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Kitchen Tour: A Slim Galley Gets a Sociable, Storage-packed Redo
This design is a lesson in creating the perfect tiny kitchen for someone who loves both calm order and colourful pattern
The owner of this home had given up on finding a kitchen design to reflect her love of colour and order. She was also reluctant simply to trash the existing – new – kitchen, even though it wasn’t working for her. Interior designer Cathy Dean first helped her client to re-home the old kitchen, selling cabinetry and giving appliances to charity. She then came up with the sort of characterful, well-organised space her client hadn’t imagined was possible. “She was so happy she cried when we presented the design to her,” Cathy says.
Now there was just the not insignificant issue of fulfilling her client’s brief to create a sociable kitchen with bags of storage – in a 2.5m-wide space. “We like a challenge!” Cathy says. Incredibly, the result is an airy yet vibrant room that packs in a hidden breakfast cupboard, two sinks, bench seating, a table for two and more storage than the homeowner was able to fill. Read on to discover how she did it.
Now there was just the not insignificant issue of fulfilling her client’s brief to create a sociable kitchen with bags of storage – in a 2.5m-wide space. “We like a challenge!” Cathy says. Incredibly, the result is an airy yet vibrant room that packs in a hidden breakfast cupboard, two sinks, bench seating, a table for two and more storage than the homeowner was able to fill. Read on to discover how she did it.
Once appliance locations, copious storage and lots of worktop space were factored in, Cathy got to work creating a colourful yet sophisticated scheme that includes two-tone units and terrazzo flooring, colour-blocked zones, and a cosy, dark-hued lounging and dining nook that throws strong pattern into the mix.
To ensure the small space didn’t feel crowded with so much going on, Cathy integrated all appliances for a streamlined look and tempered the vibrant details with chunky white Corian worktops, a pale ceiling and calming oak cabinetry at either end.
Kitchen carcasses made by a local carpenter. Kitchen fronts, Egger UK; tall cabinets in Halifax oak; apricot units painted in Potter’s Clay, Benjamin More UK.
To ensure the small space didn’t feel crowded with so much going on, Cathy integrated all appliances for a streamlined look and tempered the vibrant details with chunky white Corian worktops, a pale ceiling and calming oak cabinetry at either end.
Kitchen carcasses made by a local carpenter. Kitchen fronts, Egger UK; tall cabinets in Halifax oak; apricot units painted in Potter’s Clay, Benjamin More UK.
The layout and use of space in the old kitchen meant there was nowhere to sit and very little work space. “There was also very little storage,” Cathy says.
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The owner – a keen cook – had big hopes for her petite room. As well as plenty of storage and work surfaces, she wanted to be able to chat to people while making drinks or cooking for them.
At the outset, Cathy and her client discussed extending with a side return that would enlarge the kitchen. “She would have lost a lot of her south-facing outside space, though, and it would have made the middle room very dark,” Cathy says. The homeowner’s budget was also tight, and Cathy felt she could fulfil the brief within the existing space.
Cathy knew that reconfiguring the existing units and layout would not deliver what her client wanted. It was at this point they decided to move the old kitchen on, sustainably selling and donating almost every component.
At the outset, Cathy and her client discussed extending with a side return that would enlarge the kitchen. “She would have lost a lot of her south-facing outside space, though, and it would have made the middle room very dark,” Cathy says. The homeowner’s budget was also tight, and Cathy felt she could fulfil the brief within the existing space.
Cathy knew that reconfiguring the existing units and layout would not deliver what her client wanted. It was at this point they decided to move the old kitchen on, sustainably selling and donating almost every component.
This area is at the heart of the layout Cathy came up with. A bench seat has a table that can easily be moved around. “It’s on little feet, so it can slide up and down the bench,” Cathy says. “If you want to lie down, you can push it out of the way entirely, or put it in the middle [for sharing a snack].”
Beneath the bench there’s generous drawer storage. “The whole kitchen is drawer-tastic,” Cathy says. “It’s the very best way to maximise your storage – no rummaging around in the backs of cupboards.”
Beneath the bench there’s generous drawer storage. “The whole kitchen is drawer-tastic,” Cathy says. “It’s the very best way to maximise your storage – no rummaging around in the backs of cupboards.”
“As there are lots of other elements in the room that we wanted to sing, the worktops and splashbacks were something we wanted, basically, to be ‘silent’,” Cathy says of the minimalist Corian surfaces.
“In a galley kitchen, we avoid the ‘base cabinets with wall cabinets’ thing as it [visually] brings the walls in,” Cathy says. As such, the only significant wall feature she included was this slatted structure to hide the extractor fan. She also fitted concealed lighting underneath it to make use of the width and to provide a cosy glow in the evenings.
The hob is an induction model. “We always try to put these in,” Cathy says. “They’re slick and easy to clean.” They’re useful in small kitchens, too, as they can double up as an extra work surface when not in use.
Integrated extractor fan, Neff.
More: Should I Ditch My Kitchen Wall Units?
The hob is an induction model. “We always try to put these in,” Cathy says. “They’re slick and easy to clean.” They’re useful in small kitchens, too, as they can double up as an extra work surface when not in use.
Integrated extractor fan, Neff.
More: Should I Ditch My Kitchen Wall Units?
The design cuts the room into three, with oak doors at either end. “This kitchen is all about colour blocking and section blocking,” Cathy explains. “The cooker hood and cabinets below are the same colour and also line up vertically. The flooring also changes from light to dark terrazzo where the hood is.”
Opposite, the bench seat mirrors the division. “The apricot paint wraps around the opposite wall – it all makes you look at either side of the room rather than just down it,” Cathy explains. This gives the idea of more space than there is.
To keep things streamlined, many of the small details are white – from sockets and switches to the track ceiling lights to the tap. “It’s a lovely white wall here and to suddenly have a different-coloured tap would be like having it say, ‘Hello… I’m a tap!’” Cathy says.
The artwork was picked out of the owner’s extensive collection. The portrait is of her dad.
White tap, B&Q.
Opposite, the bench seat mirrors the division. “The apricot paint wraps around the opposite wall – it all makes you look at either side of the room rather than just down it,” Cathy explains. This gives the idea of more space than there is.
To keep things streamlined, many of the small details are white – from sockets and switches to the track ceiling lights to the tap. “It’s a lovely white wall here and to suddenly have a different-coloured tap would be like having it say, ‘Hello… I’m a tap!’” Cathy says.
The artwork was picked out of the owner’s extensive collection. The portrait is of her dad.
White tap, B&Q.
Previously (though it had been removed by the time this photo was taken) there was a freestanding fridge in the top left-hand corner, along with plastic storage drawers and hanging baskets.
Now, units run right to the end. The door leads to the living room and front door and, off this to the right, there’s a dining room.
Clearly illustrated here, the kitchen contains multiple different wall depths and awkward corners. Rather than going fully bespoke to factor this in, Cathy used standard-size cabinets where she could, and only went made-to-measure where it was absolutely necessary to make the best use of the space, which helped to keep the budget down.
One of the made-to-measure areas is the end corner of the room, seen on the left here, which goes under the stairs and has two different ceiling heights.
Wallpaper, Woodchip & Magnolia.
Clearly illustrated here, the kitchen contains multiple different wall depths and awkward corners. Rather than going fully bespoke to factor this in, Cathy used standard-size cabinets where she could, and only went made-to-measure where it was absolutely necessary to make the best use of the space, which helped to keep the budget down.
One of the made-to-measure areas is the end corner of the room, seen on the left here, which goes under the stairs and has two different ceiling heights.
Wallpaper, Woodchip & Magnolia.
A bespoke rack that extends around the corner was a good solution. “It was a difficult space and this is where bespoke is perfect, as the measurements aren’t standard,” Cathy says.
“We looked at how to make this area useful and thought it would be good for plates/serveware and recipe books. The owner has some beautiful, colourful crockery and we thought this should be on display,” she says.
Cathy designed in a socket here to allow for more mood lighting in the form of a small lamp tucked into the end of the rack.
“We looked at how to make this area useful and thought it would be good for plates/serveware and recipe books. The owner has some beautiful, colourful crockery and we thought this should be on display,” she says.
Cathy designed in a socket here to allow for more mood lighting in the form of a small lamp tucked into the end of the rack.
Up at the other end of the kitchen there’s what Cathy describes as “a secret coffee nook”.
Complete with a worktop, tiny sink and boiling-water tap, this concealed cabinet has pocket doors to save space.
The area of worktop next to the bench seating has decorative pendant lighting and dark walls. “This was about the idea of creating a luxurious corner in the kitchen – like a snug,” Cathy says.
The deep wall colour makes the solid surface recede, creating the illusion of a bigger space, while the low-hung pendants give the impression of lamp light rather than task light, keeping the feel cosy.
The owner stores her best cups and glassware in the drawers below.
The deep wall colour makes the solid surface recede, creating the illusion of a bigger space, while the low-hung pendants give the impression of lamp light rather than task light, keeping the feel cosy.
The owner stores her best cups and glassware in the drawers below.
A view inside one of the kitchen’s many drawers after the owner had filled them.
This is a kitchen of two halves, reflecting – Cathy feels – two sides of her client’s character: vibrant and ordered. “Sometimes our clients say we seem to know them better than they know themselves,” she concludes with a smile.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite space-boosting detail in this compact kitchen? Let us know – and share your own small kitchen tips – in the Comments.
This is a kitchen of two halves, reflecting – Cathy feels – two sides of her client’s character: vibrant and ordered. “Sometimes our clients say we seem to know them better than they know themselves,” she concludes with a smile.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite space-boosting detail in this compact kitchen? Let us know – and share your own small kitchen tips – in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A childcare worker in her thirties
Location Morpeth, Northumberland
Property A three bedroom, one bathroom Victorian terrace on a pedestrianised street
Room dimensions Around 7m x 2.25m
Designer Cathy Dean of Studio Dean
Photos by Susie Lowe
The homeowner had looked for ideas for a kitchen design that would reflect her love of colour and pattern – as well as fulfil her need for order and space – but had found nothing, until she met Cathy.
Before addressing the aesthetic of the room, meticulous planning was key, especially important in such a small kitchen. “It’s always spatial planning first before interior design. We don’t touch a single thing before we know it will all work,” Cathy says.