3 Small Kitchens Cooking Up Style

While small-space living offers plenty of charm and comfort, it can make cooking or baking, well, trying. That’s where clever design steps in. Below, we take a look at three homeowners who maximized their scant spaces, using everything from clever hacks to full-on renos to add functionality and breathing room to their previously cramped quarters.

Art-Filled Sancturary

Lawrence Blairs, owner of mid-century art and decor boutique Atomic Design, made his compact studio flat on Queen West go the extra mile. Despite being just 65 square metres, the space doubles as an art gallery. The secret? Sliding doors and pull-down white vinyl screens that conceal the kitchen, bedroom and private quarters, which enables Lawrence to get his home exhibition-ready in under 30 minutes. Read about the bold, art-filled home here.

High-Rise Wonder

Taylor Smyth Architects proved a point with the reno of this Bay Street condo: galley kitchens need not be cramped. Once a crowded eat-in, the owners wanted enough room for team cooking, as well as space for weekend entertaining. By ripping out unneeded walls and installing minimalist oak millwork, they replaced obstructions with clear sightlines and functionality, while a stainless steel backsplash lends an industrial-chic flair. The last essential bit: a Corian-topped breakfast bar that makes an early-morning brew that much more delightful. See the full transformation here.

Culinary Dream

When a pair of foodies found themselves in a design rut, they tasked architect Vanessa Fong with transforming their dark and dingy kitchen into a warm culinary retreat. The duo was in desperate need of surface space and connectivity to the outdoors, so Fong crafted a sunken 11-square-metre extension to bring light and greenery from the garden into the kitchen space. As for their pots, pans and kitchen accessories, walnut cabinet doors offer rich, seamless storage while open shelves neatly display cookbooks and dinnerware. Check out how it all came together here.