. Consider what you really need in the kitchen, where things like small appliances, cutlery and plates will go and how it would work on a day-to-day basis cooking and preparing food in the space. It might be that you require extra units or more work surface and are able to do things like add a boiling water tap so there is no need for a kettle.
6. Pick Your Appliances
Whilst we would all love to have every possible appliance, in a small kitchen this just isn’t possible, so consider the need of the user and what is most important. For example, if the kitchenette is for an office or staff room then a fridge and microwave would likely be sufficient to cater for the employees. However, for a home or accommodation, cooking facilities such as an oven or hob will likely be required. If there’s room, then a slimline dishwasher can be a great addition for convenience, but this will eat into your storage space so you will need to weigh the pros and cons.
7. Let There Be Lighting
Don’t underestimate the power that lighting has to really make an impact on your kitchen. Work with the space by first making sure there is as much natural light as possible, which could involve removing heavy window curtains or blinds and replacing them with light, thin coverage or leaving them bare. Spotlights are fantastic in kitchens and can be added to the plinths or under units to provide ambient lighting and create a modern feel.
8. Finishing Touches
You can have your kitchen your way, it doesn’t matter if it’s a small kitchenette and not a large space. Get creative, add in some finishing touches that really make it your own such as some artwork for the walls, accessories, textiles, funky soap dispensers, vases and flowers to name just a few.
