Always keep the 3 zones well in your small kitchen
As we explained to you in this article about different kitchen styles, the Maisons SIC website offers you a very special service: an interactive showroom of our Exhibition HallDirected by the VR Interactive company, in which one can, with the click of a mouse, discover the materials on offer, the layouts of kitchens, bathrooms, tiling or storage options. Not only virtual, this Exhibition Hall is also open to the public (by appointment, personalized) and the teams of Maisons SIC are available there, on site, to advise on interior design all those who are planning the construction of a new house. Patricia Castillo, director of this team, then explained to us how to optimize the functionality of a small kitchen.
And as she explains: “the most important thing, even when you have a small kitchen, is to keep the 3 essential areas: the worktop, the cooking area and the “washing” area. It is necessary to try to preserve, in spite of everything, of the work plan, to free up space on each side of the cooking, of the sink. The work plan remains essential. And don't forget to keep a real circulation space in the kitchen with a real passage area.”
On the side of the washing area, for example, we will avoid the stamp office sinks, which take up too much space. We prefer an XL tank with an integrated drainer, a little smaller than normal.
High storage and sliding drawers for a small compact kitchen
When your kitchen is small, you don't have an island and your work plan is reduced, you shouldn't leave anything lying around. Thus, storage spaces must be optimized to try to give an impression of purity.
Tall furniture and cleanliness
As she rightly points out: “when there is a lack of space, you have to try to be ingenious to gain a few square meters, to make it functional, efficient and practical on a daily basis.” In a small kitchen, we therefore opt for a maximum of high storage and we use the entire height under the ceiling. Under the wall storage boxes, shelves can be added. And to give your room an effect of length, these shelves can be installed above the worktop along the entire length of the kitchen.
Patricia Castillo's little trick: as refined as possible. “Wall cabinets are less and less workable in spacious kitchens, but in small kitchens we have to use wall cabinets as much as possible to save space. Be careful, this must then remain as uncluttered as possible. We avoid frills, we don’t put too much glazing.”
Corner units and drawers, more drawers
At the level of low storage, it is necessary to opt for a maximum of drawers. With sliding drawers, no space will be wasted and a thin cupboard can, for example, accommodate very practical spice drawers.
The corners should not be lost either and it is essential to put corner furniture wherever possible.
Appliances that are as discreet as possible in a small kitchen
In the kitchen, the first things you need to install are the refrigerator, the hob, the sink and the under-sink. Most of the household appliances must be hidden, to avoid cluttering a kitchen that already has little space.
Columns for storing refrigerators and ovens
The column blocks, very trends in kitchens, will then come to welcome the household appliances. As explained by Patricia Castillo: we try to integrate the refrigerator as much as possible into a cupboard and at least one microwave oven to create, in a small kitchen, at least one small block, to free up the worktop.”
Small hobs and built-in hoods
As for the cooking space, we opt, in a small kitchen, for a hob with 3 burners but no more. As underlined by Patricia Castillo: “in small kitchens, we go to the essentials. We choose what takes up the least space.”
Regarding the hoods, “these are often hoods integrated under the storage unit, which will be discreet and which will create a high piece of furniture. Unlike large kitchens, which will instead have an island hood, a worktop hood for the new extractor hobs or a vertical hood. »
Choose light colors for the small kitchen of your house under construction
In a small kitchen, it is essential to choose light and natural colors, in order to visually enlarge the space. If you find it too dull too sad, you can enhance it by painting only the window sills with a bright color tint. But Patricia Castillo insists on this point: “in small kitchens, we try to stay on a relatively light facade so as not to suffocate the room. Choosing a light color is very important in terms of brightness. We try to recover as much light as possible with clear facades and wooden plans. And generally, in small kitchens, we try to keep the splashback matching the worktop to create a fairly clean and still fairly compact line.”
Dare to use XXL tiles to enlarge a small kitchen
On the floor side, it may be a little color and darker if the countertop is light. But if we start with a darker facade, we will choose a light floor.
Patricia Castillo's trick to enlarge the room is to choose, for the walls as for the floors, large tiles. “We are always afraid in a small room, wrongly, to put on a large format. If there is more cutting, rendering at the end completely changes the room for you. To visually enlarge a room such as a kitchen, on the wall or on the floor, try very large tiles, the effect is guaranteed.”
Also, by using a floor identical to the room next to your kitchen, you will give it an impression of space.
What lighting in his small kitchen?
The brighter a room is, the more spacious it appears. To optimize your small kitchen, you must therefore provide it with as much light as possible. Install spotlights integrated into the ceiling on either side of the room and lights under tall furniture. You can then cook in a bright room.
You can also add canopies to bring grandeur to your kitchen. If you have the space to put a table, or a back of the work plan, put suspensions above for an additional source of light and a decorative side.
—
Want to meet professionals in the construction and development of new homes? Contact SIC houses.
Cover photo: Creator: Gabriel Martineau | Credits: Immobilia Photography ©
Copyright: Immobilia Photography© 2011-2017 {All Rights Reserved}
Designing a small functional kitchen when building your detached house
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Always keep the 3 zones well in your small kitchen
As we explained to you in this article about different kitchen styles, the Maisons SIC website offers you a very special service: an interactive showroom of our Exhibition HallDirected by the VR Interactive company, in which one can, with the click of a mouse, discover the materials on offer, the layouts of kitchens, bathrooms, tiling or storage options. Not only virtual, this Exhibition Hall is also open to the public (by appointment, personalized) and the teams of Maisons SIC are available there, on site, to advise on interior design all those who are planning the construction of a new house. Patricia Castillo, director of this team, then explained to us how to optimize the functionality of a small kitchen.
And as she explains: “the most important thing, even when you have a small kitchen, is to keep the 3 essential areas: the worktop, the cooking area and the “washing” area. It is necessary to try to preserve, in spite of everything, of the work plan, to free up space on each side of the cooking, of the sink. The work plan remains essential. And don't forget to keep a real circulation space in the kitchen with a real passage area.”
On the side of the washing area, for example, we will avoid the stamp office sinks, which take up too much space. We prefer an XL tank with an integrated drainer, a little smaller than normal.
High storage and sliding drawers for a small compact kitchen
When your kitchen is small, you don't have an island and your work plan is reduced, you shouldn't leave anything lying around. Thus, storage spaces must be optimized to try to give an impression of purity.
Tall furniture and cleanliness
As she rightly points out: “when there is a lack of space, you have to try to be ingenious to gain a few square meters, to make it functional, efficient and practical on a daily basis.” In a small kitchen, we therefore opt for a maximum of high storage and we use the entire height under the ceiling. Under the wall storage boxes, shelves can be added. And to give your room an effect of length, these shelves can be installed above the worktop along the entire length of the kitchen.
Patricia Castillo's little trick: as refined as possible. “Wall cabinets are less and less workable in spacious kitchens, but in small kitchens we have to use wall cabinets as much as possible to save space. Be careful, this must then remain as uncluttered as possible. We avoid frills, we don’t put too much glazing.”
Corner units and drawers, more drawers
At the level of low storage, it is necessary to opt for a maximum of drawers. With sliding drawers, no space will be wasted and a thin cupboard can, for example, accommodate very practical spice drawers.
The corners should not be lost either and it is essential to put corner furniture wherever possible.
Appliances that are as discreet as possible in a small kitchen
In the kitchen, the first things you need to install are the refrigerator, the hob, the sink and the under-sink. Most of the household appliances must be hidden, to avoid cluttering a kitchen that already has little space.
Columns for storing refrigerators and ovens
The column blocks, very trends in kitchens, will then come to welcome the household appliances. As explained by Patricia Castillo: we try to integrate the refrigerator as much as possible into a cupboard and at least one microwave oven to create, in a small kitchen, at least one small block, to free up the worktop.”
Small hobs and built-in hoods
As for the cooking space, we opt, in a small kitchen, for a hob with 3 burners but no more. As underlined by Patricia Castillo: “in small kitchens, we go to the essentials. We choose what takes up the least space.”
Regarding the hoods, “these are often hoods integrated under the storage unit, which will be discreet and which will create a high piece of furniture. Unlike large kitchens, which will instead have an island hood, a worktop hood for the new extractor hobs or a vertical hood. »
Choose light colors for the small kitchen of your house under construction
In a small kitchen, it is essential to choose light and natural colors, in order to visually enlarge the space. If you find it too dull too sad, you can enhance it by painting only the window sills with a bright color tint. But Patricia Castillo insists on this point: “in small kitchens, we try to stay on a relatively light facade so as not to suffocate the room. Choosing a light color is very important in terms of brightness. We try to recover as much light as possible with clear facades and wooden plans. And generally, in small kitchens, we try to keep the splashback matching the worktop to create a fairly clean and still fairly compact line.”
Dare to use XXL tiles to enlarge a small kitchen
On the floor side, it may be a little color and darker if the countertop is light. But if we start with a darker facade, we will choose a light floor.
Patricia Castillo's trick to enlarge the room is to choose, for the walls as for the floors, large tiles. “We are always afraid in a small room, wrongly, to put on a large format. If there is more cutting, rendering at the end completely changes the room for you. To visually enlarge a room such as a kitchen, on the wall or on the floor, try very large tiles, the effect is guaranteed.”
Also, by using a floor identical to the room next to your kitchen, you will give it an impression of space.
What lighting in his small kitchen?
The brighter a room is, the more spacious it appears. To optimize your small kitchen, you must therefore provide it with as much light as possible. Install spotlights integrated into the ceiling on either side of the room and lights under tall furniture. You can then cook in a bright room.
You can also add canopies to bring grandeur to your kitchen. If you have the space to put a table, or a back of the work plan, put suspensions above for an additional source of light and a decorative side.
—
Want to meet professionals in the construction and development of new homes? Contact SIC houses.
Cover photo: Creator: Gabriel Martineau | Credits: Immobilia Photography ©
Copyright: Immobilia Photography© 2011-2017 {All Rights Reserved}
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