Closed Kitchen Floor Plan Ideas
A closed kitchen design encapsulates the cooking space separate from living areas. As closed kitchen layouts gain favor for their practicality and privacy, how can you make a compact floorplan both stylish and functional?
An enclosed kitchen allows you to limit mess and noise. This liberates the rest of the home for lounging and entertaining. A closed layout also lends itself well to small homes, apartments and open concept designs.
Benefits of Closed Kitchen Floor Plans
Enclosed kitchen designs offer unique advantages over open plans:
- More cost-effective as less money is allocated to the kitchen, allowing for investment in other areas of the home.
- Safer and cleaner due to better ventilation and containment.
- Reframes the home hierarchy, allowing living, dining, and patio spaces to become the main hubs for family life.
- Allows for a more feminist-friendly space as women are not expected to constantly be in the kitchen.
- Increased privacy for those enjoying quiet meals or working from home in a separate living space.
For urban apartments and modest family homes, a self-contained culinary space can be the best use of limited square footage. The following tips help you make the most of a compact cooking area.
Design Considerations for Small Closed Kitchens
When planning a closed kitchen layout, functionality and workflow should be the priority. Storage, lighting and appliances need thoughtful arrangement within confined dimensions. Consider the following:
Limited Space
While open kitchens boast airs and graces, enclosed layouts are the thriftier option. Prioritize functionality over aesthetics to make the most of every inch.
Lighting
Without an airy open plan, lighting is essential in a closed kitchen. Incorporate task lighting under cabinets to illuminate workstations. LED strips behind floating shelves create ambient glow. For apartments lacking windows, light-colored cabinetry can help brighten up the room.
Ventilation
Proper ventilation controls humidity and odors in an enclosed kitchen area. Optimize natural airflow circulation where possible. Built-in range hoods offer a sleek integrated solution where space is at a premium.
Appliance Placement
Be scrupulous when it comes to kitchen appliance dimensions. Measure available space before purchasing items. Prioritize must-haves like the fridge, oven and dishwasher first. Situate them conveniently to streamline the cooking process. Consider incorporating appliances into cabinetry to save counter space.
Layout Options for Small Closed Kitchens
Finding the right floorplan is elemental to a functional closed kitchen design. The following formats make savvy use of modest square footage:
Galley
This narrow, corridor-style layout suits slender spaces. The lengthwise design provides abundant base cabinet and countertop room. Fridges bookend opposite ends, facilitating traffic flow between sink, stove and prep zones.
L-Shaped
An L-shaped enclosed kitchen efficiently utilizes corners. The elongated counter design ensures plentiful serving and cooking room. Place the fridge nearest the closed end for convenient access. This leaves the length open for appliances like wall ovens and dishwashers.
U-Shaped
A U-shaped kitchen makes excellent use of available floor space. All appliances, cabinets and counters encircle the room for a fully-fitted functionality. The layout enables smooth transitions from sink to cooktop to prep area and back in a continual workflow circle.
Storage Solutions for Compact Closed Kitchens
Unused vertical planes help compensate limited floor space in an efficient closed kitchen design. Think ceiling height and empty walls for smart storage additions like:
Cabinetry
Take cabinetry up to the ceiling with upper units on full-height walls. Opt for custom built-ins to utilize awkward sloping ceilings and eaves. Open shelving offers handy landing pads above eye level.
Shelving
Mounted ledges and wall-mounted rails with S-hooks add storage options. Floating shelves make use of higher altitudes above counters and appliances. Consider glass-fronted displays for pretty tableware presentation.
Drawers
Wide and deep drawers store more than standard cupboards. Optimize corners with angled drawers that make use of dead space. Divided cutlery and pan drawers organize essentials. Pull-outs maximize base cabinet storage capacity.
When designed thoughtfully, closed kitchen spaces can feel inviting rather than confining. The following tips help infuse personality and style.
Decorating a Small Enclosed Kitchen
While a closed kitchen prioritizes function over flair, you can still infuse charm and personal style. Clever furnishings help maximize eating nooks or mini banquettes. Floating shelves introduce color and texture through ingredients and cookbooks. Bold backsplashes and patterned flooring add eye-catching visual appeal. Task lighting illuminates artwork displays. Housed separately from living zones, closed kitchen decor can be more adventurous than conservative open plan palettes.
For cramped homeowners, opening up an enclosed kitchen may seem the solution for space and storage shortfalls. Yet for many, knocking down walls is out of budget. Luckily, there are affordable ways to upgrade existing floorplans.
Refacing upgrades cabinet facades for a fraction of full replacements. New pulls, hinges and finishes revive tired millwork. Replacing worn worktops and old tile injects contemporary style on a dime. Clever organizers - like corner lazy susans, vertical storage racks and drawer dividers - streamline inside cupboards and drawers. Light interior paint colors stretch dimensions in windowless kitchens. Uplighters cast ceilings in fresh ambiance. The savviest renovations work with existing parameters through clever solutions and cosmetic lift.
A closed kitchen layout, when thoughtfully designed, offers homeowners optimal functionality. Compact dimensions demand smart appliance placement and storage solutions for streamlined meal prep and cleanup workflow. While less glamorous than airy open plans, there are plenty of ways to infuse efficiency and style when planning cooking zones in modest floorplans.