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53 small kitchen ideas from the House & Garden archive
In a small kitchen, there is one essential to maximise space: good storage. That is the building block upon which all these brilliant designs are built, and the golden rule to follow. Providing you adhere to that rule, tiny kitchens can be decorated to suit every taste, from country kitchens to more modern kitchens. Think big on the decoration and let the storage do the hard work.
Want more small space 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 small bedrooms, small bathrooms, and of course, small living rooms.
Mark Anthony Fox1/55Interior designer Christian Bense had been planning a full renovation and reconfiguration of his Battersea flat 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 storage 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.
Boz Gagovski2/55Having undergone several phases of renovation in the two decades since he first bought it, the Hackney flat Daniel Slowik shares with Benedict Foley 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.
Christopher Horwood3/55Despite its compact space, this south London flat 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.
Christopher Horwood4/55In the small kitchen of this Hackney coach house designed by Evelina Mamedovaite, 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.
Milo Brown5/55The paint colour in this Lonika Chande kitchen 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.
Christopher Horwood6/55In the compact kitchen of this flat by Natalie Tredgett, 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 entertaining area, lit by the softly pooled light of a mid-century lamp.
Paul Whitbread7/55This is the entire kitchen of this Marylebone flat by Anna Haines. 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’.
James McDonald8/55The kitchen at Les Prés d’Eugénie - Maison Guérard in southwestern France was the spark for Neisha Crosland’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.
9/55‘I wanted this space to read as a dining room rather than a kitchen,’ Emma Burns says of this open plan space. What this translates to is a single wall of kitchen units, with ‘Mottled’ tiles by Balineum.
Tom Griffiths10/55Kate Cox of HÁM Interiors inhabits a two-bedroom apartment 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.
Mark Anthony Fox11/55This ultra-smart small kitchen forms part of an open-plan dining area in a London house designed by Veere Grenney. 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.
Chris Horwood12/55Francesca Gentilli spends her working life sourcing the best fabrics and textiles from India, Turkey, Morocco, Uzbekistan and beyond, and her own house 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.
Chris Horwood13/55The kitchen in Nina Campbell's Chelsea townhouse 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.’
Chris Horwood14/55This top floor apartment in Mayfair 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.
Mikey Reed Photography15/55The stone in the small kitchen of this Victorian flat in Belsize Park is Abaresco marble, which, combined with the cabinets painted in ‘Treron’ by Farrow & Ball, makes for a bright and airy space.
Alexander James for Studio Peake16/55After much deliberation, the client and the design studio behind this London pied-à-terre, 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.
Owen Gale17/55In 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 her Holborn apartment. 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.
Read McKendree18/55Designer Lilse McKenna gave this classic New York apartment 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.
19/55Having moved from Atlanta to London with her husband during the pandemic, interior designer Sally Wilkinson has created a one-bed flat in Chelsea that is a love letter to the couple's time in Europe. Here, the small galley kitchen feels more like a butler’s pantry’ The art and light-filled space contains an olive tree that is ‘very happy in there'.
Helen Cathcart20/55The compact British Standard kitchen in Isabella Worsley's mews house is not afraid of colour – it's painted in Paint and Paper Library's ‘Elizabethan Red’.
Ngoc Minh Ngo21/55This 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.
Christopher Horwood22/55The kitchen in a former tannery overhauled by Howark Design 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.
Paul Massey23/55The Weiland's London house 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.
Simon Bergström24/55When Sebastian Bergström moved into his tiny Stockholm apartment, 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.
Dean Hearne25/55India Holmes 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.”
Tom Griffiths26/55The kitchen in Victoria Barker's Cotswolds cottage is from British Standard, painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘Pointing’. 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 Violante Guerrieri Gonzaga.
Mark Anthony Fox27/55Open shelving is a classic for small kitchens as the openness creates a feeling of more space. Artist Haidee Becker has employed it in her airy, bright kitchen, with slightly open drawers beneath the worktops too to create more space.
STEPHAN JULLIARD28/55Take inspiration from Marianne Evennou’s creative use of colour and choice of flexible furniture to enhance the proportions and maximise space in this Paris apartment. 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.
Davide Lovatti29/55In Tara Craig's sumptuous London flat, 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.
James McDonald30/55Gallerist Tobias Vernon’s cottage in Somerset 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.
Michael Sinclair31/55This small kitchen in a Welsh cottage designed by John McCall 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.
Simon Brown32/55A U-shaped kitchen was the solution Beata Heuman proposed for this tiny London flat 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.
James McDonald33/55The walnut kitchen was built onto the outside of the marble bathroom in architect Rients Bruinsma's open plan Shoreditch loft. 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."
Jake Curtis34/55The 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 Paint Library.
Owen Gale35/55The kitchen in Violent Dent's colourful London house is from IKEA, with pale pink tiles from Topps TIles and a lampshade by Matilda Goad adding colour.
Paul Massey36/55An eighteenth-century Norwegian dresser is used for storage and food preparation in the kitchen of this country bolthole designed by antiques dealer Christopher Howe. 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.
Paul Massey37/55The kitchen in the same tiny barn decorated by antiques dealer Christopher Howe sits on the right-hand side of the staircase, with antique Church pew benches around a small wooden table. The rustic wooden palate gives the kitchen the charm of a country farmhouse, feeling cosy rather than feeling cramped.
Jake Curtis38/55These kitchen units are designed by the architect Eugene Hanniffy of Garnham Wright Associates are painted in 'Raven' by Papers and Paints in a high gloss, which contrasts with the light oak flooring.
Paul Massey39/55Carefully placed cabinets enclose the kitchen area without disrupting the open-plan layout in Kate Earl's 1920s chalet in the French Alps. A hatch with a sliding shutter between the kitchen and dining areas adds to this effect.
Gaelle Le Boulicaut40/55In this Manhattan apartment 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.
Rachel Whiting41/55When the architects of the Barbican, the Grade II-listed Seventies London landmark, drew up the kitchens, they had the clever idea of bringing in Brooke Marine, 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.
Rachael Smith42/55This kitchen features traditional pine units designed by interior designer Louise Jones and made by The Olive Branch Kitchens in West Yorkshire. The simplicity of these units is offset by floral tiles, plates and curtains.
Simon Brown43/55Hannah Cecil Gurney's west London flat is a feast of luxurious colour, texture and pattern - little surprise given that her father founded the handmade wallpaper company de Gournay. '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'.
James McDonald44/55Designer Martin Brudnizki's compact west London flat 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.
Simon Brown45/55At the guest cottage of Vanessa Macdonald's elegant home 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.
Simon Brown46/55Designer Caroline Holdaway and her photographer partner Fatimah Namdar use this eighteenth-century cottage in the Cotswolds as a weekend escape from their busy London lives. Caroline descibes the kitchen as tiny 'but perfectly formed' with planks of reclaimed pine from an industrial building site, which span the kitchen floor, while the cooker is from Rayburn. The elm shelves of which they are especially fond of can also be seen throughout the house.
Paul Raeside47/55A 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 here). A drop leaf dining table can be discreetly folded against a wall when not in use.
Sarah Hogan48/55The kitchen in interior designer Jane Taylor's flat features storage ideas galore - including this clever corner which mixes and matches shelving to brilliant, space-saving effect.
Simon Brown49/55Interior designer Beata Heuman made imaginative use of limited funds in her compact west London flat. Her secret for this small kitchen? Customisation. She combined an inexpensive 'Glendevon' kitchen from Howdens with Chloe Alberry antique brass handles and a calacatta marble worktop from Stone Interiors; she also added shelves above the units and painted the walls to match, with Dulux '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 Turnell & Gigon.
50/55Anyone who loves cooking knows space is premium. Using clever shelving storage in this British Standard by Plain English 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.
Lucas Allen51/55The panelling in Katie Fontana's kitchen is painted white, this make the small space feel lighter and bright. Vintage knick-knacks decorate the shelves. Small paintings complete the eclectic scheme.
Simon Brown52/55In the kitchen of this small one bedroom Victorian flat, veneer units from Minimal meet Carrara 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.
53/55Make the most of every surface, as in this Ikea design, by attaching rails, shelves and hooks to the side of a cupboard. Its stainless steel 'Rimforsa' rail, £6, holds everything from cooking utensils and chopping boards to tablets. The bamboo tablet stand costs £10.
Paul Massey54/55Built in cupboards provide ample kitchen storage in this modern Park Avenue apartment. The whole place was designed by Sandra Nunnerley who flipped the cliche idea of tradtional Park Avenue apartment - with formal room layouts, heavy curtains and time-worn parquet floors - on its head. Clean lines and pale wood counters add light to the kitchen. Keeping the counters clutter free is they key to making this room feel spacious.
Alex James55/55Ikea 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 Ikea, with open shelving giving storage and a display for dishes and china. The main cupboard doors are painted in 'Beauvais Grey' from Papers & Paints.
