Sensible Style: Small Kitchens, Big Splurges

Sensible Style launched in July to answer your questions about how to get the most out of your kitchen. …But what if your kitchen is totally teeny-tiny? Consider yourself lucky. Kitchens like these give you the opportunity to splurge on higher-end products, even on a smaller budget. While it’s more challenging to squeeze the storage and work space you need into tighter kitchens, it’s much, much easier to add style without breaking the bank.

Let’s take a look at making your small kitchen live large, stylistically-speaking.


Custom Cabinetry

In a medium or large kitchen, custom cabinetry can be a tremendous expense. In a small kitchen, this expense is far less, since there are fewer cabinets to order and install. So the benefits start to outweigh the costs. These benefits typically include:

• Soft-close, full-extension drawers and roll-out trays to maximize storage usability
• Soft-close doors for quieter operation
• Custom widths that increase storage capacity and reduce unsightly fillers
• Exposed furniture-style ends
• Deluxe joinery
• Superior, multi-step, hand-applied finishes
• Lifetime warranties on construction and finish

This small kitchen features Wood-Mode Fine Custom Cabinetry’s Brookhaven series

Performance Countertops

Regular readers of this blog know that I’m a big proponent of engineered stone countertops. They offer the heat and scratch-resistance of granite, but with a non-porous, stain-resistant finish that never needs sealing. Sensible Style is all about easy maintenance and these tops, often called quartz, offer that feature. They also offer a manufacturer’s warranty, which I consider an added benefit. The only drawback to these engineered tops has been their cost. Typically higher than granite, they are a large expense in a large space. For those clients with smaller kitchens – and less counter space – they move into the affordable range.

Engineered stone countertops like this one from Zodiaq offer easy maintenance, stain resistance, durability and a manufacturer’s warranty

Backsplash Bling

Backsplashes offer a phenomenal, high-visibility way of adding style to your kitchen. And with less square footage to work with, you can splurge on designer tile without breaking the bank. To create a Sensible Style-oriented focal point, be sure that the look and colors of your new backsplash integrate well with the overall feel of your kitchen.

Backsplashes add a style note to your kitchen. Shown here is Cappricio in Tasmania Green by Ann Sacks

Heavenly Hardware

Fewer cabinets also means fewer knobs and pulls. That means you can splurge on great-looking hardware without burning through your budget. Use knobs or standard-spread (3 to 4 inch) pulls to introduce some creativity into your kitchen. If you tire of them later, (or want to take them with you when you move), it will be easier to replace them with something else down the line.

Make a design statement with your cabinet hardware. This installation showcases styles by Soko

Finer Faucets and Fixtures

Sinks and faucets are often selected later in the design process and so they may be subject to harsher budget cutting. Smaller kitchens with their smaller budgets give you the chance to get higher-end items in this category.

If you’re going to undermount a stainless steel sink in stone tops, you’re going to want a better quality fixture as they’re very difficult to replace later on. Look for an 18-gauge or 16-gauge model. (The builder-grade stainless sink you once had and detested was likely a 20 or 21; the lower the number, the better the quality.) Other great sink options include durable, easy-maintenance granite and fireclay.

Faucets can be stylish as well as functional, and a terrific splurge opportunity. Look for added-value features like integral filtration, sensors, coordinating soap dispensers, hot water dispensers and high-arc pull-outs for easier pot cleaning.

Silgranit Performa Sink by Blanco offers durability, easy maintenance and optional clean-up accessories

Upgraded Appliances

The larger kitchens I design often have two dishwashers, 48" or 60"-built-in refrigerators, double ovens, warming drawers, along with specialty cookers like steam ovens and convection microwaves, wine captains and ice makers. Simply stated: Small kitchens don't! A typical condo or cottage kitchen will have a range or cooktop with single oven below it, 30" to 36" fridge, single dishwasher and, maybe, a built-in or overe-the-range microwave. The bad news is, your wine and ice need to fend for themselves. The good news is, with the shorter appliance list and smaller appliance sizes, you can afford higher-end selections.

Here are some ideas to consider:

• Select a microwave oven that also includes convection cooking and warming capability, to combine three appliances into one efficient unit.
• If you're not a serious, volume chef, consider a 24" range, rather than the standard 30" model. This will give you more storage and counter space. If you occasionally like to delve into cooking, you can shop for a portable induction cooktop burner that can be stored when you're not using it.
• If your household is very small, consider an 18", rather than standard 24" dishwasher for the same space and countertop enhancing purpose.
• Consider a French door refrigerator, rather than a side-by-side or single door model. The French door will maximize your fresh food storage capacity, (and handle catering trays, which a 36" side-by-side won't do). Its narrower door swing also works better in tighter spaces.

French Door refrigerators, like this countertop-depth freestanding model from GE Monogram, can be ideal for small kitchens

Luxe Lighting

Your smaller kitchen needn't feel like a cave. Enhanced lighting will give it the illusion of greater size, while improving your ability to work in the space. You can opt for a luxurious ceiling fixture, as you'll likely need just one, rather than two to four to top large double islands. You can also go for high-quality LED lights below your wall cabinets to illuminate your counter tops. They are pricier, but you'll need fewer of them, and they may outlast your stay in the home. You can also look for the types of LED lights that install just below countertops to illuminate drawers, and those that go into deep, dark base cabinets to make it easier to find your stored items.

Small kitchens typically call for just one dramatic ceiling light, rather than multiples. This one from Rejuvenation

Elegant Embellishments

Another advantage of small kitchens with fewer cabinets is that you can opt for some of the luxuries that would be far pricier in a large kitchen. These include stacked moldings to the ceiling, glazes, distressed finishes, decorative glass inserts and corbel-style bar supports for traditional kitchens. Small contemporary kitchens can take advantage of exotic woods, stainless accent pieces, and premium lacquer finishes.

The stacked molding, fluting, and furnished cabinetry ends would have been much pricier in a larger kitchen. I designed this one for a client's island getaway home

Final Thoughts

I expect that my next kitchen will be much smaller than my current one, as I anticipate downsizing in the next year. With some clever planning, I know I can overcome the storage shortcomings. And I'm actually looking forward to the design opportunities described here! (Look for a future series on the remaking of a designer's own kitchen!)



Visit the Sensible Style box on the right column for links to all the posts in this ongoing series.

ISLAND FEVER II - EQUIPPING THE DREAM

Aruba. Bermuda. Barbados. Microwaves and wine chillers. Wait, what??? Yes, it's island season, that time of year when your thoughts turn to holiday entertaining and holiday escapes.

Maybe you're looking for an escape from an over-crowded kitchen, too. Will adding an island provide an idyll for this hardest-working room in your house? Let's consider the possibility.

Last week, you read ISLAND FEVER I: SIZING UP YOUR OPTIONS, and determined that you can make an island work and that you're going to make the investment. You also determined how you want that space to function. After proper sizing, function planning is the most important aspect to making an island pay off for you.


AGAIN, ASK YOURSELF WHY

In Island Fever I, I mentioned the following reasons for adding an island to your kitchen:

* Increase your kitchen storage
* Add an additional work zone
* Add a specialty function - e.g., baking center
* Facilitate a Kosher lifestyle
* Add an entertaining center

Read no further before you decide what role your island will play in your kitchen improvement. Any one of them is fine - you can even come up with something else on your own - you just need to define its job before you proceed.




INCREASE YOUR KITCHEN STORAGE

If increasing your storage capacity is your primary goal, determine what will "live" in that space and how best to access it. For example:

* Your existing drawers are overflowing: A trio of four-drawer banks, each with built-in organizers, tame the clutter.

* You just got married and need room for your beloved's cast iron skillet collection, your Calphalon set and your wedding registry's All-Clad: You opt for base cabinets with roll-out trays in each, and a ceiling-mounted pot rack for the ones you use most often.

* You got a juicer to get healthy and need space to store it, along with all the fruits and vegetables you're going to blend: One base cabinet with a built-in knife holder drawer and roll-out trays for the juicer's accessories, one with a lift for the heavy juicer itself and a dual drawer under-counter refrigerator for the fruits and vegetables you'll be juicing.


ADD AN ADDITIONAL WORK ZONE

What tasks does that work zone need to perform. Will it cook? Clean up? Prepare meals? Re-heat? A well-equipped work zone will encompass strategic appliances, appropriate counter top material and well-appointed storage, (as shown in the juice-making example, above). Here are two examples:

* Your island clean up station has a deep sink, garbage disposal and pull-out faucet, a dishwasher and pull out dual trash bins for garbage and recycling. The cabinet holding the sink has a rack for your cleaning supplies. A narrow, open cabinet next to that features a pull-out rack for your dish towels. If space allows, you also have a divided, deep drawer bank for your Tupperware collection, so that left-overs can be conveniently gathered and sealed.



* Your island cooking station is equipped with an induction cooktop, countertop-mounted pot filler, convection-steam oven, (my December '08 Gold Nugget Award winner), ceiling-mounted ventilation hood and warming drawer - everything you need to get dinner on the table, at whatever time everyone eats. It also includes a base cabinet with top drawer organizer and roll-out trays to keep your cooking essentials at hand.


Both of these work stations feature quartz countertops for durability and easy maintenance. Despite their well-respected heat resistance, you keep a trivet nearby for hot pots and pans if all of your induction burners are occupied.


ADD A SPECIALTY FUNCTION

These are always fun to plan, because they cater to the homeowner's passions and bring together the client's inspirations and designer's knowledge in a true partnership. Here are two examples:

* The island baking center has a convection-steam oven, base mixer stand cabinet, tray base for cookie sheets and three-drawer base with top drawer organizers to separate measuring spoons from whisks and whisks from spatulas and dividers below to hold your measuring cups, mixing bowls and other baking favorites. You also opted for a non-porous, engineered stone countertop for rolling your dough and easy clean-up afterward.

* The entertaining center features U-Line's ice maker/fridge/freezer, which I featured in my Multi-Taskers posting last summer, and a dual-zone wine captain. It also includes a bar sink and a three-drawer bank for accessories like wine charms, corkscrews and bottle openers (above) and deep divided drawers for non-refrigerated bottles below. If desired, shallow storage on the back allows for a raised standing bar and spot for serveware. If seating is preferred, factor in serveware storage in a more accessible spot. A decorative glass top, like those from ThinkGlass, offers a splashy focal point for an entertainment center island. It also offers easy clean-up. Handsome focal point alternatives could be wood or concrete. Unlike glass slab, both require some maintenance to preserve their integrity and beauty.




STYLE NOTES

An island gives you a great opportunity to upgrade your kitchen and even add some much-needed style to a dated space. However, since the island and the rest of your appliances and cabinetry share the same visual space, you're best served by coordinating looks, not clashing.



Here are a few tips for the most common builder kitchens I've encountered:

* Let's say your kitchen has golden oak cabinets, dark green laminate countertops, dark tan floor tiles and black appliances. Your island can feature dark green or black painted cabinets and paneled appliances in a similar door style. The dark green cabinets would look great with black tops, and vice versa. Select hardware for your island and add it to the cabinets on the periphery. If the island features a prep sink, choose a bar faucet and a companion main faucet to replace your existing one.

* Let's say your kitchen has white laminate cabinets, white appliances and a light, flecked laminate countertop. Your floors are a beige tile. Choose one of the accent colors in the laminate flecked top, (e.g., light blue or light green) and opt for painted cabinets in that color. Choose a light, solid-color top and paneled appliances.

* Let's say your kitchen has faux walnut cabinets, almond appliances, beige tile tops and floors. If your budget doesn't allow for tearing it all out, replace all your appliances with stainless ones to add some brightness; choose painted black island cabinets to tie into the darker tones in the walnut-grained ones surrounding it, (and coordinate with future replacements), and opt for a solid-toned cream-colored slab countertop. Update all the hardware and faucets with stainless, as well, for more shine. A nifty - extremely durable - sink to consider is one of Blanco's Silgranit models in its handsome Café Brown. It'll tie in with your existing brown cabinets and remind you of how far you've come when you finally replace them!


FINAL THOUGHTS

Adding an installed island to your kitchen is likely to invoke local code issues. Be sure to engage a local professional to ensure that your island is properly wired, plumbed, equipped, sized and planned. This will provide you and future homeowners with a safe, enjoyable addition to your home.


PHOTO NOTES

AGAIN, ASK YOURSELF WHY: This island really cooks. It features a hood, oven, cooktop and Brookhaven semi-custom cabinetry from Wood-Mode, featured on the company's web site.

ISLAND CLEAN-UP STATION: This large island that I co-designed for a local family features a dishwasher, trash center, sink and convenient storage for baggies, tin foil, Tupperware, etc.

ISLAND COOKING STATION: This island features a Miele DA424 hood that elevates when not in use, preserving views and conversation sight lines for the cook.

THE ENTERTAINING CENTER: This island features a bar sink, a full suite of entertaining-friendly appliances and a strikingly-beautiful ThinkGlass countertop, shown on the company's web site.

STYLE NOTES: Your island doesn't have to match the rest of your kitchen, but it should coordinate. Here's a beautiful example featuring Dynasty by Omega semi-custom cabinets from the manufacturer's web site.