- Name:
- Meleah
- Location:
- Minneapolis, MN
- Square Feet:
- 60
- Division:
- Rent
- What makes your small kitchen so cool?
- I got extremely lucky with my pre-war apartment - the kitchen layout, although small, has a great open layout and the details, like the leaded glass cabinets and crown molding around the cupboards, add lovely character and charm. The cupboards go all the way up to the ceiling and provides much needed extra storage space. I painted the kitchen purple and the adjoining dining room a butter yellow and the combo never ceases to make me smile!
- Describe a challenge you've overcome or a smart resource you've found for your kitchen.
- The (rather limited) countertop was made with some non-conventional material that and I was afraid is would simply disintegrate upon using. In addition, it was about an inch lower than my adjacent farm-style sink, making it awkward to use the only counterspace available! I bought a slab of butcher block at Ikea and using a jigsaw, cut out the shape of my counter and simply laid it on top of the existing countertop. Since I rent and it fits so snugly I didn't apply any adhesive. I love the white/purple/wood combination and the added utility of a butcher block counter. Installing a light under the cupboard also went a long way to enhancing the utility of the space.
Finally, the small space has forced me to be more economical in my cooking style - keeping heavily used items in easy to reach places and cleaning as I cook.
- What's your favorite meal to cook here?
- What don't I like to make? Currently, thanks to the heat wave, I am in an ice-cream making phase. My favorite? Roasted Rhubarb.
Categories:
Kitchens,
Main,
2012,
Small Cool Kitchens
Like this Small Cool Kitchens 2012 contest entry? Favorite it below!
10 Things to Pack That Make Cooking on Vacation Easier
How to Make Buckwheat Soba Noodles from Scratch
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Martha Concrete Lam...
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
love it!
What a great sink!
great job with the butcher block!
Thanks! I'll admit to having some fatherly help with the butcher block...
Tidy. Cute. Cozy. Charming. You have my vote!
Very charming! I have to ask (because I am in the same situation), do you enjoy cooking without a ceiling fan? I didn't see one, and I don't see a window nearby. Do you have any suggestions for getting rid of kitchen smells (I try to avoid cooking smelly food, but there are foods I miss now!).
@teakfreak Honestly, it hasn't been a problem not having a fan - I hadn't even thought about it until you brought it up and it certainly doesn't stop me from cooking 'fragrant' foods! The kitchen opens up into the dining room, which has two large windows in it that I will sometimes open up to clear the air. The whole apartment is pretty open and the living room windows are almost always open (except in the dead of the Midwest winter) so that my two cats can smell the outside world.
Love your countertops!
your not just handy using your kitchen, but also with other tools!! & you had to bring in the "R" word didnt you!!! Love you!
How cute!! I didn't realize your kitchen was so small.
Well done in such a tight space.
this is going to sound crazy, but i love quirky little kitchens that aren't always functional. that narrow cabinet against the wall? what can go in there? the only counterspace wedged in a corner? the gap between the stove and cabinet (it must have been a challenge to find a cart that was the right size to fill it)? i love all of it. well done.
the only thing i'd probably do differently is place some open shelving over the stove. it might make it possible to get rid of the baker's rack in front of that door.
Not to be negative, I'm a fan of using all of ones space, but this kitchen would drive me crazy! I'd probably never do anything but heat up pizza in there!
This kitchen is so creative yet functional. We all want to be able to put stuff in it's place but when you have limited space even a small amount of items will seem like a lot. When you love to cook but have no space you would want a kitchen like this one. I love it.