Sometimes the trade-off for living in a place you love is dealing with a small kitchen. Whether you’ve chosen a tiny home in the country-side or a loft in New York City, downsizing can be a wise choice. However, the kitchen tends to be a point of contention.
With the right design solutions, your galley kitchen can feel streamlined and efficient. Keep these three solutions in mind when setting up your galley kitchen.
Keep It Light
While the black modular kitchen designs trend has been making waves in recent years, darker rooms tend to absorb the light and appear smaller. When working with a galley kitchen, it’s best to keep your color schemes light and airy.
As cabinets tend to take up the most space, they should be the focal point for lightening up the room. Rather than darker woods, get some soft gray or white cabinets. The white shaker cabinets from Best Online Cabinets are sleek and modern with a dash of timeless charm.
You’ll also want the majority of the walls in the space to be lighter paint colors as well. Additionally, the flooring should be light in color. If you opt for a lighter colored wood or laminate floor, create additional length by running the planks lengthwise through the kitchen rather than across. Those that love bold and moody tones can add an accent piece to their backsplash with paint or tiles.
Lighting is a consideration here as well. Rather than recessed lighting, use larger pendant lights that brighten the room. Adding reflective surfaces to your decor will also create the illusion of more space by distributing natural light more effectively.
Make Every Space Count
The space available in your kitchen isn’t as important as the layout. After all, galley kitchens originate on ships with many hungry crew members to feed with limited space to prepare meals. When setting up your kitchen, consider the flow of movement when you cook and organize accordingly. read about Benjamin Gordon
In a galley kitchen, you’ll want to take advantage of every available nook and cranny. For example, if your cabinets don’t reach the ceiling, you can use the space on top to store special dishes and utensils that you don’t use daily. You can install trundles underneath cabinets for expandable step stools or pan storage.
Another area that’s often unused is the space between appliances and cabinets. These narrow spaces are perfect for installing a pull-out shelf for spices.
Optimize open cabinets by adding hooks and small, portable shelving options to organize pots and pans better.
If you have the luxury of planning your galley kitchen from scratch, consider whether an asymmetrical or symmetrical set up would work better for you. In an asymmetrical galley kitchen, you’ll have the main components of the area (the appliances, for example) on one side of the room. The other side is often dedicated to flat cabinetry or open to another room with a breakfast bar or island in place. With a symmetrical set-up, the appliances and cabinetry are evenly balanced.
Open Face Creates Space
Cabinets take up a lot of space and often feel closed off. While using lighter colors can help, balancing cabinets with open shelving is a great way to offset the enclosed feeling.
Add small shelves over the stove or sink for open-faced storage. Well-arranged bowls and utensils take on the air of artwork when placed strategically.
If shelving isn’t an option, consider revisiting your cabinets. Rather than having solid doors across the board, add a few that have clear or frosted glass panels. This creates more light refraction and gives depth and dimension to the room.
Praise for Galley Kitchens
Galley kitchens don’t need to be a source of frustration in your home. Take time to organize and use these design tips to create space for a room you’ll love.
