Creative Elegant Cooking Areas in Small Spaces with Galley Kitchens
A galley style kitchen may be small in size, but they are extremely functional and useful for areas that lack a lot of space. You can use a lot of creative tips and transform a simple galley kitchen into elegant and functional spaces.
Galley Kitchens – Efficient Elegance
Originating from Frankfurt, Germany in 1926, galley kitchens generally have kitchen units, platforms or counters, running parallel to each other in a rectangular sort of space. To save space and make the maximum use of storage, the cabinets are built overhead the counters. Airplanes and ships make use of galley kitchens, obviously because space is a constraint there. Another way to define a galley styled kitchen is to call it an U-shaped kitchen. It is a common myth followed by people that because of its size, this kind of kitchen cannot be used effectively. With a huge range of designs and styling techniques available today, a galley kitchen can be made perfectly functional and elegant. Careful planning and architectural tricks will also help to bring out spaces that would otherwise get lost. In fact many households actually prefer having galley kitchens rather than other styles, even when there is plenty of space.
Galley Kitchen Designs – Functional Utility
When it comes to galley kitchen designs, remember that colors and lights play a major part in it. Next, you have to make sure that the already small space does not look overcrowded, stuffed and about to burst with appliances, the refrigerator, dishwasher, trash can, etc. What you can do is use cabinet panels to conceal them. One of your major challenge is space, be it storage space or aisle space. Since most galley spaces are found in condominiums or apartments, you do not have the liberty to enlarge the space by removing a wall, or pushing them out or removing columns, etc. You have to make use of the space you have and that too creatively, allowing everything to fit in together and not look out of place or loud. An important aspect is to attach proper lights. Overhead lamps, sconces, spot lighting can be used, with mood settings to control them the way you want. Mirrors add the illusion of space, especially if you fix them in beautiful frames and hang them opposite a window. If you don’t want to go with mirrors, add mirrored backsplash instead. Most galley kitchen designs make use of lighter colored cabinets, walls and counters. This makes the small space look much bigger than it is.
Galley Kitchen Remodel – Ideas
It is not easy to bring a lot of space out during a galley kitchen remodel, but with smart designing and creative ideas you can make the most of even the little spaces you get. For one. use overhead ceiling cabinets or shelves, that are placed above your kitchen countertop. Hang them up as high as possible, utilizing the area beneath to hang pots and pans and other utensils. Pull-out shelves are very space saving and even the narrowest of spaces can be used for storing stuff, like spice boxes, pasta containers, cereal, pulses, rice, sugar, flour, etc. Keep your countertops clutter-free. Most kitchens have the stove-cum-oven fixture and then you need extra space for your microwave. Change that by purchasing a microwave with inbuilt baking facilities, replace your stove for a light-weight gas burner stove and utilize the space beneath to store your trash compactor and a garbage disposal under the sink. But make sure you keep the nasty pests away. Keep the floors uniformly tiled, and use light colored walls. Keep the kitchen clean and don’t use a lot of rigid lines.
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