Like this Small Cool Kitchens 2012 contest entry? Favorite it below!
- Name:
- Alexis
- Location:
- Silver Spring, MD
- Square Feet:
- 98
- Division:
- Own
- What makes your small kitchen so cool?
- I've embraced the galley concept, using every inch of counter and wall space to have everything close at hand. I got to design the kitchen from scratch while keeping the existing footprint - we took everything out down to the studs. It's a practical working space but it also fits with the style of our 1928 bungalow and looks like it's always been there.
- Describe a challenge you've overcome or a smart resource you've found for your kitchen.
- When we bought the house, the 7x14 kitchen only had one full sized drawer (and one half drawer full of take-out menus), impractical cabinets (the shelves were only half deep and soffits above wasted space) and two tiny sections of counter space. The Ikea planner wouldn't actually let me design a kitchen this small, so the measurements on the attached floor plan are a bit bigger than real life. I planned and managed the entire demolition and installation (and did the countertop, backsplash, and painting myself). I chose Ikea frames/drawers for their space efficiency and organization. Glass front uppers and a pressed tin backsplash help brighten the kitchen that is shaded most of the day by a large oak tree. And the custom stained glass piece from Etsy covers an ugly gutter than runs across the top six inches of the window.
- What's your favorite meal to cook here?
- I'm a baker, so in the summer I make a pie just about every every week. In the winter, a favorite is roasted chicken with herbed mashed potatoes and caramelized asparagus.
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Love the print above your stove. I looked it up and found the website, but it doesn't look like they sell posters from prior years . . . since you're in Maryland, were you able to buy it right from the fair?
Strange.Bird --
Thanks! Over the stove was the place of honor reserved for the chicken poster - I got it in Maine when I was there on vacation.
Though it seems that they are out of one I have (I guess I'm not the only one with a chicken obsession), you can buy many of the other years' Common Grounds Fair posters here:
http://www.mofgastore.org/category.sc?categoryId=13
Your kitchen is so cozy. I love the tin backsplash.
Love the stained glass element! :)
You have a lovely kitchen. What are the countertops? They appear to be a darker color; are they stained? Thanks.
Thanks for the kind words!
@TwoSavoie - the countertops are black walnut and finished with Waterlox which goes on clear.
It is cozy. Do you have two windows in your kitchen. I like the back splash and the stained glass.
Where did you find that great backsplash? I love how the kitchen is efficient and cozy all at the same time!
@Die, Adjust or Migrate -- the backsplash came from American Tin Ceilings: http://www.americantinceilings.com/color/#special
They have a video on the site showing how to install them as backsplash - you cut them with tin snips and stick them on with Liquid nails. It was pretty easy after a couple of false starts. Even with my mistakes, the whole thing cost about $80 including matching outlet covers.
Love the backsplash and the stained glass window over the sink.!