In this day and age of interior decor fashion dictating that rooms be opened up, a galley kitchen may seem like the last no-no of interior design. Sometimes, however, opening up your kitchen space just isn’t practical for whatever reason.
If this means that the space you’re left with is a long, narrow, slightly unpractical kitchen, fear not, as there are plenty of clever kitchen design ideas that will make the space a warm, welcoming room and a workable area, too.
Open up your Galley Kitchen Space
One of the biggest challenges when creating the perfect galley kitchen is trying to make sure that the room doesn’t feel enclosed. There are plenty of little tricks and tips that custom kitchens can bring to open up a narrow kitchen.
For example, rounded, open shelving at the end of base units will allow the curve of the shelf to visually open up the space. Open shelving could work well at eye level height too, as long as you do not allow them to be filled with clutter.
We also think it’s a good idea to choose your units wisely. For example, we would steer clear of complete floor to ceiling units if possible, as these tend to overpower the room and close the space down. If they are an absolute must, stick to one or two. Fortunately, custom kitchens will give you clever alternatives.
Galley Kitchen Practicalities
One thing you might miss if you currently have a galley kitchen is a dining space. You may think that it’s not possible to include a table in your kitchen design, but have you thought about extending the end of one end of your worktops, with no cupboards underneath and using it as a breakfast bar or dining table?
Don’t always automatically think that bigger is better, either. If the space you have doesn’t allow for an American style fridge freezer, for example, but would work well with an under the counter fridge, go for that instead. There are plenty of slimline appliances nowadays, including dishwashers, so your kitchen doesn’t need to suffer from a lack of mod cons!
Clever Kitchen Design Tips and Tricks
The beauty of custom kitchens is that they can be made to your requirements. Decorating a galley kitchen wisely is key, and so you might want to incorporate some clever kitchen design ideas in your overall scheme.
For example, if you can include a view at the end of your kitchen, do so. By a view, we mean a glass door or picture window, which will allow the space to extend visually into the garden and open it up.
Think carefully about your colour scheme too. White, glossy or light coloured units will always be favoured in galley kitchen design as they will make the space seem bigger. Coordination is also a good idea, with tones copied throughout flooring and even in touches such as blind trims, as long as it’s done subtly and doesn’t go over the top.
A galley kitchen’s small space doesn’t mean that it isn’t workable. All it takes is some clever kitchen design ideas and a bit of love and imagination to make the space ideal. To chat through your kitchen dreams with the people who will bring them to life, get in touch with Aspire.
