A World Tour of Compact Kitchens
I love having a small kitchen. Some people might cringe at having only 25 square feet to work with, but it gives me freedom. A smaller kitchen generates a more intimate atmosphere for cooking and serving with friends and family. It helps me to peel down. On top of that, I will give my whole San Francisco kitchen a good scrubbing in 10 minutes or less.
We asked you to reveal your compact kitchen and share what you love most about your space. The ideas came from New Zealand, Sardinia, Venezuela, Croatia, Singapore, Latvia and more. Below are a few of our favorites, all under 100 square feet.
er: Cindy Tham
Location: Singapore
Kitchen square footage: 83
Cindy Tham’s kitchen was a blank slate when she purchased it, but she did not wish to devote a whole lot to a remodel. She trimmed costs by using an existing tiled wall for a backsplash and choosing laminate cabinetry. A drying rack above the sink saves counter space.
er: feeny
Location: Shaker Heights, Ohio
Kitchen square footage: 96
This classic Ohio kitchen fits right in with the rest of the 1929 house’s style. user feeny took closets up to the ceiling for additional storage. A cozy cooking nook with soapstone counters along with a ivory subway tile backsplash nod to the kitchen’s original age.
er: lvmp_01
Location: Santiago, Chile
Kitchen square footage: 25
This er needed to squish all the storage potential into this Santiago kitchen. The additional upper cabinet helps save appliances and dishes. A series of LED lights beneath the cabinet illuminates the island/dinner table at night.
Erin O’Connor Design
er: erinoconnor
Location: Lake Michigan
Kitchen square footage: 70
er erinoconnor utilized smaller white appliances, a farmhouse sink along with cottage-inspired details to give this cute 575-square-foot beach cottage an equally cute kitchen.
er: sanja
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
Kitchen square footage: 90
This Croatian er fell in love with magnificent subway tiles she saw on , though they’re odd in Croatian kitchens. The tiles were hard to discover, but she hunted down some to her kitchen update.
er: morgand62
Location: Austin, Texas
Kitchen square footage: 72
A hand-painted Mexican tile backsplash provides this Austin kitchen a dose of the city’s quirky style. Moving plumbing around was not an option, so the homeowners stuck with the original design and purchased an extra-narrow business fridge. A pull-out island and buffet host beside the fridge makes serving dinner easy and generates instant access to the home’s water heater.
er: aiga
Location: Riga, Latvia
Kitchen square footage: 70
A streamlined layout and built-in appliances helped save space in this Latvian layout. The homeowners spent the majority of their funding on cherry cabinet facades, saving money on a plastic-based counter and glass backsplash.
er: marthakash
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Kitchen square footage: 60
This Brooklyn kitchen does not have any drawers, a single enclosed cabinet and one electrical socket, but you would never understand thanks to its cute and clever storage solutions. The owner added open shelving, Ikea hanging racks along with a butcher block table built by her grandfather to acquire the elastic workspace she needed.
Mina Herrera Design LLC
er: Mina Herrera Design
Location: Venezuela
Kitchen square footage: 19
A curved countertop helped designer Mina Herrera create the best use of her 19-square-foot Venezuela kitchen. She moved the fridge and microwave to turn the kitchen into a committed cooking region that’s easier to move around in and arrange.
er: butlera10
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Kitchen square footage: 80
Originally this er could touch both walls of her 1940s galley kitchen in precisely the same time. Finally she tore down a wall to an adjoining dining room to add space and a brand new eat-in nook.
er: emagobbo
Location: Palau, Sardinia
Kitchen square footage: 42
This sunny Sardinia kitchen opens to the living room in this holiday home. A bright blue backsplash adds cheerful coastal design. A mini-refrigerator microwave, oven, dishwasher and sink fit snugly into the space.
er: Zipwork Designs
Location: Invercargill, New Zealand
Kitchen square footage: 64
Vibrant yellow tiles and cabinets add interest to this 1900s New Zealand kitchen. Like many early 20th century houses in the region, this house has a narrow kitchen using a larger attached dining/living area. This er installed white cabinetry and toaster across from the large window to help reflect light around the space.
er: Jenni Johns
Location: Toledo, Ohio
Kitchen square footage: 88
A coat of yellow paint and blue accents include lots of cheer to this cute one-cook kitchen.
er: Vibrant Design
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Kitchen square footage: 56
Floating shelves in front of the window in this kitchen hide an unsightly view but let sunlight still filter through. A strip of industrial vinyl onto the ground delineates the kitchen from the adjoining living room.
er: Makaly
Location: Lima, Peru
Kitchen square footage: 64
Though she’s not a designer or architect, this uncharted er made her kitchen on her own. Starting with a completely empty space, she implemented her eyesight and found her own personality in the procedure.
More: 10 Tiny Kitchens Whose Usefulness You won’t Think