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Can A Dream Kitchen Be Small?
April 18, 2023
Shweta Ramsay
Every inch counts when making the most of a small kitchen space. Designers are adopting creative solutions to make a small kitchen an efficient one. Shweta Ramsay finds out more.
The growing population, coupled with housing shortages, are changing the way urban planners, architects, builders and interior designers and decorators are thinking about living spaces. Kitchens are getting more and more compact. Yet, no compromise is being made on their aesthetic appeal and functionality. If anything else, today the kitchen has truly come of age.
The trend that the kitchen is often the hub of the family and it is the place to gather, cook, eat, laugh, do homework or pay bills, and share in special moments together is debatable in fast-paced modern cities. In fact, some studies indicate that with the increase in young affluent people with higher disposable income living alone, there is a demand for small attractive kitchens.
The kitchen has today transformed into a compact luxury space. These young professionals hardly eat at home or cook daily. However, they want to have a modern kitchen with all the latest gadgets. They want to make a statement with their sleek kitchens. Cool appliances such as wine chillers, fridges and concealed storage make it all easy.
With smart layouts and clever storage solutions, a small kitchen can be transformed into a dream kitchen without sacrificing style or functionality. Photo Courtesy: Mikael Cho on Unsplash
Today, in big cities multiple high-rise apartments be it with the studio, 1bhk or 2bhk are mushrooming rapidly. This has led to a reduction in the kitchen space compared to the way homes were built in the previous decades. But the aspirations of people haven't changed. Clients still want a dream kitchen that is fitted with all modern-day appliances in their tiny abode. These new luxury apartments have a dedicated carpet area of about 60-80 sq ft solely for the kitchen. When space is limited, it takes smart planning to create a multifunctional and aesthetically appealing kitchen. In such a scenario how do designers come up with an attractive compact kitchen plan that doesn't compromise on aesthetics? Is it even possible to have a dream kitchen this small?
According to Tushar Desai, Principal Architect, Tushar Desai Associates a dream kitchen can small kitchen provided all design issues are thought through and resolved such that there is a place for everything with modern hardware it is eminently possible to achieve a very high degree of efficiency without comprising on aesthetic or sense of space.
Often, a small kitchen pushes designers to be more creative and innovative. Milind Mohan Pai, Chief Architect, Milind Pai Architect & Interior Designer exclaimed, “It’s very challenging to make a small kitchen into a dream kitchen and a lot of intelligent planning is required with maybe a few compromises.”
In a small kitchen, the biggest challenge is storage and getting rid of clutter. Concealed cabinets can be used for storage. They also give the kitchen a sleek look.
Kapil Tapadia
Partner
Advantage Architecture
Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more. Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more.
Due to the small space many people today also have started opting for modular kitchens. In the days of the modular kitchen, many believe that the creativity of designers is affected.
Modular kitchens are available today with a huge array of fixtures and fittings at the client’s disposal, added to the sophistication of looks and use. Today’s designer has no choice but to adapt to the technologies of the latest Hardware at your disposal both in the Indian and Imported Range. Also, there is a wide range of finishes and colours available. Finishes like Acrylic, Glass, PU, Laminate, and PVC foils give an exotic feel to the designs if matched with equally exotic wall cladding materials and Tops materials now available.
A modular kitchen in fact aids the creativity of designers by making possible what was earlier not possible. “Through its varied offering with respect to hardware, mix and match surfaces and storage systems modular kitchen offers compact solutions. In fact, modular kitchen enables a designer to create great aesthetic while giving extra-ordinary efficiency of usage,” said Desai.
Free-standing kitchen cabinets give you an option to reposition them anytime based on your comfort. Photo Courtesy: Vaishali – Chief Designer Cuisine Regal
Coping with the challenges
Within the limited space available in an apartment, the client today wants to incorporate as many elements as possible. Thus, the designer is faced with many challenges. His primary concern is to keep the client happy and yet manage to fit in most of the things demanded in the small kitchen. Pai stated, “The biggest challenge is to fit all the basic storage requirements v/s the latest gadgets wish list of the occupants coupled with the other basic use necessities like refrigerators, sinks, water filters. One also needs to pack in elements like washing machines, dishwashers etc .which need to be squeezed into the kitchen sometimes due to shortage of space in the cities like Mumbai. Also as designers, we need to try to make uncomplex shapes and keep it simple at the same time plan for every possible inch.”
It is mandatory that the designer makes the best out of what is available. A major challenge with compact kitchens is coming up with storage solutions. Intelligent storage solutions can help get rid of clutter and accentuates the architecture. Thinking things through is the key to achieving efficient storage. One has to eliminate storing unnecessary items. It is essential to determine how much and what one needs to store and designate specific space for every single item inside the cabinets/drawers and have as many compartments as possible to ensure the above.
The designer needs to measure every article in order to incorporate it properly and create space by using the storage sizes optimised exactly to the space requirements of storage items. For example, it is important to measure the fridge size, Thali stand depth, and heights of the tins and bottles for double or triple loading of the articles. Also, to plan for the depth as per the diameter of the tins and bottle and exact dimensions of built-in gadgets etc.
It’s very challenging to make a small kitchen into a dream kitchen and a lot of intelligent planning is required with maybe a few compromises.
Milind Pai
Chief Architect
Milind Pai Architects & Interior Designers
Ideal kitchen shape
The kitchen layout is the shape that is made by the arrangement of the countertop, major appliances and storage areas. This floor plan creates the kitchen's work triangle. There are five fundamental layouts for most kitchens - the G, L, U, single, and galley. While certain floor plans create a more spacious, efficient kitchen, each kitchen layout can be enhanced with the right cabinetry and decorative accents.
Desai explained, “Deciding the kitchen’s shape depends a lot on the length and breadth of the kitchen area and the position of the door and window. For instance, if the length is significantly more than the breadth and also if the door is in the centre of the breadth, then a parallel or U shape kitchen is better. If the kitchen is more squarish with the door in the corner then an L shape or U shape is advisable. If both the dimensions are more than 13 ft, then only the island kitchen would be possible.”
Integrated appliances help one to save a lot of floor space and countertop space. Photo Courtesy: Kam Idris on Unsplash
Pai emphasised, “Island kitchen is an absolute no-no in compact kitchens. Also, U-shaped may be a bit tough considering the tightness of the space.”But other shapes like parallel Kitchen and L-shape Kitchens may work.”
With the influx of several appliances in India to accomplish each and every task, designers today incorporate all of them in the kitchen plan in such a manner that the space doesn’t look cluttered. Appliances such as microwaves and ovens can be built into the modular kitchen system. Appliances like toasters, juicers, etc can be given a permanent place which can have a sliding shutter over it. One can also put these on the shelves which can be pulled out of the cabinet and pushed back in.
Use specific accessories that make use of all remote corners and spaces which otherwise we are unable to use, and optimise the depths to pack maximum entities in the available space.
Deciding the kitchen’s shape depends a lot on the length and breadth of the kitchen area and the position of the door and window.
Tushar Desai
Principal Architect
Tushar Desai Associates
Kapil Tapadia, Advantage Architecture said, “When a kitchen has a clean look it seems bigger. In a small kitchen, the biggest challenge is storage and getting rid of clutter. Concealed cabinets can be used for storage. They also give the kitchen a sleek look. Cabinets that run to the ceiling for maximum storage also give a nice look and create an illusion of bigger space.”
There is an array of exceptional hardware available for virtually every situation and need these days which caters to all levels of desired comforts. This includes drop-down storage to slide-out shelves to double-layer storage cabinets etc. So depending on the overall design, you can make every inch accessible efficiently.
Small kitchen design tips:
· Use light colours in the kitchen design.
· Make minimum use of extra furniture and gadgets as possible.
· Use flooring tiles as dado – it creates an illusion of floor extending.
· As far as possible let all laminate be of one colour, white or muted shade rather than bright shade.
· Do not give open shelves instead put everything inside the cabinet. This will reduce the sense of clutter.
· If possible, create an internal window towards the dining area.
“One needs to use all types of space-saving as well as gadgets like ovens, hobs, chimneys, dishwashers and accessories like corner units, multi drawers, and adjustable shelves. One must use all systems that add sophistication to the looks and the way we work and cook with our changing lifestyles,” Pai elaborated.
Today, there are several options and design ideas available for small kitchen spaces. With smart layouts and clever storage solutions, a small kitchen can be transformed into a dream kitchen without sacrificing style or functionality. A properly designed small kitchen has minimal clutter and maximum efficiency. Size definitely doesn’t matter!
[The article was first published in the July-September 2015 issue of Kitchen Ideas.]
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