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59 small kitchen ideas from the House & Garden archive | House & Garden
By David Ramirez
CommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this story Small kitchen ideas: the kitchen in occupies a tiny space off the living room. With a simple L-shaped configuration, it packs a lot into a small space, including a 2-ring induction hob and an under-counter fridge. The couple wanted to divide the kitchen somehow from the living room without using a door, and so installed a theatrical curtain in the same yellow moiré as the walls.
When looking for small kitchen ideas, one thing you will constantly be reminded of is the importance of maximising space, and thus, incorporating good . Ever since the pioneering socialist designer Grete Schütte-Lihotzky designed the in Frankfurt back in the 1920s, storage space has been the building block upon which all these other brilliant designs are built, and the golden rule of consideration to follow. Providing you adhere to that rule and make sure you have enough room to both manoeuvre and stow your equipment, tiny kitchens can be decorated to suit every taste, from to more . Think big on the and let the storage do the hard work.
Want more inspiration? Small rooms can be among the most charming in a house, and, since they tend to test out a designer’s ingenuity, they can be the cleverest and most original as well. Beyond kitchen inspiration, our archive is brimming with ideas for , , and of course, .
Small kitchen ideas from the House & Garden archive
The kitchen in is a genuinely tiny space, yet she has managed to pack an enormous amount in. To the left is a banquette and dining table that can seat four, and she has been ingenious in building the storage all the way up to the ceiling to maximise space.
Punchy colour can make all the difference in a small kitchen. Fashion stylist Martha Ward has painted the cabinets in in Farrow & Ball's ‘Inchyra Blue’, helping them to stand out against classic white subway tiles.
‘It’s a small space and we had a lot of boxes we needed to check,’ says Tom of this small kitchen in s. A kitchen, dining space and utility room needed to squeeze into the back portion of the house leaving little room for counter space. To address this HÁM designed a prep table-cum-island for the middle of the space. ‘Kate and I envisaged an old dairy table when we started to develop it. It needed to be light enough that you get a sense of the space through and around it but we added a bit of folky detail to the legs, and the brass trim on the top which makes it feel more substantial than it is.’
The addition of the prep table made cupboard doors an impossibility, so shelves were set back within a decorative frame and fitted with pinch pleat curtains in ‘Little Stripe’ by Nicholas Herbert. On the wall above the cooker are hand-painted ‘Delf' tiles made by Decorum, a local Cornish company that nod to local life and folklore, with motifs of mackerels, seagulls, and sailing boats. ‘We were particularly drawn to the Stargazy pie motif, a nod to the traditional pilchard pie that originates from the fishing village Mousehole. Traditionally eaten in celebration of a local fisherman who braved a terrible storm to save the village from starvation…or so the tale goes.’
Joshua Hale’s is almost entirely furnished with pieces he either found, bought cheaply or made himself, saving money in the process – and the kitchen is no exception. Here, a ‘Viscontea’ pendant light by Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos is juxtaposed with an Orkney chair, with a cushion in Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler’s ‘Silhouette Squiggle’. A large painting on the wall catches the eye but does not overly dominate the space.
Artist Rachel Bottomley filled this with brimming colour, and a small but loveable kitchen – untouched for around 40 years – happily already fit the bill. It’s full of charming original features like a decorative wooden pelmet above the window, chevron-panelled cupboard doors, heart-shaped cupboard handles and, perhaps best of all, patterned tiles which pop with whimsical colour.
has a charming interior by Max Rollitt and joinery designed and built by Artichoke. We especially love the yellow kitchen, which is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Sudbury Yellow and features lots of traditional details, from the tongue and groove panelling to the curtains under the sink.
In a classic galley kitchen with a high ceiling, in by David Bentheim, full use has been made of the joinery and storage units as a vehicle for colour – an NCS yellow, in this case. Morris & Co’s ‘Fruit’ wallpaper in limestone/artichoke sets off the units, which also have The Beardmore Collection knobs. A Victor Vasarely painting can be seen through the door.
illustrates her pared-back aesthetic and balanced approach to budgeting, which meant she was able to splash out on a few key areas, including a splashback and worktop in eye-catching Verde Antigua marble, which make a centrepiece to the small kitchen.
The shelf of cups and bowls was made by Laura Hamilton of Bird in the Hand, while the cabinets are from Howden's but with plain custom oak doors. Sleek 'Mast wall lights by Astro and a plaster 'Cone' pendant from Rose Uniacke contrast with the weathered texture of an old butcher's block.
When Daniel Slowik took on the reconfiguration of the 1930s origins of the building were a huge source of inspiration. He designed the kitchen from scratch, basing it on the utilitarian kitchen designs of the period. “A fitted kitchen at the time was an excitingly modern concept and you see these sorts of cupboards on yachts." The tiles were inspired by the designs in early 20th-century tube stations
In the kitchen of , the units have been painted in ‘’ and ‘’. The countertops are in a green and gold marble from . The stained glass privacy window is from Facebook Marketplace. The diamond patterned tiling is from .
Interior designer Christian Bense had been planning a full renovation and reconfiguration of when he realised that none of the changes would be allowed, and he would have to make the most of the existing layout. The main pressure point was the tiny kitchen, which at 1.5 x 2.2 metres required ‘a millimetre by millimetre autopsy in order to make it work.’ Christian rose to the challenge of squeezing in a full height fridge, dishwasher, bins, boiler cupboard and plenty of by taking cupboards right up to the ceiling.
‘It was just a high street kitchen from Wren that we dressed up with DeVol handles,’ explains Christian. The decision to stick with standard size off-the-peg olive green units was a clever cost saver, allowing Christian to spend a little more on a bespoke marble-topped boiler cupboard that makes the most of the room’s small footprint. Another clever idea is the sideways positioning of the taps on the basin, which allows for a bigger basin.
Having undergone several phases of renovation in the two decades since he first bought it, is now a beguiling blend of comfort and luxury with the pair's signature wit and humour. “We based the kitchen on the sort of details you see in service areas in country houses,” says Benedict, “simple but well drawn.” The shelving is based on the design of the base and feet of a provincial George III cabinet, the oven and hob was recycled from the previous kitchen as they both work well. The hanging hooks left are from Pinxton, the tole chandelier was once John Fowler's, and the counter is reclaimed teak from Retrouvius. The counter curtains (and blind) are made of a digital print created by Viola Lanari.
Despite its compact space, on a pioneering 19th-century estate is both pretty and practical thanks to the imaginative decoration of Carlos Garcia. 'Blackthorn’ wallpaper in autumn, from Morris & Co, is enlivened by woodwork painted in Fenwick & Tilbrooke's ‘Chanterelle’. A ‘Rise and Fall’ pendant from Broughtons of Leicester, dining table with legs in Fenwick & Tilbrook’s ‘Can-Can’ and wall-mounted shelf unit in Paper & Paint Library’s ‘Bluebird’ pick up on colours in the Morris & Co ‘Blackthorn’ wallpaper.
In the small kitchen of this e, the joinery is painted in ‘Drop Cloth’ by Farrow & Ball, with dark bronze handles from Cordea Ironmongery. The tap is a Perrin & Rowe design. The table can be moved between the house and garden to make more space when needed, or be used as a prep surface.
The paint colour in this is custom by Papers & Paints, and is the “perfect sludgy colour to complement the banquette.” The roman blind is made from Flora Soames’s ‘Plain Stripe in Emerald’. The kitchen was custom made by Patrick and his team at Apron Kitchens.
In the compact kitchen of this , a wall was removed to open up the space. Birch and walnut veneer units by Wood & Wire with Durat’s ‘Martini’ worktops are paired with Nanna Ditzel stools and a vintage lamp from Sans Pretention. There is not enough room for a dining table. Instead, stools are tucked under the bar that doubles as an area, lit by the softly pooled light of a mid-century lamp.
This is the entire kitchen of this . The streamlined design is deVol's ‘Sebastian Cox Kitchen’ and provides a foil to the more Georgian elements in this three-floor flat. The walls are painted in Atelier Ellis's ‘Bright Star’.
The kitchen at Les Prés d’Eugénie - Maison Guérard in southwestern France was the spark for ’s own; the all-in-one stainless-steel sink and countertop was designed by Charlotte Crosland Interiors; tile, Made a Mano; oven and hood, Lacanche d’Or.
‘I wanted this space to read as a dining room rather than a kitchen,’ says of this open plan space. What this translates to is a single wall of kitchen units, with ‘Mottled’ tiles by Balineum.
Kate Cox of HÁM Interiors inhabits which occupies the top floor of a Georgian building in the pretty Bristol village of Clifton. In the kitchen, formerly a ‘lino-covered hell’, she took down the wall cabinets and floor-to-ceiling cupboards, and replaced them with open shelving and light reflecting metro tiles. Wanting to introduce some texture to the room, Kate took inspiration from country house kitchens and added a curtain under the sink in a fabric by de Le Cuona. The floor was transformed with terracotta tiles and the worktops were replaced with a mixture of white marble and black granite. ‘I don’t want everything to be perfect and matching.’ Tucked away in the corner is an enamel-topped dining table.
This ultra-smart small kitchen forms part of an open-plan dining area in . The kitchen was a bespoke design, in which slabs of Belgian Fossil granite have been used as work surfaces and as an elegant backdrop and shelves. The floor is antique limestone by Artorius Faber and the stools by the Danish designer Ernst Kuhn (1890-1948), recovered in Verandah by Veere Grenney Collection while the Kick hanging lights are from Jamb.
Francesca Gentilli spends her working life sourcing the best fabrics and textiles from India, Turkey, Morocco, Uzbekistan and beyond, and is the best showcase of her finds - especially her small, but adorable kitchen. Here, an internal window looks through the kitchen to the entrance hall and front door beyond. The clam shell is a Matilda Goad piece.
The kitchen in adjoins the dining room and can be separated from the living room with an etched glass screen which is visible on the right of the image. ‘The console tops conceal a hidden drawer lined in red suede to house my silver. Like this I can easily use it.’
This top floor exudes comfortable luxury whilst being a masterclass in elegant, skilful layering. Whilst in a larger room, the kitchen is still small, as it shares space with the dining area; however, the use of space is what makes this kitchen in particular sing. The Salvesen Graham chairs are upholstered in a Soane fabric surround a custom made dining table from Collier Webb.
The stone in the small kitchen of this is Abaresco marble, which, combined with the cabinets painted in ‘Treron’ by Farrow & Ball, makes for a bright and airy space.
After much deliberation, the client and the design studio behind this , Studio Peake, decided to retain the old kitchen rather than put in a new one. They removed and replaced handles, put in new worktops, and made several surface level changes. For the colour, they wanted something ‘Tiffany blue.' The wallpaper is by Antoinette Poisson, decorated with a selection of chopping boards from Daylesford Organic. Over head, lights from AndObjects. Under foot, a Birdie Fortescue rug.
In an effort to keep the bones of her flat neutral whilst not sacrificing character, Lishan Tham of Studio Shan has cunningly layered art and materials in . The large, open plan sitting room is separated from the small kitchen by glass doors, which helps to make the tiny kitchen appear larger and more connected to the flat.
Designer Lilse McKenna gave this a contemporary and balanced update full of eclectic pieces and eye-catching art. The contemporary (but still Manhattan small!) kitchen maintained “a 60s feel, yet still felt very modern and had clean lines,” says Lilse. Originally renovated by the previous owner, Lilse opted to keep it as is, only slightly updating certain furnishings and architectural elements. The island chairs are from Crate & Barrel; the pendant lamp is from The Urban Electric.
Having moved from Atlanta to London with her husband during the pandemic, interior designer that is a love letter to the couple's time in Europe. Here, the small feels more like a butler’s pantry’ The art and light-filled space contains an olive tree that is ‘very happy in there'.
The compact British Standard kitchen in is not afraid of colour – it's painted in Paint and Paper Library's ‘Elizabethan Red’.
This small kitchen has units fitted to be as ergonomic as possible. Two large windows filled the white-tiled space with light, which always helps create a larger feel.
The kitchen in a is painted in a bespoke shade of olive green. The pared-back panelling was designed to blend in with the industrial setting of the apartment. It sits within an open plan space and the island helps to zone the kitchen as a distinct area and bring much-needed extra work surface to it. The copper worktop was sourced from MPM Engineering; the splashback tiles are Otto Tiles' ‘Bejmat White’ design.
The may not be small, but the airy kitchen does feature a charming alcove where the sink is housed. The large pendant light brings a focal point to the space, which is also used to house the fridge. The dark blue units are from Plain English with open shelves above. The Holophane light was from 1stdibs.
When , there was in fact no kitchen. He split the bedroom in two to make a kitchen, installing a window that looks between the two rooms and allows the kitchen to have some natural light. “I often say that it is a working kitchen - every tool or whatever I need to use is just a one step away and I love that.” The shelves are painted in ‘Heat’ by Little Greene, and contain a collection of dishes and pots, including some pieces of blue and white English porcelain. The cabinets are painted in Sudbury Yellow by Farrow & Ball.
redid the kitchen when she moved in to her London house, saying “I was really happy that the interior was as barren as it was when I bought it, because I always knew I wanted to redo everything so if it was all done up nicely, it would have been a shame to rip it out.” Luckily, it needed an overhaul so the kitchen became a classic design in a deep blue, with a custom redesign of de Gournay's ‘Porto’ wallpaper on the walls. “I often have loved the way the pantries of grand British houses look and it made sense therefore, since my kitchen is quite small, to make it feel more like a smart pantry. I think the butler's sink, open shelving and blue and white crockery help bring this together.”
The kitchen in is from British Standard, painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘’. Storage is limited so it is very much an open kitchen, with baskets hanging from the ceiling, a wall-hung plate rack, shelving and hooks to house placemats and an antique cabinet housing home-grown dried herbs from the garden. The plate rack is from Rowen & Wren and features a set of antique plates collected from a charity shop on a recent trip of Victoria's to Cornwall. The scallop edge plates are by the Italian chef .
Open shelving is a classic for small kitchens as the openness creates a feeling of more space. Artist has employed it in her airy, bright kitchen, with slightly open drawers beneath the worktops too to create more space.
Take inspiration from Marianne Evennou’s creative use of colour and choice of flexible furniture to enhance the proportions and maximise space in . One of Marianne’s most ingenious ideas is the way that she has incorporated the washing machine into the corner cupboard of the L-shaped kitchen. In most kitchens, this area would be more or less a dead space, but she was able to fit the machine here and create novel access to it by placing its door at the rear in the tiny entrance hall.‘You often need to move things around in small spaces,’ observes Marianne. ‘So it’s best to stick to furniture that is mobile and flexible.’ For the kitchen , she prescribed a pair of foldable ‘Pliante’ chairs from Maison Gatti, which flank a French bistro-style dining table from the same company.
In , a corner of the sitting room is taken up by the kitchen designed by Tara with Marcus Ayshford Sanford of Archidrum. The cabinets are painted in a bespoke apricot paint by Papers and Paints and feature worktops in Bianco Carrara marble.
Gallerist is a study in juxtaposition, with white walls throughout providing a background for his creative arrangements of art and eclectic pieces. The tiny kitchen has units painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Dutch Orange’, contrasting with ‘Circa’ industrial rubber flooring in forest green by Polymax.
This small kitchen in still found space for an Aga just where it should be, under the chimney. John designed the units, which were made by Mark Stone’s Welsh Kitchens. The worktops are made from hammered black granite.
A U-shaped kitchen was the solution Beata Heuman proposed for with its open plan living area.This immediately created an additional surface on which to serve food or use as a bar. ‘It also provided a wall against which to place a banquette, which was something the owners really wanted,’ says Beata.
The walnut kitchen was built onto the outside of the marble bathroom in architect . Although it takes up little space, it includes a dishwasher and washing machine hidden behind the cabinets. "It looks almost like it could be a bar," says Rients, "but I cook huge meals here and I manage perfectly well."
The compact galley kitchen in designer Ben Pentreath's small flat is bright with white units and shelving, though not clinical thanks to unusual dark green walls. A similar paint is 'Euphorbia' by .
The kitchen in is from IKEA, with pale pink tiles from Topps TIles and a lampshade by adding colour.
An eighteenth-century Norwegian dresser is used for storage and food preparation in the kitchen of this . Hefty stone slabs comprise the kitchen floor, while the wooden worktop and hanging cutting board create a sense of unity across the space. 'The truth is, the owners have had the benefit of 40 years of my hoarding,' says Christopher Howe. The effect comes to a head in the kitchen where there is a pleasingly unpretentious mix of well-designed objects that bear the scuffs and bruises of a well-lived life.
In the owner looks into a pantry, which is concealed behind a photograph by Adam Fuss. Ed Ruscha’s That Was Then This Is Now hangs above the sink. On the worktop is a set of Gucci stag stirrup cups. A custom bookshelf hovers around the perimeter of the kitchen.
When the architects of the Barbican, the Grade II-listed Seventies London landmark, drew up the kitchens, they had , a firm of yacht designers. They figured the one place where space for a kitchen was always at a premium was on board a boat. It wasn't the only ground-breaking idea: Chamberlin, Powell & Bon also decided the kitchens should be placed at the rear of the flats and be windowless, so that the living area and bedrooms could enjoy the available window space instead. However, the design ran afoul of council bylaws requiring a window or ventilation in the kitchen. The solution? The kitchens were named 'cooking areas' that were considered part of the living room and the designs were approved. Canny.
Hannah Cecil Gurney's west is a feast of luxurious colour, texture and pattern - little surprise given that her father founded the handmade wallpaper company . 'Lining the kitchen walls with gold leaf and painting the woodwork turquoise has made the tiny cooking space feel like the inside of a delicious chocolate box'.
The room was designed with cosiness in mind; it is the only space where the celing was not restored to double height and the wenge worktop was chosen specifically to be 'more cosy and warm than stone'.
Designer Martin Brudnizki's compact perfectly demonstrates the cleverly layered look of which he is a master. The small kitchen is given an aura of calm by the soft colour scheme, enlivened by house plants. It is a loosely open space that compliments the flow of the flat. The paint is a fresh green, while the walls of the adjacent sitting and dining areas are covered in a green birch-coloured seagrass.
At the guest cottage of in Oxfordshire, the kitchen walls are lined with painted horizontal boards made from rough-hewn timber, and the cabinets are a playful shade of teal, matching the banisters of the stairs.
A cupboard kitchen takes the place of exposed kitchen units in this 17-square-metre studio apartment - a practical and good-looking alternative (see the kitchen when it's all folded up ). A drop leaf dining table can be discreetly folded against a wall when not in use.
The kitchen in interior designer 's flat features storage ideas galore - including this clever corner which mixes and matches shelving to brilliant, space-saving effect.
Interior designer made imaginative use of limited funds in her compact . Her secret for this small kitchen? Customisation. She combined an inexpensive 'Glendevon' kitchen from with antique brass handles and a calacatta marble worktop from ; she also added shelves above the units and painted the walls to match, with '2005Y20R', so the kitchen blends in rather than stands out. Well-thought out storage is key. Beata designed the stool, which hides storage, in 'Shutter Stripe' from the Nicky Haslam collection at .
Anyone who loves cooking knows space is premium. Using clever shelving storage in this kitchen allows for extra surface space. The white cupboards and flooring add light to the narrow room, which is elegantly complimented by the blue arched roof. Strategically hung pendant lighting adds height, while the rugs gives a cosy feel to the room.
The panelling in Katie Fontana's is painted white, this make the small space feel lighter and bright. Vintage knick-knacks decorate the shelves. Small paintings complete the eclectic scheme.
In the kitchen of this small , veneer units from meet marble worktops and splashback. The kitchen is divided from the rest of the living space by a glass wall - this creates a seperate area for cooking without boxing the small space.
Ikea hacks were made for small kitchens. Grey marble worktops, some early Victorian-style moulding, and plain, white china knobs were added to these cabinets and shelves from , with open shelving giving storage and a display for dishes and china. The main cupboard doors are painted in 'Beauvais Grey' from .
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Charlotte joined the digital team at House & Garden in 2019, following time working at Vogue and Vanity Fair. She joined with a rookie knowledge of interior design but huge love of perusing all the houses, hotels and recipes in the magazine and on the website and quickly became au ... Deputy Digital Editor
is a freelance writer and critic who was most recently a staff writer for British GQ, covering culture, fine art, sport, food and drink and technology in print and online. Tom has also written and worked for Vanity Fair and Tatler magazines, has contributed to California radio station ...
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