Colour ideas for small galley kitchen??

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

We have a small galley kitchen. No windows, but there's a roof light towards the end of the room and two doors on either end of the kitchen (one door is complete glass). The kitchen layout is a bit like the plans below.

We are tentatively going for gloss handleless units but can't decide on the following colours??

1. Light grey https://www.wrenkitchens.com/kitchens/j-pull-pebble-gloss/7288

2. Cashmere https://www.wickes.co.uk/kitchen/contemporary-kitchens/sofia-range/sofia-cashmere

4. White

4. Dark grey/anthracite https://www.diy.com/departments/kitchen/fitted-kitchens/it-santini-gloss-anthracite-slab/cat710026.cat

Also not sure on what laminate worktop and wall tiles/splashback to combine the above gloss units with??

Overall I'd prefer a look that didn't go out of fashion quickly and doesn't make the room look too small.

Would really appreciate anyone's feedback and ideas!!

RIGHT SIDE OF KITCHEN

LEFT SIDE OF KITCHEN

Featured Answer

PRO

OnePlan

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

Hi - hope you don’t mind a non colour related remark?

In order for the fridge doors to be able to own fully properly, you will need space the right of the FF, between it and the wall. So perhaps move the ff over one cupboard to the left and use the space that cupboard and wall units provided with a tall cabinet and top box instead. That will give the FF door the room it need to swing properly. ( and have ovens with recessed handles to avoid denting the FF door on the oven handles )

Also from a design perspective, that’s a lot of wall cabinets to have both sides ...It might be an idea to have the side with tall cabinetry ‘fully loaded ‘ with wall cabinets - but to keep the other side with just base cabinets and a ceiling installed extractor, therefore keeping it as clear as it can be - otherwise you may feel this is a very imposing and enclosed space.

One last comment - then I’ll shut up and carry on rendering this project that I’m up early working on.... If you change the bulk of the drawer line base cabibets in to pan drawers ( one shallow and two deep) base cabinets. It makes them more accessible, rather than having to bend down to see what’s at the back of a dark base unit.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

Heather
6 years ago
Definitely go for one of the lighter colours as the dark anthracite will just make a small kitchen look smaller! I personally do not like white cabinets so I would go with the grey or cashmere. Grey is great as it would go with pretty much any colour you like so could brighten it up with a colourful splash back or something like that.

Have you thought about 2 different colours eg one colour for wall units and a different colour for the base units? I’ve seen a few examples of it and looks quite nice. Seem to only have seen examples where there is a dark colour contrasting with a light colour so maybe not so suitable for a small kitchen.

Our kitchen is 4m x 2.6m U shaped kitchen, so pretty decent size but it has dark wood cabinets, an almost black quartz effect laminate worktop, and very dark grey fake Lino tiled floor. It looks horribly small so definitely go with bright and light! (Especially as there are no side windows)
Heather
6 years ago
If you went for grey or cashmere a wooden worktop could work nicely something like this, however maybe go for a lighter colour than this darker wood. Think you can get wood effect laminate but I would go for real wood if your budget can stretch. I have heard it’s a bit of a pain to keep stain free though!

I don’t like the orange colour of the splash back in this photo but it shows you how a bright coloured splash back can work well with light grey.
Related Discussions
Finishes for a small galley kitchen
Q
Comments (4)
Hi Susan, I have recently installed 2 kitchens with white gloss cabinets, one handless with a solid wood treated worktop with grey painted glass splash back and the other with a white Corian counter top and painted glass splash back, all of these surfaces have a shiny appearance. The grey painted splash back and complimentary grey quickstep flooring enhance the overall design and balances the "shiny" appearance combined with clever use of accessories and accent colours. The photos attached may help your decision... Regards Jo
...See More
Kitchen ideas for my small LG open plan flat
Q
Comments (3)
What a lovely thing to able to plan a new home! Wish you lots of luck, there is nothing much wrong with the kitchen as it is, so I would try living in the space for a while before taking the sledgehammer to anything. It doesn't look as though the light is being blocked by the high kitchen units so maybe they could stay and have a wider surface fitted so that you could have a breakfast bar on the other side and do away with the dining table area. You could use the tall wall cupboard system that Ikea do to combine extraction and storage above the cooker. If you like wood, take a look on ebay for iroko worktops they are really lovely and chunky and look better as they age. The doors you can change easily for something funkier try kitchenwarehouse uk online for a great range of replacement doors. If you want something boho they do a range of glossy doors in contemporary colours. You could have a boho look just by putting some colourful glasses in the see-through cupboard and lighting it. Hope your move goes well, give it time to settle in and you can have fun with the space on any size of budget.
...See More
Galley Kitchen - opinions on having a different colour each side
Q
Comments (14)
If there is a run of units in one colour and an island unit in different colour, (which is not at all uncommon judging by pictures here on houzz) what colour is the side of the island facing the other units? The island colour or the unit colour? It is seldom shown in the pictures published here. If it is the island colour then doesn't that effectively make a galley kitchen with a different colour each side?
...See More
Side infill for a kitchen in a small Victorian terrace house- ideas?
Q
Comments (8)
Before you do anything else have a chat with your local planners. ( A word with the duty officer will usually do ) if you are in a terrace then you need to check where next door's window to the dining room is located. Most likely exactly as your window. Then check with the planners how they are applying the 45 degree rule which is a line striking out from the midpoint, or third point , from the window to a habitable room. If your extension goes passed this line, and potentially blocks the view of your neighbour then you have a problem. Often you are ok on the ground floor ( depending how the local planners follow the guidance - hence the need to check first) . Many acknowledge that we need more living space but they will be then be difficult on any first floor extension. For peace of mind check first . This happened in one we are monitoring in Brighton for instance. Then you can enjoy working on that extra space - Good luck.
...See More
Heather
6 years ago
The above photo only has the breakfast bar with wooden worktop, just realised, and a dark different worktop (can’t work out what type it is) but dark worktops can go well with light cabinets.

Another thing that can work is light grey cabinets with a white worktop
Heather
6 years ago
Re: the splash backs a brightly coloured glass splash back might look nice, or you can get glass coloured tiles I think as well
Juliet Docherty
6 years ago
You could look at birch ply formica worktops, they are really smart, durable and becoming more popular - try Baldwin Plastics. I would probably go for white as it is timeless.
tamp75
6 years ago
I’d say pale grey or cashmere too. I really like cashmere as a classic colour but personally think grey gives you more colour options for worktops, tiles & paint. Pretty much everything goes with grey whereas cashmere is a bit more limiting. I also think it’s more difficult to choose a wood effect worktop (as one of your options) that works well with cashmere although I realise lots of people do like wood with cashmere - only my opinion!
honeypoppet
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
This may give you some inspo: [https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/99-ingenious-ideas-to-steal-for-your-small-kitchen-stsetivw-vs~62045399[(https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/99-ingenious-ideas-to-steal-for-your-small-kitchen-stsetivw-vs~62045399) - most of them use paler colours though which is probably the most suited to your room. The other important thing is to make sure you have plenty of artificial lighting to balance the lack of natural light out.
PRO
Sandra Flashman Studio
6 years ago
Light colours are definitely a good option in a dark narrow space. I would probably suggest something matt rather than gloss, as the space will most likely be lit artificially. Gloss surfaces can create a bit of glare in that environment.

So Grey, Blues and Greens could be good options.

Another options would be to use light natural finishes, which would help create warmth in the space. There's a company that adapts ikea kitchens with birch ply doors which makes it quite cost effective.

You can spice it all up with some nice graphic patterns. I would even suggest placing a patterned floor tile. It would really brighten the space up.
S R
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Thank you so much everyone for your ideas!

@Heather: you're right about the anthracite making a room smaller. Especially since we will have some tall units like oven, larder unit on one side. I think I'll probably stick to lighter colours.

@StilneStudio: I really like the look of the first photo! I couldn't decide between matte or gloss either. I heard that gloss can look out dated. On the other hand, if I were to get matte in a light colour, wouldn't it be a pain to clean? The white worktop in that photo looks like Corian which is very expensive. Are there alternatives that look similar but less pricey? Would a laminate white gloss achieve the same kind of effect, or would it look too cheap?
PRO
Sandra Flashman Studio
6 years ago
I like the first photo too! It's from Howdens - their Clerkenwell Matt Cashmere range. Howdens is pretty well priced. They have a wide range of worktops too, which include matt laminates; or white quartz. They would both achieve a good effect without looking cheap. The latter feeling slightly more quality and durable. Howdens have quite a lot of showrooms across the uk where you can check out all the finish options.

An alternate option would be to get a matt white laminate with a material called fenix. It's much cheaper than Corian and would be highly durable too.
S R thanked Sandra Flashman Studio
S R
Original Author
6 years ago
@OnePlan: not at all, those are all good ideas. The wall cabinets is because we lacked storage in our last kitchen so we don't want to suffer the same problem. But I might think about ways of reducing wall units and replacing with shelves perhaps.

Colour ideas for small galley kitchen??

OnePlan

Comments (12)

Heather

Heather

Related Discussions

Heather

Heather

Juliet Docherty

tamp75

honeypoppet

Sandra Flashman Studio

S R
Original Author

Sandra Flashman Studio

S R
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Colour ideas for small galley kitchen??

Comments (12)

Related Discussions

S ROriginal Author

S ROriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

S R
Original Author

S R
Original Author