The term “tight squeeze” is probably nothing new for kitchen and bath professionals – whether it be a galley-style kitchen or a mid-size remodel with a super-size laundry list of high-end products.

It does not take a shoe horn to make these elements fit, however. With some creativity, smaller layouts can be transformed into eye-catching designs that maximize every inch.

Christine Ringo, design consultant for Artistic Kitchen Designs, in Downers Grove, IL, explains: “With smaller kitchens, more attention must be paid to what is being stored, how it is used and who is using it, such as storing the breakfast food so that it is convenient for children’s use. The key is to help the client focus on what is used most and used least and work through that issue.”

Keith Steier, president of New York, NY-based Knockout Renovation Services adds: “People want to incorporate all of their wishlist items into the kitchen, no matter what the size. We have clients asking for lazy susans, large refrigerators and dishwashers and commercial-style ranges.”

Erik Van Dexter, CKD, owner of Sewell, NJ-based Van Dexter Design notes: “Clients want to upgrade and go with better-performing appliances. The challenge is to create space while incorporating the appliances and maintaining adequate workspace and storage within the kitchen.”

For Chris Grimm, owner of San Jose, CA-based Essential Kitchen Design, often it is a matter of overcoming original flaws in the design.

“A lot of times these [smaller kitchens] had peninsulas that were jutting out and there were tall items like refrigerators or pantries in the middle of countertop space,” he says.

Grimm, who refers to himself as “a creative problem solver,” adds: “If I organize all of the tall items to one side and maximize the openness with countertops and place the appliances in a way that makes sense for the room, then [it can
be fixed].”

Steier agrees: “Designers can certainly make the most of a space without any major fixture relocations or wall removals.”
Indeed, smaller layouts can provide unique benefits not available to larger spaces.

Ringo explains: “For the ‘serious’ cook, a small kitchen can be very productive. One long wall that contains both the sink and the cooktop or range can be much more convenient than having to walk across the workspace from the cooktop to the sink – especially if you are carrying a pot of boiling water to empty into the sink.”

Steier agrees: “The appliances are closer together, so if they use the kitchen a lot, there is less circling around. Plus, it is easier to maintain.”

However, for Adam Smith, designer/sales for Castle Rock and Denver, CO-based JM Kitchen & Bath, regardless of how big or small a kitchen is, the successful design layout relies on one important factor. “People want to work with a designer who has the experience to make the design work for them and [the knowledge to] introduce them to the right products for the space,” he says.

Van Dexter concludes: “A successful small kitchen comes down to the designer’s ability, [combined with] access to what is available in terms of products.”

Storage Squeeze

Storage issues definitely take precedence in smaller kitchen layouts, designers agree.

“The storage applications are impacted more than anything in smaller kitchens,” says Watson.

Ringo notes that drawers are now being used to store everything from utensils to large pots. Dishes, too, can be stored in drawers using pegboard systems, while partitions organize trays and large pans.

Van Dexter, whose firm is also a custom cabinet manufacturer, adds: “We recently created a cabinet with pull-out tall doors in the front, but on pantry boxes with full-extension runners. So, you can pull things out instead of climbing in after them.

“It was developed out of necessity in a small space and, through the creativity of the designer and being able to make these types of items, we maximized the use of space in an elegant way,” he says.

Cabinet Creativity

Gaining extra space doesn’t always require knocking down walls.

Steier explains: “One thing we do is choose taller upper cabinets. Many older apartments have 30" upper cabinets and they were primarily used because of the price point. Many times we take advantage of the empty space by removing the soffit and bringing the cabinets up to the ceiling.”

Ringo adds: “It’s easy to put in cabinets along every inch, but what is more pleasing is when you can combine some ‘open’ areas; that way there is more ‘architectural interest’ in the space.”

Watson says: “Often, the trouble areas are in the corners and spaces that are kind of covered up.”

Smith notes that European, frameless-style cabinetry is most popular in small kitchens because it offers a wider drawer.

Watson concludes: “Most of the factory cabinets have custom pieces that you can do all kinds of things – like put little legs in to bump them out.”