Tiny kitchen lives large

2020 ASID NJ Silver Award for Design Excellence - Small Kitchen

The refrigerator in this tiny 11' x 10' kitchen was on the back steps landing. The inefficient layout did not provide enough counter workspace or comfortable access to the dining room, basement or back yard. The appliances needed replacing.

Without enlarging the footprint, the new layout makes use of all 4 walls, bringing the fridge into the kitchen. The openings between the kitchen and dining room, and kitchen and basement/back door stairs were widened. The windows were reconfigured: the one looking over the backyard garden was enlarged; the side window was removed to provide privacy from neighbors and venting for the range. We carefully planned small scale versions of storage and organization upgrades found in larger kitchens. For example, a tall pull-out food pantry is 21” wide instead of 30". When a 36" corner spin cabinet couldn't fit we installed a "blind corner" swing out pot/pan storage unit. As usual, we installed an 18" double bin trash/recycling pull out cabinet. The microwave is on a cabinet shelf and off the countertop.

Bright white cabinets pair with gray porcelain floor tile, gray & white engineered stone countertops, and handmade pale blue 3x6 backsplash tile. The handmade Motawi accent tile above the range is an unusual asymmetrical design. The clients wanted to keep their dining room colors and wallpaper so we selected materials to work with those colors, and our expert paperhanger patched the wallpaper so you can’t even tell where the work was done.

The Sherwin Williams paint is also hardworking. The eco-friendly GreenGuard certified Emerald Interior Acrylic Latex paint has excellent scrubability and inhibits growth of mold and mildew. The deep blue (Blustery Sky SW 9140) shows off the white cabinet molding, especially above the sink window.

SIZE: 110 square feet

General Contractor: European Craftsman, LLC