Blend Africa: Clever Ideas for Small Kitchens

Blend Africa knows that a small kitchen can still be a great kitchen. The trick is making sure every centimetre earns its place.

One of the biggest advantages of a modular kitchen is that it can be planned around your space and the way you actually use it. You’re not stuck with a one-size-fits-all layout. You can mix and match cupboards, drawers, storage, appliances, colours and finishes to create a kitchen that works for you.

And this is one area where it pays to be brave. Choose what you like, not just what you think you should like. After all, your kitchen is somewhere you’ll use every day, so it should make you happy too.

Lindy Goodbrand from Blend Africa puts it simply. “Say no to beautiful, but impractical kitchens and don’t underestimate small spaces.”

She’s right. A compact kitchen needs to look good, but it also needs to work. There’s nothing worse than a kitchen that looks fabulous in a photograph but leaves you with nowhere to put the pots, pans, chopping boards and everything else that somehow ends up in a kitchen! The answer, of course, is clever planning. Pull-out storage, internal accessories, deep drawers and tall units can make a huge difference, particularly when floor space is limited.

Here are a few of our tricks worth stealing:

GO TALL

If you don’t have much floor space, use the walls. Tall cupboards can give you a surprising amount of extra storage.

THINK INSIDE THE CUPBOARD

The space behind a cupboard door doesn’t have to be wasted. Pull-out baskets, organisers and drawers can keep everything tidy and easy to reach.

GIVE APPLIANCES A PROPER HOME

Think about where you use your kettle, oven, microwave and other appliances before finalising the layout. It sounds obvious, but getting this right makes everyday life so much easier.

KEEP WORK AREAS CLEAR

In a small kitchen, too much sitting on the worktop can quickly make the room feel cluttered. Good storage means you can put things away when you’re finished with them.

ADD SOME PERSONALITY

Small kitchens don’t have to be all white and neutral. A colourful island, splashback or a few well-chosen finishes can bring the room to life. Pick something you love and have a little fun with it.

Today’s kitchens often do much more than cooking. In smaller homes especially, the kitchen can flow straight into the living or dining area.

It’s a clever approach when space is tight because furniture doesn’t necessarily have to have just one job.

If you prefer a clean, uncluttered look, you can hide plenty of practical storage behind simple doors. Full pull-out drawers and baskets can house everything from pots and pans to chopping boards and everyday kitchen essentials.

There are also handy internal solutions, such as a pull-out chopping board and deep pan drawers, which keep the things you use regularly right where you need them.

And that’s really the secret to a good compact kitchen: make the space work harder, without making it feel busy.

Blend Africa offers practical solutions for making the most of compact kitchen spaces. 

Visit Blend Africa for more.
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