Small kitchens are also known as kitchenettes or galley kitchens. If you don’t have enough space to build a large kitchen or you simply don’t want one, you can go for a kitchenette. You can learn more about kitchenette design ideas here.
A small kitchen is not everyone’s choice. But sometimes due to a lack of space, you have to go with it. On the other hand, some people just don’t want to waste floor space in kitchens. That’s why they build small kitchens.
Whatever the reason, if you are willing to build a small kitchen, you have to know its pros and cons. So in this article, we will talk about the pros and cons of small kitchens.
Pros of a Small Kitchen
There are a lot of advantages to having a small kitchen. For example:
Less Clutter
Having a small kitchen means you have to deal with less clutter or debris. In a large kitchen, there are a lot of chambers in the cabinets on top or below. All the chambers have a lot of things like dishes, food ingredients, etc. This results in a lot of clutter.
But if you have a small kitchen, that means there will be less clutter. So cleaning or getting rid of the clutter will be easier for you in a small kitchen. If you are a single person living in a city apartment, this is the perfect choice for you.
Fewer Dishes to Clean
If you don’t have too much storage to keep your dishes, you will not buy too many dishes. It’s a simple fact. However, when you don’t buy too many dishes, you won’t have too many dirty dishes. When you have three or four plates, you always use all of them before cleaning.
Now imagine if you had a lot of space in the kitchen. Then you would have a lot of plates, say ten plates. Then you would always use all of the plates before cleaning. And when you start to do the dishes, you would find a lot of uncleaned dishes and it would be frustrating for you.
Saving Space
If you are living in a small apartment, space is what you always crave. I know how it feels to live in a small apartment where you can’t even walk properly. On top of this space crisis, if you have a large kitchen it would be more annoying for you.
But if you make a small kitchen in a small apartment, then you can save a lot of space. By doing so you can make space for walking freely inside your apartment or make space for a cabinet or a storeroom. However, if you don’t have any problem with small kitchens, having one will surely save a lot of space for you.
Working Faster
A large kitchen requires more maintenance. There are more cabinets and more items in a large kitchen. The more the items the more you have to work to keep them clean. That’s why having a small kitchen will reduce the amount of work you have to do to maintain the cleanliness of the kitchen.
Also, in a small kitchen, everything will be within the reach of your hands. If you want to boil something on the stove and at the same time do the dishes, you can do so without moving around too much. This is hardly possible in a large kitchen. That’s why it takes more time to work in a large kitchen.
Not Getting Tired
Having a large kitchen demands a lot of work. So as you can guess, you’ll tire out more often. Maintaining a large kitchen is always more difficult than maintaining a small kitchen.
In a small kitchen, there are fewer items to clean as well. There are small cabinets so there will be less dirt and clutters. So cleaning a small kitchen is easier and you will hardly get tired by working in a small kitchen.
Cons of a Small Kitchen
The disadvantages of having a small kitchen are:
Not Enough Storage
If you need large storage for keeping your dishes, groceries, food ingredients, etc. a small kitchen is not going to be of much help. So the biggest problem you are likely to face is the lack of storage.
But if you are willing to store a lot of items in kitchen cabinets, you have to install additional shelves/racks/countertops. Which is likely to be very costly. So without expansions or proper pre-planning, small kitchens will always have ‘insufficient storage’.
Crowdedness
In a small kitchen, it is hard for two or more people to work simultaneously. If you are living with your family or if you have roommates, and many of you have to work in the kitchen at the same time, it would be problematic.
Also, you cannot put a dining table in a kitchen. And even if you can, it won’t be big enough to fit a lot of people at the same time. So, having a small kitchen will give less space for people.
Overstuffed
There are a lot of items that we put in the kitchen. For example, the refrigerator, the oven, the sink, the stove, and more. However, it is hard to keep all these things in a small kitchen. Even if you keep all these important items in the kitchen, it will feel overstuffed. Making you feel congested. So if you are not willing to work in a congested kitchen, do not plan for a small one.
Safety Issues
You will always have to be careful when you work in a small kitchen. Because all the items are very close to each other in a small kitchen. When you are boiling something on the stove, if you are not careful while moving inside the kitchen, you may hit and drop the boiling bowl and hurt yourself or others.
Conclusion
So, to conclude, small kitchens have their perks. They’re easy to maintain and operate, saving a lot of floor space. But considering the lack of storage, safety, congestion, and safety issues, you may have to think otherwise.
