My kitchen is 11X13-technically speaking, a small kitchen. However, I find it more than large enough for a family of four and couldn't imagine why we would need a larger one. One 11' wall has the wall oven/micro cabinet, the sink, DW, assorted cabs and drawers and accompanying counterspace(this is the only wall with uppers as the kitchen/dining/great room is open concept). The other 11'wall has the cooktop and more drawers and base cabs. On its left right angle is attached a long penisula, great for prep work with base cabs and drawers. On its right is the other right angle wall with a couple more cabs and drawers plus a recessed fridge(so that it looks counterdepth). Like I said, more than enough room, nothing recessionish about it!

I loved my tiny (11'x7') kitchen even before the recession hit. Here's the thing about small houses/kitchens - you can do nicer finishes, because you need so much less of everything. Like, I can have soapstone countertops, because I need 1/3 of what others do. So embrace the smallness and just make it like a little jewel of a kitchen!

I'm in a NYC coop with a 7'x10' galley kitchen. RMiriam makes a good point about needing less of everything - it's almost true. I managed to get a lot of cabinets in there! ;-)

Our 10'x14' kitchen is up at http://finishedkitchens.blogspot.com/2006/04/manicottis-kitchen.html but a better source of information and photos is my site (link provided below).

Note that the "slideshow" feature at the manicotti.org site is a mess and I don't have time to fix it now. The key is to pick a group of photos, then click a size, then click a thumbnail that you want to see -- the larger picture will then appear.

Here is a link that might be useful: Manicotti's kitchen site

In praise of small kitchens and fine finishes: Our first kitchen, more than 30 years ago, was done with Woodmode cabinets. That kitchen was 7x9. I just pulled out and looked at the photo album of our kitchen renovation in that 100 year old house and I wish I knew how to post the pictures. It was a gem. Our new huge kitchen is being done with Brookhaven cabinets because I could not justify the expense of Woodmode in such a hugh area. This new kitchen will be great for a lot of reasons but that tiny kitchen was my first love. No one should ever think that small is inferior.

AS long as it is well designed I have no issues with a smallish kitchen. Sadly, ours is not so we make do the best we can (a gut and redo is just not in the budget). One good thing is that there is less to clean.

I guess I have a small kitchen as well [ DIY Granny' Kountry kitchen...] It is only 11.5 X 12.5 with a 4X5 pantry alcove. Noone has commented on it's small size, and I don't think it looks or feels small either - small can be good!

Our kitchen is 11 x 12. Right next to it was the laundry room. The washer & dryer have been relocated upstairs. So we use that 7 x 9 room as a walk in pantry. We're not really into excess and don't need a large kitchen or house for that matter. The size of our kitchen is perfect for our needs, it has plenty of counter & storage space and is easy to cook in. Now that we've lived here for a couple of years I realize that there are a couple of things that one day I might want to tweak in the layout, but overall it has everything we need and we're slowly updating it to our taste. The best thing of all is that we sleep at night because we don't have the "I'm in debt up to my ears over this kitchen remodel blues".

i've got an 8x11 galley similar to charlikins' except her stove is on the other side. lots of cabinets for me, too; 42" to the ceiling. the thing with a small kitchen - at least a galley- is that you have at least as much wall space as a larger one - just less floor space.and you have to be more coginizant of how far into the space oven and frdge doos open - and whether the fridge opens from right or left, since you won't be approaching it "head on"

Here is a link that might be useful: 8x11 galley

Thank you wink for mentioning those of us in the minority here! I often wonder if I have the smallest kitchen of the kitchen forum. 8.5 x 8.5 I have had a humongous house and kitchen in the past, but I have to say that I love the efficiency of this kitchen. My house was built in the 1940's and when we remodeled the kitchen we could see that it had actually been enlarged from its original size! They took some space from the bathroom behind it. I also think I have the smallest main bathroom, but that's a whole other story.....

Wow, glad, our kitchens could almost be twins. That style of tiny galley kitchen is ubiquitous in NYC, but doesn't show up much on these forums. Where do you live?

I'm jealous that yours is 8' wide. With only 7', I had to do reduced depth cabinets on one side, and therefore didn't have the option of relocating any of the appliances to the other side. When I was planning my layout, I felt that just 6" wider or 6" longer would have made such a difference!!! And here yours is a foot wider *and* a foot longer - that's decadently huge, in my book!!! ;-)

8 feet by 8.5 feet = 68 square feet. Subtract some sq.ft. for a column = 65 square feet.

It's a galley kitchen with two 36" doorway openings, no doors. The working triangle is a bit less than the 15 feet "recommended minimum" NKBA standard. It feels big enough to me for one or two cooks since it's 4 feet wide between counters and the two doorways lead straight into much larger well-lit areas (not corridors). Also there are no obstacles in the way when you walk in or out. So, it's like a big open aisle with a sink on one side and a cooktop on the other side. Fridge in a corner and well hidden. We've had a third person doing prep work without moving around. With four people it is definitely crowded and you have to be careful every second, like on a boat.

I have been in other people's small kitchens with slightly more complex floorplans -- either in the kitchen itself or in the way to get into the kitchen. My impression is that they have a much smaller space than mine even though that is not true in square-foot terms. It feels hemmed in. E.g. a 45 degree offset angle; this changes line of sight and walking into and out of it.

-david

Here is a link that might be useful: How many square feet is your kitchen? -jan12th '09

I actually didn't really know what size my kitchen was! So, I just measured and it is 12 x 11 with an entry hall that has a 5 ft pantry closet.

I'll agree with other small kitchen owners. It's easy to cook in, easy to keep clean, suits our needs (family of 3 and on the path to being empty-nesters in the not so distant future *sob*) and our upcoming remodel will not break the bank (17K) or drown us in debt :)

I will have to admit, the drop ceiling at 7 ft and the flourescent box lighting is the main reason we are updating. I LOVE old houses (grew up on the East Coast) and I like most new construction..... but something was seriously wrong with the builders who designed this house in the early 80's :o

Everyone else in my family has big houses and they envy us that we already have the "perfect" retirement home.... lol.

Although not "lovely", I'll show you my small kitchen anyways. Demo to start in 3 wks, so I will happily post again when we are done!

Here is a link that might be useful: Small Kitchen

hi charlikin, i also did a doupble take when i saw your kitchen picture. :) i'm in a high rise in fairfield county, so still nyc metro. the only appliance i could have moved would be the refrigerator; no option to move gas line, etc. i could live with a foot less in length, but 7 vs 8 feet wide would be really material. you idd great with the limitations!

katiee511- the fluorescent fixture in our kitchen was the catalyst for my demo/reno....we have a small-ish 40s cape that, quite frankly, I bought despite a smaller kitchen than what I was used to. we took out the light box, replaced with small, recessed cans, removed the soffit, added 42" cabs, and gained floor inches with a counter depth fridge. I love it's user-friendliness. as for how fast the nest empties, i *sob* too...i'm not sure how that happens!!!

Just finished a cabinet layout for a friend with a 9'x10' 79 square foot kitchen in his 50's row house. Took quite a few tries but I finally got decent sink base (30") and a full size dishwasher in and it still looks pretty good. Will be posting soon for feedback. Just horrible to work in now but looks promising once renovated. Of course with small spaces the value threshold is often lower when you are renovating - hello Ikea.

mine is a Berkeley Co-op apartment, 9 1/2 ft x 7 1/2 ft. I've got a range and fridge, but still dreaming about the rest.

winkwink - all my years growing up in CT I always vowed to one day own a Cape with dormer windows on the front. :) I get a flutter every time I see one, even though I will never own one. Not a popular look in Indiana! haha
But I'll agree, the kitchens can run small!

When we lose our flourescent box we will also raise the ceiling a foot to a more normal size. My 6'2" "baby" and DH will be much happier :)

My kitchen is 13'x13' - pretty large by the standards of the 100-year-old houses in this New England neighborhood. I didn't know my kitchen was small until the NKBA told me so.:)

I never had problems with the smallness, only with the layout. In fact, I'm moving things *closer* together in the remodel. As I've said before, I'm tired of having to yell out a warning before carrying a pot of boiling water across the room to the sink!

hooray for tiny kitchens. I am in the process of remodeling. I took down a wall, redid the flooring and bought an island for counterspace storage.

I still need to do recessed lighting, cabinets and countertops plus dishwasher.

my W/D is in my kitchen too.

my kitchen is 8x11 and my house is from 1940s too.

I will need some advice once i get the funds to continue my remodel :)
I am happy thus far!

I have a small galley kitchen and I'm relocating my laundry room next to the bedrooms to make it a longer L shaped kitchen. I recently posted my layout here and got some good feedback. I'm bucking the advice however and sticking for the most part to my layout as designed.

Even L shaped my kitchen will be comparatively small to some of the gorgeous GW kitchens I've seen.

I'm embarking on my remodel which includes an addition in mid-March. We go to the city next week for permitting.

Although my house was built in 1947 it does not have much in the way of period character so I'll be going fairly modern in style.

Link to layout

My kitchen is 12 x13 which is not as small as some here, but
I only had 2 walls to work with. The other wall is all door, so it
is tricky to pull off a totally well functioning layout, storage and
counterspace. I was told I didn't have enough room for a 48 range,
but I managed to squeeze one in. If I had a larger space I might be
walking farther to get into the fridge or pantry. This is working fine!
vic

vicnsb....your kitchen is just beautiful! i just want to come and hang out there.

I've always loved your kitchen, Manicotti.

Our kitchen is 12.5 x 19, but that includes the only dining area in the house, so the actual kitchen area will be about 12.5 x 14

Sigh. Vic, I love your kitchen, but any kitchen that has room for an island (with stools yet!) is NOT a small kitchen (in my book). Ditto to Joann - I don't care what the NKBA says, 13x13 is not small. If *you* don't even perceive of it as small, it's not small!

It's not that I'm trying to exclude you from the club here - it's just - well, let's get real! Vic, you had trouble fitting an extra-large range? I had trouble fitting a standard-size dishwasher! (And ultimately failed - I have an 18".)

Okay, maybe my standards are just off. Maybe we need a "tiny kitchens unite" thread. I mean - my kitchen is small, but I live in NYC. I've seen smaller. ;-)

wow vicnsb - your kitchen looks wonderful!! last time I ran across photos of it was when the cabinets were being stained/painted. Nice job. You must love being in there!!

To all the other "small" kitchen owners, I don't know about you guys, but I never really considered my kitchen "small" until I started seeing all the ones here!

My kitchen has never been an "eat-in" or had the room for an island or peninsula, but for a 1600 sq ft ranch, it seemed to be a very normal size :)

Both my sisters and my mom have large, open, eat in kitchens with double the amount of cabinets and counterspace than I have, but their houses are all two story 3000+ sq ft, so you get that. Even though I am the one who loves to cook most in our extended family, I have never envied them the size. Small kitchens can work SO efficiently when you have the right set-up.

charlikin and all others who live on the East Coast - I lived upstairs in a 2 family before moving here and I had a neat kitchen there. Built-in china cabinet with glass doors and huge drawers in my kitchen. Beautiful, beautiful door and moldings everywhere. My refrigerator was actually in the butlers pantry........ but ohhhhh, the shelves, counter space, deep cabinets with ice box latches and beadboard wainscotting. Man, I wish I had a picture of it. It was never "updated" except for fresh paint and it was to die for. I MISS that pantry......

I have a 9x13, which I think is huge! Particularly since we remodeled last winter. Everything is where I need it to be - that's what makes the most difference to me. But I'm originally from England, where my last kitchen was 7x7 :)

I'm glad I'm not the only one with a little kitchen! My galley is 9'3" wide by 9'9" long, for a grand total of 90 sqft. I'm in the very beginning phases of a remodel, so I'm looking to see if I can improve the storage and layout. It's pretty functional, but it's NOTHING to look at. :)

Bri

I'm in the midst of a kitchen redo with my 11x11 U shaped kitchen. We tore out oak colored cabs and a black tile floor. We're putting in cream cabs with beige travertine. I can't believe how much roomier tha kitchen seems. I think it must be because it's so much lighter! I'm loving it. I will have my granite and sink in next week and will post some pics. I really enjoy a smaller kitchen because everything is right there. Although I occasionally envy some of these gorgeous bigger kitchens, to me they seem they'd be difficult to work in w/ things so far apart, not to mention more to clean. :)