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When arranging a narrow kitchen, the owner is faced with a lot of questions: how to balance proportions, visually enlarge the space, ergonomically install furniture and make it all as aesthetically pleasing as possible. It is possible to take into account the features and satisfy all the criteria only comprehensively, having thought through every little thing in advance.
Design options for a narrow kitchen in 2022
In a narrow kitchen, the standard rules of ergonomics and design apply:
- The minimum size of the passages should be 1-1,2 meters;
- Refrigerator, hob and sink should form a convenient “working triangle”;
- The working surface should be sufficient for comfortable cooking;
- For kitchen utensils, household appliances and utensils, storage places should be organized;
- The interior should correspond to the lifestyle and taste of the residents.
Long narrow kitchen design
The insidiousness of narrow spaces is that with the wrong design, a “train effect” can result. To avoid this, it is recommended to carefully use wallpaper with geometric patterns on the walls. If you hang mirrors opposite the kitchen set or dining table, you can visually push the walls apart, thereby expanding the space.
The best solution for finishing the ceiling of a narrow kitchen is a flat, light surface. Multi-tiered volumetric structures in this case are usually not suitable. The exception is rooms with very high ceilings, which can be zoned using several “floating squares”.
Design of a small narrow kitchen
The size of a narrow kitchen varies – sometimes there is barely enough space for a full-fledged dining table. In such cases, you should think about combining the kitchen with the living room or balcony. If these options are not suitable, it is important to carefully consider every detail.
You can consider the possibility of transforming the window sill into a dining area. Or put a folding or sliding table. Instead of overall kitchen chairs, it is better to purchase stylish stools or thin bar stools. It is also advisable to choose furniture without corners to make moving around the kitchen as safe and comfortable as possible.
The smaller the dimensions of the kitchen, the calmer the interior should look. Designers recommend avoiding rich colors, extravagant stylistic trends and colorful details. To create a space that is pleasing to the eye, it is best to opt for discreet colors, smooth surfaces, glossy textures, fine lines, and layered lighting.
Design of a narrow kitchen-living room
Competent zoning is the key to a comfortable and stylish kitchen-living room. In a narrow room, the cooking area can be placed in the corner, the relaxation area on the opposite side of the room, and the eating area in the middle. Another interesting option is to arrange kitchen cabinets in parallel – opposite each other.
To prevent the space from looking crowded, it is important to evenly distribute large pieces of furniture throughout the room. Sometimes hanging cabinets make the interior of a narrow kitchen heavier, so they can be alternated with open shelves, or not installed at all.
You can visually adjust the narrow kitchen-living room with the help of the play of light. For example, glossy furniture facades contribute to the expansion of space, thanks to the mirror effect. Also, one should not forget about good lighting, because in elongated rooms it is usually not enough.
Design of a narrow kitchen with a window and a balcony
A balcony can be a real salvation when arranging a narrow kitchen. It can be insulated and attached to the main space, or used as a full-fledged dining area. In terms of design, the recommendations remain the same. It is important to observe color balance and restraint, because an elongated room requires air and clean lines.
Narrow corner kitchen design
The corner shape of the kitchen is a fairly standard solution for a narrow room. Furniture is placed along adjacent walls – short and long, and the remaining space is used as a dining area. If the window is located against a short wall, you can use the window sill as a working area. The second option is to turn it into a table surface.
Popular questions and answers
“The main difficulty of narrow kitchens is the need to place all the necessary pieces of furniture and leave space for comfortable movement. Therefore, it is especially important not to neglect the rules of ergonomics.
An important rule is the distance between the kitchen furniture and the table or wall opposite. A comfortable passage should be 1-1,2 meters so that a person can pass unhindered behind your back while cooking. In cases where the recommended passage distance cannot be maintained, it is allowed to reduce it to a minimum value of 70 cm.
A few kitchen planning tips. When planning a kitchen set along one wall, the dining table opposite can be made folding and laid out if necessary. If preference is given to a stationary table, then a rectangular table with placement along the wall along the long side is better suited for a narrow kitchen with a linear layout. A small round table near the window also looks interesting, then you can arrange additional seating on the windowsill.
Another interesting kitchen layout option is the placement of a kitchen set in two rows. In this case, the kitchen space is conditionally divided into two parts: the area by the window is given over to a full-fledged dining table, and on the other part there is a kitchen set opposite each other.
With a narrow layout of the room, a corner kitchen with a bar counter will also look good, as a continuation of the work surface. A dining area in the form of a bar counter can be placed along a window or wall. Also, the bar counter can be deployed to the headset, thus organizing a U-shaped kitchen. In a linear or U-shaped version of the kitchen layout, there is a pleasant bonus in the form of an additional work surface.
Fedor Smolin, interior designer, head of SMOLIN PROJECTS STUDIO:
“First of all, consider the ergonomics of the kitchen set itself, its functionality and content. One of the important areas is the work surface. A kitchen triangle in small spaces cannot always be maintained in the right proportions, but with a good layout it is quite possible. Designing apartments 18-20 sq. meters, felt in my experience. To do this, you need to use the maximum space adjacent to the kitchen: window sill, niches, etc.”
“When choosing a table, you should focus on the location of the kitchen set and the available aisles. In most cases, square or rectangular tables in narrow kitchens are more ergonomic. Round or oval tables with a diameter of up to 1 meter are suitable for one or two people.
When choosing a sofa, you need to pay attention to the height of the seat – it should be 40-45 cm from the floor. Most classic sofas have a lower seat height, so when placing a sofa at the dining table, it is worth choosing one from the kitchen collection. Another equally important point is the softness of the sofa. For the kitchen and comfortable seating, a hard or medium hard option is suitable. ”
Fedor Smolin:
“Of course, most people choose “table against the wall”. But I advise you to continue the countertop, bring out a separate island or something like that. Also, on my own, I usually recommend setting up an exclusively round table in order to avoid unnecessary bruises.
It is better to refuse a corner sofa in a narrow kitchen. The space has already suffered at the hands of the designers-architects of the house.”
“When choosing kitchen cabinets, it is necessary to think over and prescribe all the available utensils in advance. For efficient and convenient storage, it is optimal to use modules with drawers. In order not to greatly crush the facades of the cabinet, you can choose hidden drawers, which are arranged according to the principle of a second bottom. Corner modules should be supplemented with turn-and-pull structures to use all the storage space. ”
Fedor Smolin:
“Which cabinets and storage places to choose depends on the desires of the hostess and the number of kitchen utensils. From experience I can only say that there is no predominance of only cabinets or only shelves. Undoubtedly, shelves facilitate the design of a kitchen set, but storage space also suffers with this. Household appliances also play an important role. In any case, the lower cases will have to be taken as standard, with a depth of 600 mm, and then an ergonomic arrangement.”
“Contrasting or nuanced color combinations look the most advantageous. For a calmer interior, shades of gray, white, pastel shades of green and blue, cream and earthy palettes are suitable. In such a color scheme, you can combine shades that differ from each other by several tones.
For example, soft white and warm cream. For a richer and brighter interior, contrasting combinations are suitable. For example, white and graphite, dark turquoise and delicate celadon, earthy red and deep gray.
Fedor Smolin:
“A rather broad question, since there are an infinite number of answers. Standard: light colors with accents on the dishes. Why on dishes? Easily replaceable decorations, the background is featureless, but the individuality is directly in the details. Non-standard (precisely color) follows from the wishes and preferences of the customer: mainly pastel colors, warm shades, and also the whole space gets kitchen utensils.”
“The first important point is high-quality lighting of the kitchen area. Ceiling lighting should be installed along the kitchen set. It can be spot or overhead lights, linear or track light. If the design style dictates the use of one central chandelier, then it is important not to forget about the additional illumination of the work surface under the upper cabinets of the kitchen.
Hanging lamps or an interesting design chandelier will look good above the dining table or bar counter. You can also use directional ceiling lights that will spotlight the surface of the table. In addition, the kitchen lighting scenarios are diversified by sconces on the wall near the dining table. Another interesting technique is the placement of wall lamps in the window slopes. They will help create a warm and cozy atmosphere in cloudy weather or in the evening.”
Fedor Smolin:
“Lighting in the kitchen space, regardless of form, is divided into several zones: the main light, auxiliary and decorative. For the kitchen space, you must first order a miscalculation of the power and temperature of the glow. The parameters for this also matter: square meters, furniture and its colors, the location of work areas, etc.
The main light is used for everyday activities and is mostly neutral. Functional use – cooking and cleaning. It is located over the entire area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe ceiling. Auxiliary light is usually located above the kitchen set and above the dining area. The color temperature can also go into warm shades. Decorative lighting is the illumination of the kitchen work area, kitchen plinths, island space and sometimes the dining group.