How to Fall in Love with a Small Kitchen in Five Easy-Peasy Steps
Decor ideas to help you love your small kitchen space
“The place I like best in this world is the kitchen. No matter where it is, no matter what kind, if it’s a kitchen, if it’s a place where they make food, it’s fine with me. Ideally it should be well broken in. Lots of tea towels, dry and immaculate. White tile catching the light…”
Banana Yoshimoto, Kitchen, 1988
Modern life happens in the kitchen. Kitchens are the setting for burnt toast and peanut-butter-fuelled weekday breakfasts, and the gravy-splattered staging areas for holiday feasts. It’s no wonder we fantasize about them in countless editorial spreads, showing gleaming tiles untouched by cereal milk. Here, we show you that space doesn’t matter when it comes to loving your small kitchen—it’s much more about the decor and ideas you choose and with whom you fill it.
Gather Round
While we were writing this article, we thought about including an extension table in our list of useful products for a tight space. That might work well in a living room, but for a kitchen, we’ve always loved round tables. The beauty is that you and your family can easily sit around the table for casual meals, and when you have guests over, you simply pull up a few more chairs and – bam – you have an intimate, maybe candelit dinner where nobody cares about leaving red wine rings on the table top. Simply gather round, bump elbows, and do your living.
Stir Round Table designed by Kroft is available at Stylegarage.
In Good Taste
For some people, plants are like low-maintenance house pets. Introducing a leafy friend to your kitchen, even if it’s only a small pot of basil balanced on the sill, will add life to your space. We love the idea of growing herbs indoors: they’re tasty, fragrant and cost effective. If you aren’t a natural-born green thumb, make sure you invest in a gorgeous planter – it’ll encourage you to take better care of your plant. Take it from us: fresh parsley isn’t just a food blogger’s prop anymore. It’s also fully edible.
Herb Pot designed by Anderssen Voll for Mjölk (two sizes available).
Hot Stack
Along with a fresh, constant supply of pancakes and French toast, every loveably small kitchen should include stackable seating as part of your decor ideas. When space is at a premium, it’s great to have chairs that can make themselves scarce. More than that, occasional seating encourages us to be spontaneous in the kitchen. Not only in the number of dinner guests you dare to have over, but in your choice of last-minute dinner party fare. This is what those macaroni boxes at the back of your pantry are for. Trust us.
6063 Stool designed by MSDS is stacked by Goodthing.
Move On Up
Counter space is the Holy Grail of cookery. And by that we mean, it’s almost certainly made up. For condo dwellers, finding room to julienne vegetables in a small kitchen is like going on a treasure hunt before every meal. Your opponents: a coffee machine, drying rack and a wooden spoon. That’s why we suggest hanging everything on the wall. Vertical space is often unused, or sadly dominated by bulky cupboards. Try installing shelves instead to keep everything on display and within easy reach.
Float Utensil Holder designed by Brandon Williams for umbra.com.
Eat Pretty
Love is in the details. Small kitchens encourage us to make curated choices about everything from hand towels to groceries, focusing on decor and ideas that bring joy. Having less teaches us to value what we have more – so feel free to collect tableware that makes you happy. Independent ceramic studios are cropping up everywhere, making it easier than ever to find your favourite mug.
Bamboo Metric Dinner Plate (set of 4) designed by Xenia Taler.
