Loading
Loading
Every Inch Counts — We Make Them All Work
Small kitchens are one of our specialties. Whether you have a compact galley in a Port Chester row house, a narrow kitchen in a Yonkers co-op, or a smaller-than-ideal kitchen in an otherwise wonderful older Colonial, the challenge is the same: make the space function better, feel larger, and look beautiful — without the option of simply adding more room.
Vertical storage is the first principle of small kitchen design: full-height cabinetry (to the ceiling at 96 or 108 inches) provides dramatically more storage than standard 30-inch upper cabinets without using additional floor space. Pull-out pantry columns beside the refrigerator, stacked drawers instead of base cabinets, and interior organization accessories (drawer inserts, pull-out shelves, door organizers) maximize every inch of available storage. Visual expansion is the second principle: a continuous countertop material extending to the backsplash without a change of material reads as a larger surface. Light colors on cabinetry and walls expand the perceived space. Undercabinet LED lighting eliminates shadows and brightens countertop surfaces, making the kitchen feel more open. Removing upper cabinets on one wall and replacing them with open shelves opens the visual field significantly in a small kitchen.
The galley layout — two parallel runs with a corridor between — is actually one of the most efficient small kitchen layouts when the corridor is at least 5 feet wide. The key is making every inch of wall surface work: pull-out pantry columns, integrated appliances (undercounter refrigerator, microwave drawer), and extending the counter runs to the full length of the available wall. For L-shaped small kitchens, the corner is critical: a pull-out corner system (Hafele Cornerstone, Blum Lemans) converts an inaccessible blind corner into a fully usable storage area, recovering 15–20% of the cabinet count that would otherwise be lost. Where a small kitchen can be opened to an adjacent dining room — even partially — the perception of the kitchen's size improves dramatically. Even a 24-inch-wide pass-through opening changes how the space feels.
Absolutely. Some of the most beautiful kitchens we have completed are small — the constrained canvas focuses attention on material quality and detail. A small kitchen with well-fitted custom cabinetry, a stunning stone countertop, and excellent lighting can be more impressive than a large kitchen with mediocre materials.
Over-furnishing: trying to fit an island into a space that cannot comfortably accommodate one. The minimum clearance for an island is 42 inches on all sides — if those clearances cannot be achieved, a peninsula (attached to a wall or counter on one end) or a movable cart is a better solution.
Visit our showroom at 7 Memorial Dr, Chappaqua or call (914) 297-4280. Free in-home consultations throughout Westchester, Rockland, and Bergen Counties.