Single wall kitchens are a popular choice in smaller footprint homes. They create a more open floorplan and help to make the home feel larger by joining cooking and living spaces together. While aesthetically pleasing, this style of kitchen does present challenges. With only one wall to work with, a lot of space for cabinets and appliances simply does not exist. Placement, choices and design are all important if you want to make your single wall kitchen look beautiful and function the way your family needs it to.
Functionality for Your Family
A single wall kitchen is ideal for the family who enjoys socializing. With cooking space so open to the rest of the home, it invites mingling while one person spends time in the kitchen, at the stove, and everyone else gathers in the adjoining room. While this space is ideal for those who desire open plan living, a bit of forethought makes it easier to blend the style with the lifestyle of the family.
The Kitchen Layout
In order to make great use of a limited amount of counter and storage space, the layout of the kitchen is extremely important. Place appliances where they make sense. For instance, a refrigerator on one end of the kitchen and a stove at the other end with long counters next to the stove/oven combo to allow plenty of room for prep and placement of food once prepared.
Upper Cabinet Design
Upper cabinets should extend all the way to the ceiling, and if your ceiling is high enough, consider adding a bridge of additional cabinets above your upper cabinets for storage of items that you are not likely to need often. This type of bridge cabinet also creates texture and different dimensions within your space.
For lower cabinets, incorporate things like deeper cabinets with pull out drawers, a lazy Susan, wicker baskets for root vegetables and smaller wire shelving to allow organized stacking of smaller items.
Breaking up the Design for Visual Appeal
Breaking up this design so that it does not appear like a solid wall of cabinets is possible when you incorporate open cabinets, glass door cabinets or even shelving. This provides you with cabinets to hide things away that you do not want seen and open spaces for displaying more attractive or decorative pieces.
Selecting the Right Appliances
Since room for counter space is already quite limited, maximize it by selecting appliances that have a smaller footprint. Single wall kitchens are not the best choice if you want an 8 burner stove, side by side double oven or 33 cubic foot French door refrigerator. Also, consider the noise level coming from your appliances. A noisy dishwasher or high volume microwave might not be the best choice with such an open floor plan that allows sound to easily bounce from room to room.
Islands and Breakfast Bars
If your single wall kitchen still leaves you feeling like you need more counter, seating or prep space, consider adding an island to finish off the design. A stationary or portable island increases usable space in your kitchen and acts as an attractive accent piece in your home. Alternately, you might consider a small breakfast bar or even a freestanding table depending on how much space you have to work with.
Single wall kitchens are often worth considering in smaller homes, but proper design and organization of the space is imperative. If the idea of tearing down walls in your kitchen has you intrigued, discuss this option with your Alair Homes general contracting professional to see if it is the right decision for your home.