10 of the Most Amazing Small Kitchens on Houzz
You don’t need acres of worktop space and a giant island to have a stylish, functional kitchen, as these rooms show
Cheryl F
31 January 2017
Houzz Contributor. I'm a London-based journalist with years of experience writing for the UK's top interiors titles. I love shopping for quirky accessories, have a passion for rummaging through vintage stores and I'm ever-hopeful of finding that elusive perfect paint shade.
Houzz Contributor. I'm a London-based journalist with years of experience writing... More
Your kitchen doesn’t have to be enormous to fit in all the basics and look good. These inspirational spaces – which range from smallish to absolutely teeny – all demonstrate how, with some smart design and attention to the right materials, a compact kitchen can be functional and look brilliant, too.
Blend it in
Don’t hide a small kitchen out of sight; instead, help it blend into the rooms around it, in a modern, ‘broken plan’ way. Opening up this micro kitchen to the living room, and adding an internal window between the kitchen and hallway (out of shot here, but see it by following the link below), helps it to feel part of a beautifully planned whole.
Using the same white flooring throughout further helps it to blend in.
See the rest of this home
Don’t hide a small kitchen out of sight; instead, help it blend into the rooms around it, in a modern, ‘broken plan’ way. Opening up this micro kitchen to the living room, and adding an internal window between the kitchen and hallway (out of shot here, but see it by following the link below), helps it to feel part of a beautifully planned whole.
Using the same white flooring throughout further helps it to blend in.
See the rest of this home
Keep things simple
The owner of this kitchen in an ex-local authority flat has chosen an ultra-simple design for a greater sense of space. The pale grey units are light enough to keep the overall effect fresh and cool.
Don’t want to sacrifice storage for open space? Breaking up a bank of wall units with a small expanse of shelving can ‘lead’ the eye, and help the room seem less closed in. Similarly, eschewing a decorative or colourful splashback can help stop a small space feeling too busy – these plain white metro tiles with white grout keep the look minimal.
Read more about this kitchen
The owner of this kitchen in an ex-local authority flat has chosen an ultra-simple design for a greater sense of space. The pale grey units are light enough to keep the overall effect fresh and cool.
Don’t want to sacrifice storage for open space? Breaking up a bank of wall units with a small expanse of shelving can ‘lead’ the eye, and help the room seem less closed in. Similarly, eschewing a decorative or colourful splashback can help stop a small space feeling too busy – these plain white metro tiles with white grout keep the look minimal.
Read more about this kitchen
Rethink the basics
Creative thinking was required for the kitchen in this floating home built inside a shipping container and owned and designed by TV upcycler Max McMurdo.
If you’re struggling to fit in a key feature or appliance, such as a fridge, try discarding all the usual kitchen conventions and think, “What if?” The result may break rules, but give you the perfect solution.
Here, the end of a peninsula isn’t the traditional position for a fridge (or a washing machine or dishwasher, for that matter) and it may fly in the face of the usual ideas about how a cooking space should flow, but when everything’s so close together anyway, you may find that breaking a few rules won’t lead to an user-unfriendly result.
Nose around the rest of this dinky home
Creative thinking was required for the kitchen in this floating home built inside a shipping container and owned and designed by TV upcycler Max McMurdo.
If you’re struggling to fit in a key feature or appliance, such as a fridge, try discarding all the usual kitchen conventions and think, “What if?” The result may break rules, but give you the perfect solution.
Here, the end of a peninsula isn’t the traditional position for a fridge (or a washing machine or dishwasher, for that matter) and it may fly in the face of the usual ideas about how a cooking space should flow, but when everything’s so close together anyway, you may find that breaking a few rules won’t lead to an user-unfriendly result.
Nose around the rest of this dinky home
Incorporate luxe touches
This U-shaped city apartment kitchen proves that sometimes smaller really is better. It’s been carefully designed to make the most of every inch, right down to the triangular section of shelving.
In fact, originally this kitchen was even smaller, just 120cm wide and 60cm deep. The owner took down a partition wall by the window to claw back some more room.
A touch of luxury can help bring a small kitchen to life. Here, the owner sourced porcelain tiles that look like marble for the splashback.
Find out how the owners made small work brilliantly in this home
This U-shaped city apartment kitchen proves that sometimes smaller really is better. It’s been carefully designed to make the most of every inch, right down to the triangular section of shelving.
In fact, originally this kitchen was even smaller, just 120cm wide and 60cm deep. The owner took down a partition wall by the window to claw back some more room.
A touch of luxury can help bring a small kitchen to life. Here, the owner sourced porcelain tiles that look like marble for the splashback.
Find out how the owners made small work brilliantly in this home
Pale into significance
White is usually a winning choice in small rooms, creating an impression of space and light.
Unfussy cabinets without handles keep this kitchen looking uncluttered and utility chic. A U-shaped design makes the most of the compact space and allows room for a mini breakfast bar – proof even small kitchens can slot in a stool and somewhere to sit with a coffee and laptop.
Meanwhile, the skylights give an added impression of space, offering a vista above.
Get the full story
White is usually a winning choice in small rooms, creating an impression of space and light.
Unfussy cabinets without handles keep this kitchen looking uncluttered and utility chic. A U-shaped design makes the most of the compact space and allows room for a mini breakfast bar – proof even small kitchens can slot in a stool and somewhere to sit with a coffee and laptop.
Meanwhile, the skylights give an added impression of space, offering a vista above.
Get the full story
Free your walls
If you have a small kitchen, try to resist packing in too many wall cupboards. In this small but perfectly formed Scottish house, the space above the sink has been left clear, with just a run of base units below. However, a large corner unit helps to make the most of all the available storage space at base level.
Tongue-and-groove panelling also adds some cottagey character – a cosy look that can often work well in smaller homes.
Learn how this Wee House was built
If you have a small kitchen, try to resist packing in too many wall cupboards. In this small but perfectly formed Scottish house, the space above the sink has been left clear, with just a run of base units below. However, a large corner unit helps to make the most of all the available storage space at base level.
Tongue-and-groove panelling also adds some cottagey character – a cosy look that can often work well in smaller homes.
Learn how this Wee House was built
Go back to basics
This off-grid treehouse home in Scotland, built from ply, proves you don’t need a kitchen with acres of worktop to fit in all the essentials.
A cute ply unit houses a hob, a small fridge and a butler sink. Painting it in ice-cream shades also detracts from the kitchen’s small size and gives it an uplifting edge – a device that could be copied in any small kitchen.
Fancy retreating to a treehouse like this? Get the full lowdown
This off-grid treehouse home in Scotland, built from ply, proves you don’t need a kitchen with acres of worktop to fit in all the essentials.
A cute ply unit houses a hob, a small fridge and a butler sink. Painting it in ice-cream shades also detracts from the kitchen’s small size and gives it an uplifting edge – a device that could be copied in any small kitchen.
Fancy retreating to a treehouse like this? Get the full lowdown
Weave in a little glamour
Don’t think antiqued mirror splashbacks and a crystal chandelier can work in a tiny kitchen? We beg to differ. What this glamorous flat lacks in spare inches it makes up for in style. The mirrors create an impression of space, while cabinets spray-painted silver enhance the light and add interest.
While it might not be an obvious space-expander, investing in upholstered chairs can actually add an impression of space. Here, their light colour works with the tones of the kitchen units, and they continue the sophisticated (and therefore larger-than-it-is) look.
Read the full story here
Don’t think antiqued mirror splashbacks and a crystal chandelier can work in a tiny kitchen? We beg to differ. What this glamorous flat lacks in spare inches it makes up for in style. The mirrors create an impression of space, while cabinets spray-painted silver enhance the light and add interest.
While it might not be an obvious space-expander, investing in upholstered chairs can actually add an impression of space. Here, their light colour works with the tones of the kitchen units, and they continue the sophisticated (and therefore larger-than-it-is) look.
Read the full story here
Contemplate a compromise
Sometimes, making the most of a small kitchen is about compromise. The owners of this New York apartment decided to remove a huge fridge-freezer to stop things feeling cramped (instead, a smaller fridge is hidden in the wall opposite the window). The result: room to squeeze in a mini table in the space originally taken up by the bulky appliance.
It won’t be an option for all homes, but the homeowners also raised the ceiling in this kitchen by 30cm for a greater feeling of space.
See more of this Tour here
Sometimes, making the most of a small kitchen is about compromise. The owners of this New York apartment decided to remove a huge fridge-freezer to stop things feeling cramped (instead, a smaller fridge is hidden in the wall opposite the window). The result: room to squeeze in a mini table in the space originally taken up by the bulky appliance.
It won’t be an option for all homes, but the homeowners also raised the ceiling in this kitchen by 30cm for a greater feeling of space.
See more of this Tour here
Exploit multi-functional furniture
This Parisian micro flat is a masterclass in how tiny can look amazing. Multi-functional furniture and pale, coordinating materials, such as birch plywood, are the order of the day to keep the look uniform and chic. The ingenious kitchen is tucked on a platform under a sloping roof.
Perhaps the cleverest detail is the peninsula worktop, which folds out to create a dining table for entertaining. When not in use, it folds back, making space for a slide-out bed at night.
Read the full story here
These kitchens are all various versions of small – do you have a smaller one? Let us know which of these tips you’d love steal for it in the Comments below. If you have a larger kitchen, which ideas could you use?
This Parisian micro flat is a masterclass in how tiny can look amazing. Multi-functional furniture and pale, coordinating materials, such as birch plywood, are the order of the day to keep the look uniform and chic. The ingenious kitchen is tucked on a platform under a sloping roof.
Perhaps the cleverest detail is the peninsula worktop, which folds out to create a dining table for entertaining. When not in use, it folds back, making space for a slide-out bed at night.
Read the full story here
These kitchens are all various versions of small – do you have a smaller one? Let us know which of these tips you’d love steal for it in the Comments below. If you have a larger kitchen, which ideas could you use?
What are you working on?
Related Stories
Kitchen Inspiration
10 Smart Storage Tips for Your Kitchen Bins
Keep kitchen rubbish stylishly tucked away with these clever solutions
Full Story
Kitchen Design
Which Kitchen Worktop Colour Should You Choose?
By tidgboutique
Consider these popular colours and styles to get the look you want, no matter which material you use
Full Story
Kitchen Inspiration
5 Inspiring Before and After Kitchen Transformations
Whether you want to boost storage, incorporate original features or maximise your space, take ideas from these designs
Full Story
Kitchen Inspiration
5 Ideas for Kitchen Extension Layouts in Victorian Homes
By Kate Burt
Embarking on a rear extension project? Need layout ideas? Look no further...
Full Story
Kitchen Inspiration
16 Kitchens With Vertically Stacked Tiles
Looking for kitchen tiling inspiration? Browse this gallery of beautiful designs
Full Story
Renovating
Should I Live On-site During My Kitchen Renovation?
By Kate Burt
If you’re weighing up whether to stay put or ship out during your project, this expert guide is a must-read
Full Story
Bedrooms
What to Expect at the Biggest Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom Show
Plan ahead with our rundown of what’s in store at the kbb Birmingham event this March
Full Story
Kitchen Design
Which of These Kitchen Renovation Trends Would You Choose?
By Kate Burt
The 2024 Houzz Kitchen Trends Report is out. Dive into the highlights to see what’s topping your choices
Full Story
Kitchen Inspiration
24 Beautiful Bare Wood Kitchens
By Kate Burt
From pale and pared back to warm and textured, unpainted cabinets are suddenly everywhere. Which look do you like best?
Full Story
Kitchen Planning
How to Design a Multigenerational Kitchen
A space that successfully meets the needs of all those who use it is not only inclusive, it’s futureproof
Full Story
Queenie I've had large and small kitchens, some with miles of bench and others with hardly any. After thinking about it and watching friends work in their kitchens I concluded that most of us do our prep in a very small area actually. I do most of my prep in an area that measures roughly 65x60cm. That's regardless of whether I have acres of space or not. Up the other end I have a smallish area where the teas and coffees are made, the toast is buttered, sandwiches prepared etc. I like to cook but only use a small area either side of my stove for my prep gear. I'd need more room there if I didn't have a pull out cupboard beneath and next to my stove which holds all my spices, oils etc etc so I pull out, use and put back as I cook.
I like galley kitchens, cuts down on the walking around. Have a pull-out, supported, cutting board/bench built under your counter top, it will give you more working space. My hold all pull-out cupboard near the stove is only 31cm wide and has 2 built in sections to hold all the oils etc, your kitchen could manage one of those.
In one of my kitchens I had the back door in an area I needed bench space so I had a bench with a piano hinge and a drop down leg made for there. I didn't need it all the time and it wasn't noticeable. I had the door cut in half so when entertaining I could open the top put the bench up for a servery area (I had another door to get in and out). My point is there are tonnes of ideas and a galley kitchen is a good start.
Really small kitchens with really small cabinets can be completely functional with these quality stainless steel pull outs. Existing cabinets can be easily converted. Here are some examples... click here