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lynnstrider

Please improve my tiny kitchen design!

7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago

We have a split-level home, and on the lower level is an office, a guestroom, and a rec room area with a dark and claustrophobic bar. We want to turn the bar into a bright, open, small-but-useful kitchenette for guests. The space is 96” along the back wall, 95” along the side/exterior wall. Ceiling height is only 84” in the kitchenette area, due to plumbing above.


A rendering below shows my tentative plan for the space. We’re doing this mostly ourselves, on a tight budget. Can you give me any advice, and especially about these 4 issues?


1) Sink placement: We'll have a TV where you see the framed picture in the rendering, and it will be mounted to swing toward the room; this is the only possible TV spot in the rec room. Having an overhanging, swiveling TV seems dangerous for banging one’s head if the sink is below it, so I've planned the sink closer to the window near the far corner. If we use a blind corner cabinet along the back wall, and a 24” sink base cabinet next to it under the window, a small sink would fit with a view out the window. (The window is located 12.5-49” along the exterior wall; so, adjacent to the blind corner cabinet, the 24” sink base cabinet will be underneath the right half of the window.) Is that OK, or is there a better spot for the sink?


2) Wall cabinets & awkward corner: The window molding is only 12.5” from the back wall, so if we had wall cabinets along the entire back wall, and if the wall cabinet was 12” deep with 1” for doors, then the cabinet would overlap the window molding. We’d need some sort of space at the corner. In order to avoid looking claustrophobic, I was thinking of stopping the cabinets about 12” away from the exterior wall, and having 12”x12” shelves in the corner (3 shelves shown in the rendering below). Any better thoughts of how to handle that awkward corner?


3) Cabinet depth over fridge: We need as much storage as possible, but I think a 24” deep over-fridge cabinet would look weird in such a small space, since it’ll be twice the depth of the 2 neighboring cabinets. Would using a 12”deep bridge cabinet over the fridge look better, because it would give us uniform depth with the other cabinets, even though it'd be harder to reach?


4) Cabinet height / crown molding: In this kitchenette nook, the ceiling is only 84” high. Should we plan to install the wall cabinets at the ceiling height, or down a few inches with a slim crown molding on top? 84” ceilings minus 30” wall cabinets minus 36” base cabinets/granite leaves 18”. Should we keep the full 18” space between base and wall cabinets, or take 2” for molding at the top?


Thank you so much for reading. Any advice is appreciated!



In case it helps to see the real space (in the beginning stages of renovation):



Comments (11)

  • 7 years ago

    I would also relocate that TV, put cabinets with a shelf for that microwave. You don't have enough counterspace to leave it on the counter. We are cooking in a 9'x4' kitchen right now and it works, but you want all the counterspace you can get.

    lynnstrider thanked Cyndy
  • 7 years ago

    Thanks for your thoughts!

    Decoenthusiaste, the main kitchen has the stove. This will be a lower-level kitchenette for guests, mainly so that my elderly mom can use a fridge and microwave when she comes to visit us (and in case she ever needs to move in). But it'll also be convenient for other guests to get a glass of water or a snack, since our guest room is on the lower level of the house right near this area.

    Cyndy and Decoenthusiaste, the problem with putting cabinets on the wall where the TV is shown is that the ceiling height changes along that wall. We'll be able to get rid of some of the dark wood header, but there will still be a dropped ceiling in the kitchenette nook. Base cabinets could extend all the way to the glass door, but wall cabinets might look funny on that wall, due to the change in ceiling height. Also, there really isn't any other good spot for a TV that we'd be able to see from our elliptical and our couch in the rec room area.


  • 7 years ago
    Why not a "U" shaped kitchen? You have enough width for one. Will give you a lot more storage space. I don't see a range. You can put it on the left wall. Those glass cabinets are pretty, but don't you need that space for more practical storage? Two would give you more storage instead of four.
    lynnstrider thanked blondelle
  • 7 years ago
    Do you need a full size fridge if there's no cooking going on? I'd be inclined to put an undercounter fridge in, which frees up space for the MW and a coffee machine or kettle.
    lynnstrider thanked jmm1837
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    blondelle, That's a neat idea. We hate how dark and claustrophobic the bar area feels, so we had assumed that an open, L-shaped kitchenette design would feel more inviting and spacious for guests. But maybe we should be considering a U, and/or a small range. My mom wouldn't use a stove when she visits (her stove and oven days are over!), but my sister's family would use a stove.

    Also, I feel like the glass cabinets make the space feel less claustrophobic, given the low ceiling and how small it is. But you're right that we'd be able to store more stuff in normal cabinets. We won't need a lot of stuff in the kitchenette (mainly dishes/glasses), but our main-level kitchen is fairly small, so we'll also be using any extra storage space for things like our holiday platters/china.

    jmm1837, That's a great thought, but I believe we'd get use out of the full-size fridge. Our main-level fridge is often quite full, so we'd love to store extra drinks in a full-size fridge downstairs, which would be great for entertaining. And my sister's whole family is always on a special diet, due to the kids' food allergies, so they definitely would love to have a full-size fridge for their own use when they come to stay with us. (They just spent a week with us, and it was a nightmare juggling all their groceries, and our own, in our jam-packed main-level fridge.)

  • 7 years ago

    Would a mini-fridge be sufficient? This model from Lowe's is only 19.13" wide x 48.09" tall, and would fit under standard height upper cabinets. That would leave space against the wall for a pantry pull-out. Or, at that price, you could have two mini-fridges, side-by-side, since the door swing is reversible.



    YouTube video--DIY pantry pull-out

    lynnstrider thanked mama goose_gw zn6OH
  • 7 years ago

    mama_goose, I love that pantry pull-out idea!

    I don't think the mini-fridge would be quite enough (see comment above about my sister's hostile takeover of our main fridge), and I can't picture my mom bending down to access a mini-fridge. We also already have a spare 33" fridge, so it's free, if we're willing to give it the space.

  • 7 years ago

    I would probably consider a portable induction burner or two rather than install a cooktop if it is just used a couple of times a year. More than that and a cooktop with ventilation starts to make more sense. Maybe the microwave could be a convection oven as well?


    You may not want the additional cost since you already have a refrigerator. But years ago we had a small LG that worked great in a small kitchen. It is approx 24in wide by 24 inches deep. Here’s a link to the current version: https://www.lowes.com/pd/LG-10-1-cu-ft-Bottom-Freezer-Refrigerator-White-ENERGY-STAR/1000343601?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA_ONLY--Appliances--SosRefrigeration-_-1000343601:LG&CAWELAID=&kpid=1000343601&CAGPSPN=pla&k_clickID=12372e30-4788-5a68-3b35-000024defbcc&gclid=CjwKCAjwyrvaBRACEiwAcyuzRHPzuu79VzWNpB5lVMNpiT6DYXMAZWWudz3UvSL3Kcl7Mg7IqThy0xoCv0MQAvD_BwE. I think it would be a good size for the use you describe and would allow for a bit more cabinet storage.

    lynnstrider thanked Nothing Left to Say
  • 7 years ago

    crl_ Thanks! I really like that fridge; it's a good height and has the freezer on the bottom and fridge on top, so my mom wouldn't have to bend to reach the fridge part. And it would surely be enough for my sister's groceries for a week, and for extra drinks for us and guests during the rest of the year. Paying an extra $500 to get a new fridge, and then having extra counter/cabinet space for the rest of the lifetime of the kitchenette, is probably a wise investment.

    Also, your thinking about the portable burner makes sense to me, given how rarely it would be used. Thanks!

  • 7 years ago

    You want a full-size refrigerator, maximum storage, a wall-mount TV and a workable kitchen in a space of a closet.

    It's not going to happen.