Small kitchen spaces are sometimes self explaining as the room size and window location sometimes dictates where appliances have to go, these elements can really dictate final layouts. and this small kitchen was/is no different but the success of this small kitchen comes down to the creative solutions offered to the eat in element and the use of wood along with a few details that have created a very elegant, refined and well layered kitchen design.
The real success of this small kitchen space is the space is utilised very efficiently, the tall elements are concealed and removed from the real active areas of the kitchen creating areas where the 3 young kids can come and go with getting under foot of Mum & Dad. Leaving the hi function area free to be active and busy. One great thing about small kitchens is the dynamic nature of them, most things are at a arms reach so as long as you organise them well below the bench with drawers and thought they can be very efficient spaces to work in.
Eat in kitchens are very much part of popular culture these days but the way these connect in this main steam is not right in our opinion, generally they are just placed on the back of the island unit with the users sitting side by side, for us the face to face connection of meal time or a coffee with friends is what is needed, when we sit side by side there is not the same connection (no eye contact), so with this in mind and the desire to have a few places to sit, eat and share we decided against the 4 stools but went instead for 2 face to face. And used the oversized floor boards as the connection piece.
By introducing the oversized floor boards as the servery, we have connected the two horizontal plans which adds real elegance and connection.
Wood has great warm calming feel to it, it is unpredictable, we never really know what the result is until it is down, we can have a very good guess but being natural the result is a little mystery which we feel adds to its use and the excitement of the products.
Here we have used oversized Oak flooring in a real country type finish and introduced this to the servery top. The floor dictates the space just because of its mass, this mass is then used as a accent in the kitchen joinery in the open boxes and the recessed handles
White has its critics, some say it is sterile and some say boring but in this case it was chosen in the main for it's freshness, it does a lot to make the space feel bigger as we have matched to the wall and ceiling colours so these defining elements are not so defining.
So, if you are looking to design a small kitchen space, think first of what you need out of your small space, they can be very dynamic and good to use. They just need thought and creative solutions. Accenting colours or materials can add depth to a space when layered correctly as in this space, try and keep away from a real strong or bold feature tile as it will drawn your eye straight to it, this space looks great because your eye is not drawn to the splashback but instead on the space, the way it is utilised and the way the materials are layered. .
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