Countertops for small kitchen
I bought an apt with a tiny tiny TINY kitchen similar in layout to the one in the first photo (you can see the actual hideous monster in pic 2). There isnt much space to work with, and everything is on one wall. I want to update the old laminate countertop (w/ sink) to something nicer, but having a hard time finding any real options. Been to IKEA, Lowes, Home Depot, and have been told my one counter doesn't meet the mininum square footage for them to come out and do the counter. I plan to eventually knock down the wall and expand the kitchen and will re-do all the tile/backsplash, get bigger appliances, and maybe add an island or bar when I do (won't be for about another year or two), but for now I just need it to be in decent enough shape for me to live with/look at. Is it really this difficult with small kitchens? With tiny houses and micro apartments being so trendy recently, I'm surprised it's such a challenge finding a countertop for a single base. Is there some secret way to go about this that I'm just not privvy to? Where do people with small kitchens get pretty stone/stone looking countertops? I've looked into salvaged/leftover reno materials, but I'm not finding anywhere near NYC to check out. If you know a spot, or if you have any creative workaround solutions, please let me know!
Comments (13)
Sherry Brighton
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Calling small kitchen owners/small space layout problem solvers!
Comments (22)Continuing to beat the dead horse. Whack! Whack! I'm sorry about this, if the realities of the house structure means this layout simply isn't possible then just ignore me. It is just that I think there is the possibility of a kitchen that is far more functional than the current plan. If you're going to live with this kitchen for many years, the $600 cost of replacing the refrigerator (appx price for 30'' wide Frigidaire left-hinge top-freezer) or the $2,000 (?) cost of modifying the basement stairs (assuming a basic rough carpentry stair run, not a finacy finished stairwell) seems money well spent, in order to double the useful workspace and get well-defined, separate work zones. The wash zone is to the left of the sink, where a full-size dishwasher lives. Dish storage can be across the aisle, if the lower and upper cabinets are deep enough. Dirty dishes go immediately to the wash zone, without even passing through the rest of the kitchen. The dishwasher door might block traffic, if so you could consider dish drawers which still stick out but are easy to slide in and out. The prep zone is to the right of the sink, something like 80 inches of unbroken counter. Room for a trash pull-out, drawer storage for prep tools and supplies, and then some drawer storage for food staples. If the upper cabinets are used for food too, that lower-right corner functions as a sort of pantry. If the refrigerator sticks out, a sort of blind-corner cabinet arrangement may be needed. The refrigerator is adjacent to the prep zone, so that the prepping cook has everything in reach. Some people like to have the microwave in the prep zone. The cook zone is across the aisle. One person can be cooking and two others washing and prepping, without crowding each other. Plenty of landing space on either side of the range. The lower-left corner could be small appliance storage, home for a microwave or toaster oven, maybe a baking center since the counter can be decently deep. I think the kitchen will also ''feel'' more spacious since you won't have a big refrigerator looming right in the center of it, cutting apart one counter and blocking the sightline....See MoreDark vs Light Countertop in Small Dim Kitchen --Help!
Comments (6)Cosmos Spring Carnival Frieda, I understood OP to be saying KD recommends either light tones or white for all surfaces but she's afraid of an all white kitchen for her situation. Magic, I recall some discussion of Spring or Winter Carnival on this forum. Try searching Kitchens with those terms to see if you can retrieve them. I have a small, but very naturally well lit kitchen in the country. All surfaces get dirty in mud season with animals, light or dark, right? If you haven't scrolled through Houzz kitchen photos, filtering for wood cabinets, putting every kitchen you like without thinking into an ideabook on your houzz page, do that. Then, look back and see if there are countertop/cabinet patterns. I think it comes down to how each counter works with your cabinets. If you could post photos of those, you'll also get feedback....See MorePlease help. Small budget, small family home kitchen partial remodel.
Comments (14)Perhaps I wasnt clear. I'm looking for layout suggestions because Im aware that I need to add countertop and cabinents. L or galley? I like this color, I'm not repainting. Kind of pointless to add a backsplash when money needs to be spent on cabinets. no? The color is not an issue it's the lack of cabinets and countertops. Pantry cabinets to the left of the fridge would extend into the doorway. So you would turn into the kitchen and into the side of cabinetry? I'll add additional images with measurements. Currently there is a double sink and the plans reflect a single sink. Yes the stainless appliances are the new pictures....See MoreFor small kitchen quartz countertop owners
Comments (10)My quartz countertop is about 2 months old. I have been obsessively careful with hot items. The toaster and the Mr. Coffee coffeemaker don't generate much heat on the bottom, so they are ok. The Cuisinart air fryer--hot air jets out the back towards the quartz backsplash which does get warm, so I put another cutting board there. The Instant Pot didn't get too hot on the bottom, but I will put it on something when I use it or put it on my stovetop. The problem is the slow cooker. Made bean soup yesterday and had the crock pot on 2 plastic cutting boards, but to my horror the counter still got quite warm, and not just under the pot but the whole area, and it held the heat for quite a while. No harm seems to be done, but next time I use the crock pot I will do it on the stovetop or washing machine which is in the kitchen. After the slow cooker experience, I know I need to get some of the heat resistant mats as mentioned above by Newkitchen above. Those plastic cutting boards I'm using seem to transfer heat rather than protect the counter....See More
megs1030
2 years agotedbixby
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoJackie Cruz
2 years agoMrs Pete
2 years agomegs1030
2 years agoJackie Cruz
2 years agotedbixby
2 years agoJackie Cruz
last yearHere's an update for anyone who may be interested. Cleaned and painted the upper cabinets, and replaced the appliances and the base cabinets (they were moldy and falling apart). The only problem I'm having is finding doors for the base cabinets that match the uppers, so for the time being I just added a "skirt" using two cheap curtain panels. Looks a bit busy and the fabric isn't very flowy, but wanted to keep the cost down and make sure the fabric would hold up to any water/spills/stains, etc. Maybe i just need to trim down the fabric a bit. Either way, will have to do until I can get around to a proper gut reno.
socks
last year
happy2b…gw
last yearJDMCCL
last year
Kendrah