Cheapest way to create a kitchenette/wet bar in cottage space?
Hi,
I want to remodel a small cottage on our property. It has this little nook, 55 inches wide, where I would like to create a wet bar/kitchenette. I do not need a full stove or oven, but just a mini fridge, microwave, sink, and counter space to put a coffee maker.
My current ideas are:
1. Demoing the entire shelves there, and purchasing a bathroom vanity and then just placing a minifrdige/microwave combo next to it. Something like this:
2. Demoing the entire shelves and investing in new cabinets. I don't want to do this as I feel it would cost the most...
3. Somehow using what is there to make it work. The shelf right now is only 16 inches deep. I have seen a sink that small, but I don't know where I would put the mini fridge.
Are there other LOW COST solutions?? What would look best?
Thank you!
Comments (12)
PROPatricia Colwell Consulting
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoIs this the only kitchen space ? IMO you need to rip it all out and redesign the space to get what you want in there. This is an actual mini kitchen that closes up when not in use but certainly not cheap but gives you an idea of layout
Evelyn Frazier
5 years agoRelated Discussions
How many days chili plant can survive in wet soil!
Comments (17)you have to understand, tomato cages are not used where i live (croatia), you can't buy them, and making them would cost loads. and honestly, i don't see the point, except for tomatoes grown in containers (which is very very rare here). there are a myriad of simpler solutions, people here sometimes emulate the greenhouse system of tying, by putting in the ground two concrete poles on the opposite sides of the tomato row (we use them in vineyards to attach wire too) and string the wire between them at about 2 m high. then attach a single lead for each plant to that wire and the ground beside the plant. then as the tomato grows just wrap it around the lead, it ends up supporting itself no matter how big or heavy it gets. the thing is, i plant more of them so if a couple die, or get diseased i just don't care. also, i plant a lot of varieties and am not OCD about taking care of them. as i said, some just sprawl around, and i'm happy even if i pick a bit less fruit from them than if i was fussing over every detail and stressing out ( i have chillies for that lol ). i was just explaining this to my mother the other day, she was freaked out by some of the sprawling ones touching the ground : "oooomg why are they down there, you know they'll get diseased! and you didn't prune them, birds will fall from the sky when they fly over your tomatoes! no they won't, over the years i've realized tomatoes are much stronger than we give them credit for, leaving them the hell alone to do their thing is the best fertilizer in the world (as a member on another pepper forum said when i posted the above chilli pictures haha). to get back to tying them up, there is also this tunnel system used here occasionally, which may or may not have netting put over the top of that center line, again relatively simple and effective. about selling produce, i don't sell, would you believe? i cook a LOT of paste and sauces, and interestingly how ever much i make i always run out before the next season's harvest. relatives and friends have gotten used to the "tasty paste" and snag it all away haha. the thing is, here most people are still growing oxhearts (if they are growing anything at all, the "grow your own food" movement hasn't really caught on yet, especially among my generation - under 30), and simple red cherries were considered exotic not that long ago. so when i cook or give away a rainbow of colors from my 30ish varieties it makes quite a bang. about space, i have what would translate to 3.7 acres of land around my house, most of it just empty with some fruit trees and stuff. but planting all that in tomatoes would be insane of course, so i think of it as unlimited space but limited gardener time and energy :D anyhow, to sum this way longer than needed post up, i think one has to decide where their priorities are, and cross reference that with available nerve and happiness amounts. in the middle is what you do to your plants :)...See MoreLayout Help - Kitchen in Beach Cottage
Comments (28)Angela, Your kitchen sounds like it will be a dream for those lucky enough to stay at your beach house. As it happens, I am going to Ocean Isle in a couple of weeks (having looked at beach houses from Sunset to Corova) to stay in a new 6-BR house. We have never gone with more than 2 other families (having gone to the beach every year for the last 20 years -mostly in NC but occasionally in SC), so we have never been more than 12-14 or so. When I go to one of these large luxury rentals, what I expect is a kitchen stocked with enough dishes to feed a crowd (and some non-breakable for the kids), serving dishes, a good assortment of pots and pans (especially one large enough to boil massive amounts of shrimp), 2 good size refrigerator/freezers, 2 dishwashers, coffeemaker, blender (got to make those frozen drinks, you know), food processor, mixer, toaster, microwave, good assortment of utensils, and a good assortment of knives. (I'll think about anything else I would be disappointed not to have.) Anything else is just a plus. As you probably know, most kitchens in beach house rentals in NC do not come with dish detergent, saran wrap etc (although in many there is enough of such items to get one started). I personally do not think you need a bread maker. When my kids were little and we baked, we baked brownies and cookies and usually bought the mixes as we didn't want to waste precious beach time doing anything too complicated. I also don't think you need a jello mold for the same reason. (Jello molds are for jello desserts, although I suppose you could use them to make other kinds of desserts or anything you need a mold for.) If you want, I can give you a report about our rental house's kitchen once I am back. Who knows -maybe I will rent your house next year. Have fun with this enjoyable project!...See Moresugarberry cottage?
Comments (44)Also for aging in place, at some point you may need live-in help, if only a family member who is around to help with things like an older grandkid or something, so while you don’t want too much space, do think in terms of how use of space can evolve over time. If you do have to have live in help, it will be much easier for everyone if they have a nice bedroom and bathroom and sitting space of some kind that is separate from your spaces, because everyone wants privacy sometimes....See MoreA home as display space
Comments (60)Interesting in that I am right now reading a book written by the woman who ran the B&B we just visited. It's a memoir of her experiences and also tips for anyone considering doing it. One of the pluses she mentioned about running a B&B was that it gave you an opportunity to let your creativity and decorating juices run free with decorating the rooms (within reason and she outlines some things that won't fly that she learned along the way). BTW, the B&B was full of collectables, which I loved. The woman had been an antiques dealer and furnished the place with all second hand eclectic stuff. I loved, loved the place but I know some would find it cluttered. She collected antique toys from the 50's. I loved seeing them all around the place but I am a kid at heart. The room was quiet and comfortable, the location excellent, and the food was fantastic, so I had no complaints. In the memoir she says that for her running a B&B is fun (they are almost always booked full up due to their location) but it's not a big money maker. It was something she and her husband did after the kids flew the coop and they already had retired from their first round of careers as college administrators. I have another family friend who ran a B&B for a couple of decades, she and her Mom always had fun decorating the place, which they redid every so often to keep it looking "fresh." But it is a tight market and AirBnB and the like are cutting into it....See MoreUser
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
PROCarolina Kitchen & Bath
5 years ago
mama goose_gw zn6OH
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoI agree with Carolina K&B. It looks as if you can extend the cabinets out to standard 24" depth. After the prep work, I'd go to Lowe's or HD, get an unfinished sink cabinet, 24" wide, which you can paint or stain. Use an inexpensive 18" undermount sink, with a remnant from a stone yard, or use a sealed wood top. Leave space for a 24" fridge. Order a pull-out filler from Amazon (or from whatever supplier has the best price), and use a piece of 3/4 board for the front panel, painted or stained to match the cabinet.
Size a shelf to fit a small MW, and get the upper cabinet that matches the sink base. Paint or stain the same, or mix it up for a cottage-y look. Buy a wine cubby insert for one side of the sink cabinet, and a trash pull-out for the other. Hack the toe kick for extra storage, or have the cabinets custom made by a local cabinet maker.
Without the MW, fridge, and coffee maker, it's not a kitchenette, it's just a place where the artist stores his canvases and cleans his brushes.
6" Rev-a-Shelf pull-out at Lowe's
23" wide mini-fridge at Amazon, SS
20" wide mini-fridge at Amazon, but ...
Oh my gosh, how cute is this? And check out the MW that matches it!
Evelyn Frazier
5 years ago
beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
5 years agoEvelyn Frazier thanked beckysharp Reinstate SW UnconditionallyEvelyn Frazier
5 years agoEvelyn Frazier
5 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
5 years ago
beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally