A kitchen with an area of 10 square meters is not in vain «golden mean» – this is a sufficient amount of space for arranging a comfortable, ergonomic and visually attractive area for cooking, dining and even relaxing for the whole family. With the right layout, a 10-meter room can be arranged in such a way that there is enough space not only for the necessary set of storage systems and household appliances, but also for placing a comfortable dining area. If for a foreign owner of an apartment or house a kitchen with an area of 10 sq. m is rather an average option that makes you think about the lack of space, then for our compatriots such a base for cooking and eating food is just a godsend. Most of us are used to small kitchen spaces of apartments built in the last century with an area of 6-6.5 sq. m, where literally every centimeter had to be cut out. But do not rush to fall into euphoria from the presence of a sufficient number of square meters – and a medium-sized room can be cluttered with excessively large furniture or the wrong choice of layout. Let’s take a closer look at the options for the location of kitchen furniture in spaces of different shapes and configurations..
The choice of the layout of the furniture ensemble
There are not so many options for organizing a kitchen set in a 10-meter space. Still, you need to prioritize correctly, find out the needs of your family and have a clear idea of the possibilities of the kitchen space. The following factors will influence the choice of the method of planning furniture and household appliances:
- the shape of the room (square, rectangular, asymmetrical, strongly elongated, etc.);
- the location of the room in relation to other rooms of the dwelling (whether the room is a walk-through, adjacent to another space);
- location and number of window and doorways (in apartments the situation is almost standard, but in private houses, options are possible);
- the location of engineering systems and the possibility of their transfer if necessary (water supply, sewerage, gas pipeline);
- the size of the family (the arrangement of furniture for a bachelor and a family with small children or elderly people can be strikingly different);
- the amount of household appliances that you would like to integrate into the furniture ensemble (someone needs a dishwasher in addition to the stove, refrigerator and oven, while others have nowhere else to build a washing machine).
Corner (L-shaped) layout of the kitchen ensemble
The corner layout of the kitchen set is a universal way of arranging furniture and household appliances, which is suitable for almost all forms of premises, except for a highly elongated passage area. The L-shaped layout allows you to place a sufficient number of storage systems, household appliances and work surfaces at the lowest cost of usable kitchen space. With such an arrangement, the easiest way to follow the rule of the working triangle is by placing its imaginary vertices (refrigerator, hob and sink) on opposite sides, but within walking distance.
Compliance with the ergonomics of the working triangle allows not only creating a comfortable and safe environment for performing various work processes, but also spending a minimum amount of time and effort on them. In any case, it is necessary to adhere to the rule of positioning the hob or cast in relation to the sink at a distance of at least 50 cm (it is best that they are separated by a countertop of at least such dimensions).
Another advantage of the corner layout is the ability to install a full-fledged dining group in a space free of furniture. At the same time, your family will not be prejudiced by the number of storage systems and household appliances. Corner cabinets located above and below the sink (if this functional segment is located in the corner of the room) are incredibly spacious, as a rule, they are equipped with a pull-out or swivel storage system.
Corner headset with peninsula
The advantages of a corner layout are enhanced by adding a peninsula to the headset – a module, one of the sides of which is attached to the wall. In addition to the fact that the peninsula provides additional space for embedding household appliances (sometimes even sinks) and storage systems, its countertops are often extended to provide space for short meals. A small family (for example, a couple of young people) can use this rack as the main food intake area.
U-shaped furniture layout
The layout of the furniture ensemble with the letter P allows you to arrange the maximum possible number of storage systems and household appliances in a medium-sized kitchen. If you have a large family and a large number of cabinets and various fixtures are needed to organize order in the kitchen space, then the U-shaped layout is your option. In a square room, such an arrangement of the furniture set will even allow you to install a small dining area in the center (a compact round table and light chairs). In a rectangular, elongated room, this will not be possible, and to organize an area for eating, it will be necessary to allocate space in the living room or equip a separate room.
With a U-shaped layout, it is also easy to fulfill the conditions of the working triangle by placing the refrigerator, sink and stove on opposite sides of the furniture set. At the same time, the hostess (owner) will not spend a lot of time moving between strategically important elements of the kitchen space..
A U-shaped layout in a small room can look quite heavy, especially if the upper tier of kitchen cabinets is located from the ceiling itself. Designers recommend replacing the top level of closed cabinets with open shelves or racks, you can also combine storage systems, creating an interesting and more visually pleasing image of the kitchen space. The same effect can be achieved when using fronts with glass inserts for the upper level of cabinets.
Parallel layout headset
For walk-through rooms, a parallel layout is an ideal option for arranging furniture and equipment. If the space is strongly elongated, then having placed storage systems and household appliances on both sides of it, there is only room for passage and movement between important work areas – there will be no area for installing a dining table. But if in an almost square room with door and window openings on opposite sides, you can arrange two parts of the kitchen ensemble in the same way, then in the center of the room you can place a small (preferably a round) table for meals of a small family.
One-row (linear) layout of furniture and appliances
A one-row layout is usually used if there is no possibility of arranging a corner set (a door or window opening interferes) or a family is small and a small number of storage systems and household appliances will be enough. As a rule, a single-row furniture ensemble is placed along the long side of the room (for a rectangular room). With this arrangement, there is enough space in the 10-meter space for the location of the dining area with a spacious table or a kitchen corner with a comfortable soft sofa.
If for you the kitchen is not only a place for cooking and gathering the whole family once a day for a joint meal, but also a room for gatherings with friends, arranging dinner parties and even a place for parties, then a compact one-row layout will be the best option..
Medium kitchen colors
Designers recommend using mostly light shades for small kitchen spaces, diluted with bright or contrasting dark accents. We all perfectly understand that all shades of white are able to visually expand the space of the kitchen, create a light, almost airy image of the room. But at the same time, the total use of light colors for the decoration and furnishing of the kitchen area can lead to the creation of an uncomfortable interior, similar in sterility to the operating room. In order to avoid unpleasant associations, you just need to dosed to add colors, contrast to the light room.
One of the easiest ways to dilute the snow-white surfaces of the kitchen is not easy, but also to bring warm flavor to the design of the room is to integrate wooden elements (or their spectacular artificial counterparts). In combination with a white tone, a beautiful natural pattern looks especially advantageous, positive and even festive..
Kitchen facades made of wood on a white background finish – «classics of the genre» for the kitchen. No matter how the fashion for design changes, there will always be lovers of such a traditional combination. And there are many reasons for that – the time-proven scheme works great to create an outwardly attractive, cozy, but at the same time practical image of a room in which it is convenient to cook food and it is pleasant to sit with the whole family.
Another striking companion to white in modern kitchen spaces is black. Dosed use of a dark tone in a snow-white idyll allows not only to create the centers of focus of attention necessary for the gaze, but also to make the design more structured, clear, and sometimes dramatic. Black can be used for countertops, the bottom row of kitchen cabinets, flooring or a pattern on a kitchen backsplash, decorative elements, lighting fixtures. But it is important to understand that dark surfaces in the kitchen space will require more effort from you in terms of cleaning than light interior elements..
White, woody and black – three surface options, «juggling» which, designers around the world create an incredible number of projects. Skillfully combining only these three types of surface designs, you can create interesting, fresh, practical and at the same time attractive looks for modern kitchen spaces. If, in addition to an interesting image, you are also interested in the visual extension of the 10-meter kitchen space, then use darker shades in the lower part of the room, place colorful natural tones in the center, and exclusively white color closer to the ceiling.
If it is important for you to use white for the decoration of the ceiling and walls of the kitchen, as well as the facades of the furniture set, use the color in the flooring. Dark, contrasting flooring will not only add variety to the color palette of the room, but also help to visually create clear boundaries of the space. Floor tiles with a variegated pattern or laid out according to the principle of a checkerboard will become a highlight of a bright interior and help to give originality to the trivial image of the kitchen.
A bright kitchen apron is a simple and incredibly winning way to create an accent in a crisp white kitchen. This can be either variegated ceramic tiles or mosaics, or patterns on glass wall plates or PVC sheets..
Almost all pastel colors can be the basis for creating an attractive and comfortable kitchen in a 10-meter space. Even using light shades of mint, vanilla, cappuccino and beige. On a white background, the decoration of the kitchen space will look advantageous. Such kitchen facades will add originality to the kitchen area, without prejudice to the freshness and lightness of the image of a bright room..
Combining a white tone with any colorful color in the performance of a kitchen set leads to an interesting image of the kitchen space. Use white fronts in the upper tier of cabinets, and colored fronts in the lower tier and you can, among other things, achieve a visual increase in the area of the room. But it is important to take into account the effect of the influence of one color or another on the psychological state of a person. For people constantly dieting, it is not recommended to use red and bright orange colors in the interior of the kitchen – they contribute to an increase in appetite. But all shades of blue reduce appetite, but create a cool atmosphere in the kitchen. Beige and gray have a neutral effect in the interior design of the kitchen space. Calm and relax most shades of green, in addition, such a palette gives freshness and spring mood to the interior.
In recent years, the use of models of household appliances made in a retro style in the interior of a modern kitchen is gaining popularity. In addition to the original design, such devices are most often made in a colorful, bright color and become not just accent spots of the neutral image of the kitchen, but its highlight. Just one piece of furniture (for which, however, you will have to pay much more than for the standard model), and what a splash of color and design ideas, variety in the interior and an increase in the uniqueness of the entire image of the room.
Decor will help bring brightness to the resulting color-neutral image of the kitchen. The easiest way is to use wall decor in the form of bright plates or a panel (which will be easy to clean), assembled from multi-colored glass or ceramic elements. Another uncomplicated way to diversify the color palette of a light kitchen is to use colorful textiles. Bright upholstery of the kitchen corner, curtains or curtains on the windows, or kitchen towels simply thrown over the handrails and oven handle can change the image of the room. But it is important to understand that in a space of small size, it is necessary to dosed to apply similar design techniques.
In the English country style there is such a technique for arranging a kitchen space – painting the walls and facades of cabinets in one (or similar in shades) color. Most often, shades of blue, green or gray are chosen. The colored kitchen looks very original, but at the same time it is comfortable for everyone in such a space – both households and guests of the apartments. In our country, there are also adherents of using such techniques in the arrangement of the kitchen – you can find both ready-made furniture solutions in the salons, and order an individual project for a pre-selected room decoration.
