Who cooks here? Tanya, her husband, Ryan, and their cat Bumblebee Location: East Boston, MA Owned or rented? Owned Kitchen size: 112 square feet

What challenge have you overcome in your kitchen? When we purchased our condo over four years ago, we had a dimly-lit, bland kitchen area with limited counter space and storage. As part of a full condo renovation, we replaced the cabinets, flooring, lighting, and appliances, and added a peninsula, tiled backsplash, and more lighting. (continued)

More

Who cooks here? Ina, her husband, their 6-year-old twins, and her mother Location: Jakarta, Indonesia Owned or rented? Owned Kitchen size: 80 square feet

What challenge have you overcome in your kitchen? We renovated the kitchen a couple of years ago on tight budget into the condition you can see in the pictures (the breakfast table is actually a desk which we repurposed). It was previously in a terrible cramped condition with insufficient storage. We are quite pleased with it now, but we would like to get a proper breakfast/serving table when the budget permits.

More

Who cooks here? Brie, her boyfriend, and their zoo of animals. Location: Felton, CA Owned or rented? Rented Kitchen size: 60 square feet

What challenge have you overcome in your kitchen? When we moved in there was no trim on the kitchen window (or front door). Since my boyfriend is handy with a hammer and nail he set to work to create the trim and added a shelf under the window which helped storage immensely.

More

Who cooks here? Joi, her husband, their 2-year-old boy, their past-due-should-be-born-any-day-now daughter, plus one dog and one cat! Location: Christiansburg, VA Owned or rented? Owned Kitchen size: 117 square feet

What challenge have you overcome in your kitchen? Our layout options were strictly limited by the chimney, window and staircase. With much creative thinking we managed to generate a lot of extra storage and counter space by tucking cabinets into the space beneath the staircase, in front of the chimney and creating an island. (continued)

More

Have you seen today's entries in the Small Cool Kitchens Contest? Take a peek, and if you like what you see, give them a thumb's up!

• Kristin's Tiny Black and White New York Kitchen
• Maria's Small Yet Brilliant Milan Kitchen
• Alice's Light and Casual Las Vegas Kitchen
• Tracy's Colorful Portland Bungalow Kitchen

Who cooks here? Tracy, her husband, and three-year-old Location: Portland, OR Owned or rented? Owned Kitchen size: 90 square feet

What challenge have you overcome in your kitchen? We moved into a bungalow that had been stripped of all its original details and left painted with the flat rental paint that never seems clean. The kitchen's four doorways made the layout almost unworkable. Lots of cupboards, and a run of counter (dark green mock marble) with no workflow. We had a very small budget and hoped to replace the stove and add a dishwasher! So, my husband and I gutted the space and did all the work ourselves. (continued)

More

Who cooks here? Alice, her husband, and their 5-year-old daughter Location: Las Vegas, NV Owned or rented? Owned Kitchen size: 111 square feet

What challenge have you overcome in your kitchen? Our kitchen has been one big challenge. When we moved in it definitely wasn't our style — we also didn't have a big budget for a renovation. Over the past couple of years, we've gradually updated everything. With the help of our family we were able to do it all ourselves (our brother-in-law installed the marble backsplash, my sister helped put in the flooring, and my mom found the new sink for $5 at a garage sale). (continued)

More

Who cooks here? Maria and her boyfriend Location: Milan, Italy Owned or rented? Rented Kitchen size: 88 square feet

What challenge have you overcome in your kitchen? Biggest challenge: create a small room as a micro-laundry and place for cleaning stuff, since this is a no-closet house. We brilliantly completed the mission, by building our wooden box or "shower unit" as we call it.

More

Who cooks here? Kristin, her boyfriend, and their Labrador Location: Greenwich Village, NY Owned or rented? Owned Kitchen size: 55 square feet

What challenge have you overcome in your kitchen? It may not seem like a big deal, but my kitchen had no back splash for the longest time. I had a box of glass tiles (bought them because they were on sale) sitting on the floor of my closet for the longest time and planned on having someone install them. When that never happened, I stumbled across some chalkboard paint. It was a hit! (continued)

More

Have you seen today's entries in the Small Cool Kitchens Contest? Take a peek, and if you like what you see, give them a thumb's up!

• Lucy's Classic Yet Modern Kitchen in D.C.
• Sunny's Serene and Open Loft Kitchen in LA
• Erica's Dramatic Blue New York Kitchen
• Stacy's Bright European Kitchen in Vancouver