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Small Kitchen, Big Impact: 7 Genius Design Strategies
Don't let a compact kitchen defeat you – here are 7 clever ideas to steal from a stunning, architect-designed space
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Designing a small kitchen can feel like a challenge, but the truth is you don’t need a huge space or budget to create a highly functional space with a design-led feel. With some smart design choices, you can achieve the contemporary kitchen of your dreams. Here, we take a look at award-winning architect Kennedy Nolan’s show-stopping new studio kitchen project to see exactly how it’s done.
This studio kitchen layers stunning and affordable Laminex AbsoluteMatte with a mix of different textures to create a retro-meets-contemporary look. Describing her team’s approach to the design of this room, Rachel Nolan, principal at Kennedy Nolan, says, “There’s not much space, so when you make a gesture, make it generous!”
Here are the 7 must-know design strategies you can learn from this design.
This studio kitchen layers stunning and affordable Laminex AbsoluteMatte with a mix of different textures to create a retro-meets-contemporary look. Describing her team’s approach to the design of this room, Rachel Nolan, principal at Kennedy Nolan, says, “There’s not much space, so when you make a gesture, make it generous!”
Here are the 7 must-know design strategies you can learn from this design.
1. Be smart with colour and finishes
Don’t be afraid to go bold in a small kitchen – a palette of saturated hues commands attention and can be a great way to keep the focus attention away from your kitchen’s compact dimensions.
The key to preventing a small room from feeling ‘closed in’ is to maximise floor space and ensure there’s plenty of natural light, as the designers have done here.
In order to create an intentional and cohesive feel, look to limit your colour palette to no more than three or four hues.
From there, add depth without bulk by layering different textures. Here, the designers have combined soft-touch ultra-matte and satin smooth Laminex AbsoluteMatte for the cabinetry, benchtop, splashback and rangehood with rustic terracotta brick tiles on the floor and matte chalkboard paint on one wall for a look that exudes sophistication and character.
Don’t be afraid to go bold in a small kitchen – a palette of saturated hues commands attention and can be a great way to keep the focus attention away from your kitchen’s compact dimensions.
The key to preventing a small room from feeling ‘closed in’ is to maximise floor space and ensure there’s plenty of natural light, as the designers have done here.
In order to create an intentional and cohesive feel, look to limit your colour palette to no more than three or four hues.
From there, add depth without bulk by layering different textures. Here, the designers have combined soft-touch ultra-matte and satin smooth Laminex AbsoluteMatte for the cabinetry, benchtop, splashback and rangehood with rustic terracotta brick tiles on the floor and matte chalkboard paint on one wall for a look that exudes sophistication and character.
Apply colour wisely; here, Laminex AbsoluteMatte in French Navy to the rear of the kitchen makes the wall visually recede into the background, making the space appear bigger than it actually is. Meanwhile, earthy Laminex AbsoluteMatte Green Slate applied to the underbench and tower cabinetry balances out the deep blue and adds softness.
2. Introduce touches of fun
When you’re creating a room, it’s those little moments of surprise that can add magic to the space. They can also help draw attention where you want it and away from where you don’t – in this case, your kitchen’s compact dimensions.
Bold colour contrasts are an easy way to achieve it. Here, the designers lined a single drawer with bright red Laminex Pillarbox and installed a custom-coloured Volker Haug wall light, bringing instant fun and flair to the space.
When you’re creating a room, it’s those little moments of surprise that can add magic to the space. They can also help draw attention where you want it and away from where you don’t – in this case, your kitchen’s compact dimensions.
Bold colour contrasts are an easy way to achieve it. Here, the designers lined a single drawer with bright red Laminex Pillarbox and installed a custom-coloured Volker Haug wall light, bringing instant fun and flair to the space.
3. Keep visual clutter to a minimum
Fussy detailing will only clutter up and visually overwhelm a small kitchen. Instead, look to keep things simple and pared-back.
Here, the architect has opted for streamlined, handle-free cabinetry, bar one statement handle that is used to add to the decorative look. Rather than open shelves, storage is neatly housed behind cabinetry doors.
Lines are kept simple with a built-in oven and an induction cooktop that sits flush with the benchtop. And when it comes to furniture, the architect has deliberately sought out simple shapes and timeless materials, such as timber.
Fussy detailing will only clutter up and visually overwhelm a small kitchen. Instead, look to keep things simple and pared-back.
Here, the architect has opted for streamlined, handle-free cabinetry, bar one statement handle that is used to add to the decorative look. Rather than open shelves, storage is neatly housed behind cabinetry doors.
Lines are kept simple with a built-in oven and an induction cooktop that sits flush with the benchtop. And when it comes to furniture, the architect has deliberately sought out simple shapes and timeless materials, such as timber.
4. Don’t forget function
The kitchen is the hardest-working spot in the home, so it’s important to choose finishes that are both practical and durable.
Laminex AbsoluteMatte is a super-matte and intriguingly tactile surface that is ideally suited to benchtops and cabinetry. Thanks to its advanced technology, it is not just fingerprint resistant, but scratch-, wear-, stain- and moisture-resistant too. It also features added antimicrobial protection with Protec+® embedded into the surface so you know it will stay hygienically clean.
And to give you extra peace of mind, it comes with a seven-year limited warranty.
The kitchen is the hardest-working spot in the home, so it’s important to choose finishes that are both practical and durable.
Laminex AbsoluteMatte is a super-matte and intriguingly tactile surface that is ideally suited to benchtops and cabinetry. Thanks to its advanced technology, it is not just fingerprint resistant, but scratch-, wear-, stain- and moisture-resistant too. It also features added antimicrobial protection with Protec+® embedded into the surface so you know it will stay hygienically clean.
And to give you extra peace of mind, it comes with a seven-year limited warranty.
5. Play with scale and proportion
A small kitchen requires a creative approach so be prepared to do things differently and break the so-called ‘rules’ from time to time.
Here, rather than a standard 100-millimetre kicker at the base of the cabinetry, the designer has folded the terracotta flooring up one tile towards the cabinetry, making a charming feature of something that is often considered an afterthought.
Laminex AbsoluteMatte French Navy has been used to create a chunkier-than-usual benchtop – a clever way to add a sense of luxury to the kitchen without a huge outlay.
The same inky blue is used for the splashback (designed to a width of 1200 millimetres to match the laminate sheet size and avoid visible joins) and for the cold-formed curve of the rangehood cover – again crafted seamlessly from a single sheet of laminate.
In place of overhead cupboards, the designer has left a recess in the kitchen wall, clad in the same terracotta tiles as the floor, creating a sense of openness at eye level.
Generous storage is provided with a substantial pull-out pantry under the benchtop and in the floor-to-ceiling tower cabinetry using Laminex AbsoluteMatte Green Slate.
A small kitchen requires a creative approach so be prepared to do things differently and break the so-called ‘rules’ from time to time.
Here, rather than a standard 100-millimetre kicker at the base of the cabinetry, the designer has folded the terracotta flooring up one tile towards the cabinetry, making a charming feature of something that is often considered an afterthought.
Laminex AbsoluteMatte French Navy has been used to create a chunkier-than-usual benchtop – a clever way to add a sense of luxury to the kitchen without a huge outlay.
The same inky blue is used for the splashback (designed to a width of 1200 millimetres to match the laminate sheet size and avoid visible joins) and for the cold-formed curve of the rangehood cover – again crafted seamlessly from a single sheet of laminate.
In place of overhead cupboards, the designer has left a recess in the kitchen wall, clad in the same terracotta tiles as the floor, creating a sense of openness at eye level.
Generous storage is provided with a substantial pull-out pantry under the benchtop and in the floor-to-ceiling tower cabinetry using Laminex AbsoluteMatte Green Slate.
6. Omit the kitchen island
Good circulation is important in any kitchen – and never more so in one that’s compact in size.
If you don’t have the room for a kitchen island, dispense with it altogether and focus instead on creating functional built-ins and benchtops around the perimeter of the room. Opening up the floor space in this way will also help make the room appear bigger.
Take built-ins from floor to ceiling so you can maximise storage potential (storing frequently used items at eye height and lesser-used ones at the upper and lower points).
And take a tip from the designer of this kitchen and make the benchtop deeper than normal so you’ve got plenty of space to prep and leave appliances out. Here, the benchtop is 800 millimetres, which is 200 millimetres deeper than standard.
Good circulation is important in any kitchen – and never more so in one that’s compact in size.
If you don’t have the room for a kitchen island, dispense with it altogether and focus instead on creating functional built-ins and benchtops around the perimeter of the room. Opening up the floor space in this way will also help make the room appear bigger.
Take built-ins from floor to ceiling so you can maximise storage potential (storing frequently used items at eye height and lesser-used ones at the upper and lower points).
And take a tip from the designer of this kitchen and make the benchtop deeper than normal so you’ve got plenty of space to prep and leave appliances out. Here, the benchtop is 800 millimetres, which is 200 millimetres deeper than standard.
7. Add curves
Curves are your best friend in a small kitchen – not only are they pleasing to the eye, but they are easier to navigate around than sharp lines so people can move comfortably through the space.
While a round dining table and curvy dining chairs are great places to start, adding curves in unexpected spots, such as the unique, curved rangehood the designer has created here, is a sure-fire way to create impact.
Laminex High-Pressure Laminate (HPL) can be curved and cut in different shapes – it’s an endlessly versatile material that’s perfect if you want to get creative with the look of your kitchen.
Curves are your best friend in a small kitchen – not only are they pleasing to the eye, but they are easier to navigate around than sharp lines so people can move comfortably through the space.
While a round dining table and curvy dining chairs are great places to start, adding curves in unexpected spots, such as the unique, curved rangehood the designer has created here, is a sure-fire way to create impact.
Laminex High-Pressure Laminate (HPL) can be curved and cut in different shapes – it’s an endlessly versatile material that’s perfect if you want to get creative with the look of your kitchen.
Featured in this kitchen:
Cabinetry: Laminex AbsoluteMatte Green Slate.
Benchtop, splashback and rangehood: Laminex AbsoluteMatte French Navy.
Drawer interior cabinetry: Laminex Pillarbox.
Flooring and splashback: Artedomus Cotto Manetti Rustic Split.
Wall light: Volker Haug.
Handle: In-Teria, Big Moo.
Sink: Oliveri Solitaire Round Sink.
Tap: Sussex Tap.
Cooktop: Miele CS 7612 FL.
Oven: Miele 11128560 H 7860.
Wall paint: Porter’s Paints Chalkboard Licorice.
Contributors:
Architects: Kennedy Nolan
Art Direction: Ortolan
Photographer: Derek Swalwell
Stylist: Natalie James
Editorial Consultant: Infinite Shapes
More: Get more inspiration from the designs of award-winning architectural practice Kennedy Nolan using decors from the Laminex Colour Collection here
Tell us: Would saturated colours work well in your kitchen?
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Cabinetry: Laminex AbsoluteMatte Green Slate.
Benchtop, splashback and rangehood: Laminex AbsoluteMatte French Navy.
Drawer interior cabinetry: Laminex Pillarbox.
Flooring and splashback: Artedomus Cotto Manetti Rustic Split.
Wall light: Volker Haug.
Handle: In-Teria, Big Moo.
Sink: Oliveri Solitaire Round Sink.
Tap: Sussex Tap.
Cooktop: Miele CS 7612 FL.
Oven: Miele 11128560 H 7860.
Wall paint: Porter’s Paints Chalkboard Licorice.
Contributors:
Architects: Kennedy Nolan
Art Direction: Ortolan
Photographer: Derek Swalwell
Stylist: Natalie James
Editorial Consultant: Infinite Shapes
More: Get more inspiration from the designs of award-winning architectural practice Kennedy Nolan using decors from the Laminex Colour Collection here
Tell us: Would saturated colours work well in your kitchen?
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Design for life. Laminex has been part of Australian life for more than 80 years. Our commitment to design,... Read More
Design for life. Laminex has been part of Australian life for more than 80 years. Our commitment to design,... Read More
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