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ladykateexi

Tiny shared kitchen and living room layout dilemma!

12 years ago
My husband , one year old son and I live in a very tiny apartment. We are in the process of redecorating and have done some switching of rooms. My dilemma is in my tiny tiny shared kitchen and living room. My first dilemma I had was do I do the same color pallet all thru or should differentiate the kitchen from the living room ? Next dilemma is layout of the living room area. We are buying a smaller sized love seat and have boughten a area rug to go under the furniture. It is such a small small space and I am so confused about where I should put what to maximize what little space i do have and make the room feel bigger. I have been contemplating moving the love seat and rotating it to the left and use it as a barrier to differentiate the two spaces. I would also move the tv on the wall to the left of it. I have not painted yet until I decide on the layout but I am planning on painting the big white wall and either painting it or stenciling a pattern on it. We are planning on painting the kitchen cabinets as well . We have a fold down table from ikea but have not put it up due to not knowing the best place to put it. I would appreciate any and all suggestions !! I am so helplessly lost in this space. Please excuse the clutter... We are organizing all the rooms and this is our pile of garage sale items. All the toys will be moving into our sons new big room/playroom so it will eventually be cleaned completely out to open the space more. Thank you for helping :)

Comments (40)

  • 12 years ago
    Hi. I'd definitely go for light neutral walls in both areas -- to blend with the tiles -- and then white or a toning off-white for the kitchen cupboards. Leave that end wall, which you see when you enter, to be an accent wall of some kind. I don't think you have enough space to use furniture to separate the areas; you need to embrace it as one room. For example, you could put art on the wall next to the entrance door, and art of the same kind -- same style, same colours, same artist, whatever -- above the love seat on the other side of the opposite wall. But I would vary the sizes -- maybe two smaller vertical (portrait format) pictures near the door, and a big horizontal (landscape format) pictures above the love seat. If you use colour on the accent wall, pick up that same colour in the kitchen with jugs, or toaster and kettle, or even your dishcloths. Just by way of example, these from fineart.com may be a million miles from your taste, but they would work beautifully in the same room. You could do the same sort of thing with black and white photographs.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    A full wall of built-in storage would help.
  • 12 years ago
    Could you post a floorplan of this entire room? Doesn't have to be to scale, just a simple drawing will do, with the measurements clearly written on it.
    You can attach images if you click in a comment box under here. It will help us get an idea of the space without all the toys :-) And we can maybe give you ideas for the layout of the room.
    Do you live near an Ikea? I'm asking because they have great solutions for small spaces, and for very reasonable prices.
  • 12 years ago
    I will make a floor plan and post it right now. And we are actually getting ready to go to ikea right now lol. We are buying a new couch and hopefully other stuff for this small space I call a kitchen/ living room :( is there any apps to make floor plans or do I simply hand draw it ? Sorry I'm new at this !
  • 12 years ago
    Don't know about apps, but I'm sure there are :-) Here's one I use on my computer. It's free.
    http://thebrick.icovia.com/

    Which couch are you considering buying?
    Please, measure your space before you go to Ikea. Draw a floorplan, just pen and paper, with measurements and where doors and windows are and take that with you. See if you can get help planning your space from the Ikea people.
  • 12 years ago
    Sunny drew We already moved most of it outside because it is for a garage sale. Carolins My husband and I just finished measuring everything and are putting it on paper. I will post as soon as we finish ! I want a couch
    that is on the smaller side so we are thinking maybe the kicik or maybe sandby ? Any suggestions ? Carolins Here is the floor plan of my whole house and then of the kitchen space.
  • 12 years ago
    How about completely rethinking the whole apartment? Like using the master bedroom as both your living space and bedroom. Do the still make Murphy beds (wall bed)?
  • 12 years ago
    Before we had our son we had a living room but once he was born we had to give it up. As of right now our durniture takes up too much room in our master to combine it. We are looking into adding on which would be amazing !!
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    I drew a layout for you, 'shopped' at Ikea. Hope I've got the measurements right. If you like the idea, please measure, measure and measure again before you buy something ;-)
    Tried to give you as much storage as I could fit on the TV wall. A cabinet to put the TV on, one above it on the wall and two bookcases flanking it. The dining table you can fold away so it won't be in the way of the door to the bedroom if you don't use the table.
    I hope it gives you an idea of what you could do. I'll attach images of the products I used.
  • 12 years ago
    and
  • 12 years ago
    and
  • 12 years ago
    I love the layout for the living room area ! We have a fold down table from
    Ikea already but haven't out it up due to space. If you look at the pictures you will see that we have a entryway bench that we use for storage but I just thought of moving it into the the garage door hallway. And maybe using it as a small mushroom ?
  • 12 years ago
    I really can't find the entryway bench, sorry ;-)
    What is the grey thing between the kitchen and the couch? Does it have to stay there?
  • 12 years ago
    Build a wall of storage from Ikea - their designers have already done the hard part. Make sure everything has a place of its own on a shelf, bin or drawer.
  • 12 years ago
    There a few good ideas on You Tube posted by IKEA:

    http://m.youtube.com/user/IKEASmallSpaces

    I would think of covering one wall (the one opposite the kitchen furniture probably) with mirror to double the space visually.
  • 12 years ago
    Here is a video that shows that one should not be afraid of color:
  • 12 years ago
    Do you have the possibility of removing the hallway wall? The entire hallway is wasted space. Both bedrooms could open to the main room, and you could increase the size of your main room as well.
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    Here's a little something from me, for when you have the budget to remodel, no additions needed. Removing the hallway (check if loadbearing, it may require structural beam) will create a lot of extra space, so the master bedroom has a nice size, there's space for a kid's bedroom and a small living room. Next to your kitchen a row of tall cabinets, with a larger fridge and plenty of storage space. I hope it can be of any help in the future.
  • 12 years ago
    I guess soberg had a similar idea.
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    Meanwhile don't give up your living room and bedroom yet! A kid doesn't need much when it comes to sleeping, just a cozy nest. So a semi-open room (add a studded wall and a curtain) will do for the next few years. A foldable table and some shelving in the hallway will be a good space for toys/playing/changing.
    Good luck!
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    You don't mention your budget, but I am assuming it's tight. Paint everything one soft light color that makes you feel good. An off white grey, a buttery yellow or a light tan. You can add an accent color on the end wall. If you can't afford built-in cabinets, consider putting a row of inexpensive plastic or metal shelves along the back wall to store stuff. Run a curtain rod or hooks across the ceiling in front of it, Use beautiful patterned or solid sheets in front of it as a drape. You would loose about 18" from the room, but pick up a tremendous amount of cheap storage. The drape becomes your accent color and you can pick your paint color from there.
  • 12 years ago
    CArolins : sorry it took me a min to get back to you but the grey thing is our fridge. Our bigger fridge broke a few weeks ago and now we are using a mini until we figure out what we are going to do. We did decide to move the entryway bench to the garage entry which helped with space for our small foldable table. Our living room space in the kitchen is literally not even 100 sqft. So it's ridiculously small !
  • 12 years ago
    Watch this Ikea video and the photos. It's inspiring, so many possibilities in a tiny living space :-)
    http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/rooms_ideas/small_spaces/
  • 12 years ago
    What is the second room used for?
  • 12 years ago
    Love the ikea video. Give me new ideas for my daughter room at college next year!!
  • 12 years ago
    Newman1958 the shared kitchen/living room leads into our master. Bedroom.
  • 12 years ago
    Are you able to post new pictures once the stuff is cleared out? With such a small space you have to make every piece you purchase a work horse. You made a good choice to start with decluttering! That will hopefully give you clues as to what types of furniture you really need.
  • 12 years ago
    Any feedback on the floorplans, please? :)
  • 12 years ago
    Yes I will post as soon as it is cleared out and I loved the floor plan but as of right now we don't have the budget for much :(
  • 12 years ago
    I added two ;) (one low budget, one for possible future)
  • 12 years ago
    Ladykatee66, have you made any headway on your room yet? I think you may be able to get a small sectional in the corner where the TV is now, then the TV on the opposite wall beside the fridge. This would give more room for a larger fridge, and the sectional would have to be one that's shorter one one side, like this one from ikea. http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S39902046/#/S09902062
    Would the bench you have work with the drop leaf table? Meaning could you push the table against wall when not in use with the bench underneath it? That would also save some space.
  • 12 years ago
    Rinqreation second plan would be a lot cheaper than you think! Even cheaper than going out to buy new furniture. You could use all your current furniture.

    Drywall is $8.48 a sheet. You need four =$33.92
    Then 2X4 wood studs 2.72. You need ten =$27.20
    Total $61.12 plus tax

    Now of course this is a temporary fix. Exactly what you need. Best thing for your budget. Also wall can be taken down with just patching a few holes in case your family grows and you decide to move or if it stays the same and you save up to get the home you desire.

    Unfortunately my budget is just like yours. I wait every year for income tax to tweak my home every year.

    I wish you the best of luck. Too bad we didn't live close...I love taking on DIY projects. I would love to help do this for someone. Wall would take an hour to build. Just nailing some 2X4 together. Nailing it into place than drywall. Finally paint and it'll looks awesome! If you could spare a few dollars more add baseboard but not necessary because furniture will more than likely cover it.
  • 12 years ago
    I would change that plan a little. I would take out kitchen door and move it to hallway. I feel this will provide more of an open flow and feel homey instead of closed off. Drywall kitchen open frame with drywall scraps from wall.

    Also I forgot the cost of nails drywall mud and paint. However still cheaper than buying furniture to cram into one room.
  • 12 years ago
    Oh how I wish you lived near by so you could help guide me thru everything ! No plans to move to arizona in the near future lol ?
  • 12 years ago
    I am trying to post more accurate plans because the one I posted doesn't show our hall closet and the hallway is tiny. I am not sure I get where you would find that much more space if I take the wall down ? But I am completely new at this stuff !
  • 12 years ago
    Here are some pictures of the room cleaned out ( except for our new ikea karlstad couch !! ) We actually put a chaise and chair together. I wanted a love seat but really needed the comfort of the chaise but all the ones I saw where way to big for our ridiculously small space! I thought I would add a picture of our colors we are doing in the kitchen and living room. They are a dark teal,mustard yellow with gold here and there and I think I want to do grey since our master bedroom in the next room has grey walls. I would be so grateful for any input or ideas on the best way to handle this small space. Any thoughts on layout or decorating are welcome. I really could use help on what color rug to get and how big as well. I pretty much need all the help I can get lol! Our new couch is a dark grey eve thought it kinda looks black in the picture.
  • 12 years ago
    Uhm.. Three dogs and some fabric? Maybe something went wrong? :)
  • 12 years ago
    The teal and mustard looks great together. The dog is nice too!
  • 12 years ago
    Sorry my phone posted the same picture there times . Here are other pictures. And thank you , we love the color choices :) I also posted a picture of the new love seat / chaise we purchased from ikea. The color looks a lot darker but it is a little lighter than the search I posted.