Small homes and studios
Kitchen Furniture Planning for Small homes and studios
Specify the occupied size, operating clearance and route into the building before choosing furniture by catalogue dimensions.
Explore the ideas
Compare the options
- Set the brief
- Use templates at the size of the actual furniture. Include seated users, open drawers and reclined positions where relevant.
- Compare
- Decide which items need to move independently and which benefit from built-in anchoring.
- Before buying
- Confirm that the largest pieces can turn at the entrance, lift lobby and corridor, or specify assembly in place.
Worked example
A family wants a movable island, but stools and open drawers could occupy the same aisle.
Mock up the island, seated knees and fully extended drawers together; choose a smaller cart if the cook cannot pass while someone sits.
How to test it
Overlay the furniture in its stored and in-use positions, then check both against the measured plan.
Apply it to this space
- Layout
- Group cooking and cleanup together and reserve a clear landing surface beside the refrigerator.
- Detail
- Use compact, full-extension drawers and continuous under-cabinet task light.
- Trade-off
- Open shelves make a small kitchen feel lighter but expose visual clutter.
- Measure appliance doors when open
- Check counter landing space and task light
The Elixir portfolio
Details worth a closer look
