I hate my kitchen!

[jd_1138]

I literally only have like 5 to 7 square feet of counter space once I subtract all the space taken up by small appliances, dish rack, etc.. It gets filled up fast when I am cooking.

And the kitchen is so tiny that there's no room for an island, and we don't have room for a kitchen table either. And we don't have a dining room, so we have to eat off trays in the living room. I have to carry all the plates, drinks, silverware out to the living room.

I was spoiled when I was out in California helping my mother fix up her new house. Her kitchen is massive with tons of counter space, and there's a dining room next to it with a counter/pass through where you can sit food, walk around and then grab it and place it on the table.

I also miss the 2 bathrooms she has in her house. "My" bathroom was original to the 1904 house and had a super cool claw foot tub, so I could soak my tired bones after 10 hours of construction work. She'd always ask me if I wanted to use her bathroom (with a shower), but I'd say "no, I love this claw foot tub, mom".

Ok, rant over.

 

[creative]

There are some things you can do to maximise the limited space you have there.

I, too, have a small kitchen. When I need more working surfaces, I sometimes open a drawer and place a board across it. Try it!

Also do you know about foldaway wall tables (if it is just you that is dining)?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=f...w=1280&bih=564#tbm=isch&q=foldaway+wall+table

(I can at least fit a small table and chair in my kitchen).

If you know of someone that is a designer, e.g. via a friend, perhaps they could come round
and tell you how best to make use of the space you have - maybe a reshuffle or getting a
smaller version of what you have there.

 

[Rocklobster]

Sometimes I put the cutting board over the sink to have more counter space..

I had an apartment once that was so small I had to go outside to change my mind...

 

[Steve Kroll]

I recently moved into a 1 bedroom apartment after having a huge kitchen for many years, so I can completely relate to your rant.

I can't offer much advice, but I can relate.

As soon as my lease is up, I'm getting back into a house as quickly as possible.

 

[mlyyates]

I know what you mean JD. I also have a very small kitchen. It has room for a small table but you couldn't get chairs around it. One of the things I did was get rid of the table and bought a small chest freezer (5 or 6 square feet I don't remember) and use the top of it for counter space. I also realized all I used the microwave for was popcorn so I got rid of it and just make popcorn on the stovetop. It really doesn't take much longer.

 

[roadfix]

I hate my kitchen too. House was built in 1978. It looks totally dated (even with modern built-in fridge) and doesn't get enough natural light too. It needs new flooring, cabinets, counter tops, and a skylight installed in the very high ceiling. Basically, it needs a complete re-model.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Another small kitchen here!

The less "stuff" you have the more spacious your kitchen will become.

Apply the 80/20 rule to everything you have and keep only the 20% of items you use 80% of the time, improvise the other 20% of the time.

Take a tour around Before & After | Apartment Therapy for some ideas on living in small apartments on a budget.

 

[creative]

I suppose you know how to maximise storage space for drinking mugs and spice racks?

http://liferearranged.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/IMG_5772.jpg

You can buy spice racks to hang from the same position too...admittedly I had to screw 2
'L' shaped brackets onto the frame of the spice rack going into the bottom of the unit. Very basic.

 

[jd_1138]

I suppose you know how to maximise storage space for drinking mugs and spice racks?

http://liferearranged.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/IMG_5772.jpg

You can buy spice racks to hang from the same position too...admittedly I had to screw 2
'L' shaped brackets onto the frame of the spice rack going into the bottom of the unit. Very basic.

Great idea! No, our kitchen is not set up well at all. All the spices sit on top of the stove/oven.

I also want to install a rack in the ceiling to place pots and pans.

 

[roadfix]

Apply the 80/20 rule to everything you have and keep only the 20% of items you use 80% of the time, improvise the other 20% of the time.

We also have too much junk in the kitchen. My wife follows the 20/80 rule, not the 80/20. ...lol...

 

[LPBeier]

The only thing about our place I hate is the kitchen! It is a really tiny galley kitchen and can get pretty cluttered pretty fast.

I put dish racks away as soon as dishes are taken out of them (I don't have a lot of hand-wash dishes). I have a pantry cupboard next to the kitchen which holds all appliances (except microwave and my KA mixer) when they are not being used. The Coffee machine is on the buffet beside the kitchen, etc. We also got a sink that has a fitted board for the large side.

There is still a struggle when I am making cakes or a large meal, but with rules in place it works.

Having said that, we are planning to sell again and are holding out for a place with a large kitchen!

 

[Aunt Bea]

We also have too much junk in the kitchen. My wife follows the 20/80 rule, not the 80/20. ...lol...

It's a constant battle in my little apartment!

 

[creative]

Interesting to read that so many of us struggle with lack of space in our kitchens but are keen cooks.

My brother has a large spacious kitchen - complete with island, black granite work surfaces etc. Does he cook? Occasionally - what a waste!

 

[Aunt Bea]

A couple of items I have found to be helpful in my small apartment are these folding racks. I have a tall one that I use for a bar, server, extra counter space etc... and a low luggage rack that I press into service as a coffee/tea table. The top is usually my large bread board with a cloth draped over it. When they are not in use they are tucked into the closet.

 

[Cheryl J]

I can't say that I "hate" my kitchen, but I would like it to be a little bigger and open to the living room where the TV is. No room for an island, but the countertops are adequate because I don't keep a lot of stuff on them. I like that it faces east so I get morning sun from the window over the sink that overlooks the back yard, and I can keep an eye on my grandson when he's playing outside.

The dining room is off the kitchen, that's where my table is, and there's a slider to the patio so there's plenty of light. I don't plan on making any major changes anytime soon, I live alone and it works for me.

 

[Dawgluver]

My kitchen, while not huge, is perfectly adequate for me. I have a mobile island, but the top of it is sort of a catch-all for all sorts of non-kitchen stuff like vegetable seeds, drill bits and wood screws, and jewelry parts.

 

[roadfix]

That's another thing I don't like about my kitchen. It's not an open design. The kitchen is not open to any other room (dining room, family room, etc) in the house except to a circular breakfast nook. I don't like my kitchen.

 

[creative]

My kitchen is small but I don't dislike it as such....it has plus factors like a table and chair plus small TV. I do wish I had more working surfaces but it just means more careful planning, i.e. not having out too many ingredients, putting them away directly after use etc. Adaptation is key.

 

[rodentraiser]

I'll trade any of your kitchens for mine. My kitchen floor space is 7x3. If I stand in the middle of my kitchen, I can stir something on the oven and stir something in a bowl on the chopping block across the room at the same time.

First you walk in through the door and 7 feet away in front of you is the fridge. To the right is a 20" stove, next to that, 2' of counter space, next to that, the sink. On the left is a 17" wide hutch with 3 drawers that I use to store my dishes and silverware in. Next to that is my 2' chopping block. To get into my room, you have to squeeze past the fridge and the chopping block, but I have a dead corner there and so I've gotten a pot stand and that's where my pots and pans go. Other ones are hanging under the chopping block.

I have a small single cupboard above the stove that I don't use because it's too high for me to reach. I have another double cupboard above the sink where all the food goes. I have one of those sink racks with a paper towel holder and a shelf for the sponge behind my sink. It goes all the way across the only counter I have, but that's OK - that puts the paper towels over the counter and not over the sink. I keep a small lamp, my recipe box, salt and pepper, napkins, dish soap and hand soap on it.

Under the cabinet over my stove, I've screwed in a bar and then I ordered a bunch of S hooks. That's where all the utensils hang. As many of them as I can get up there. To the right of my stove, I made a spice rack and that hangs on the wall right next to my stove. I keep three large canisters on top of the hutch and 4 more smaller ones across the back of my chopping block, along with a blender that sits on the corner. My measuring cups are all hanging above the chopping block on the wall and as soon as I can find hooks small enough to hold them, I'll have my measuring spoons up there too.

I keep a couple large bowls and the dish drainer on the fridge. I was able to squeeze my coat rack next to the fridge so I have a place to hang my purse and keys when I come in. I use the back of my door for a bulletin board and a calendar. At one time I thought I could get one of those over-the-door racks with shelves, but this is an old building and the doors are about 6" thick, so no door rack would fit over it. My chopping block has a shelf underneath and I keep all the pans and casserole dishes and cookie sheets there that I can't fit in anywhere else.

On the wall above my sink, I took two sticky hooks and strung a rope between them, and that's where I hang the dish towel. Under my counter is an open space and that's where I keep the garbage pail. My only work areas are my 2'x2' counter and the 2'x2' chopping block, and only on the space not taken up by sink racks and canisters. My hot pads are currently hanging on the oven handle, but I think I'm going to get those up on the wall, too.

I gotta tell you guys, if you have a walk in closet in your house, it's probably bigger than my kitchen. So if anyone wants to trade, give me a ring!

 

[roadfix]

Small, or even tiny kitchens are fine as long as they're practical. I grew up in Japan and lived in their typical homes and apartments with tiny kitchens.