Edinburgh Small Kitchen Installation


Small kitchens don’t need to appear pokey or cluttered.


Get the most from kitchen installations in small spaces

Many Edinburgh flats are saddled with relatively small kitchen spaces. With careful planning, the right kitchen fitter and some creative thinking these can be made to feel deceptively spacious and easily accommodate all accoutrements required by keen home chefs.

Contact HomeForce on 0131 315 0000 to arrange a quote from an accredited Kitchen Fitter.

Here are HomeForce’s tips for getting the most into (& out of) small kitchen spaces.

  1. Reach for the sky
    • High Shelves:
      • Edinburgh Tenement flats will frequently have high ceilings.
      • Rather than only fitting wall cabinets consider fitting shelves above them to store less frequently used items.
    • Use the Ceiling:
      • If there’s limited cupboard space consider hanging pots and pans from the ceiling.
      • Hooks attached to a Clothes Pulley could do the trick.
  2. Shelves, shelves and more shelves
    • No dead wall space:
      • If a bit of wall space will take a shelf – and not be a hindrance – don’t leave it bare. Even small shelves for herbs and spices save space.
    • Under as well as over:
      • Don’t just put things on the top of shelves, hang things such as mugs or cooking utensils from the underside
    • No floaters (Floating Shelves):
      • Kitchen shelves need to be able to take weight.
      • Floating shelves are great for displaying ornaments but are not designed for heavy crockery or cook books.
    • Add Cabinet shelves:
      • Base or wall cabinets from kitchen suppliers usually come with just one internal shelf.
      • You could end up with shelves in cupboards stacked so high that you can’t use what’s in there
      • Or instead just ask your kitchen fitter to cut more shelves and fit them in cupboards.
      • Shelf height can easily be adjusted (by moving the dowels) so one extra shelf can add a third more storage capacity.
  3. Hang ‘em high
    • Think beyond just putting things on shelves. Lot’s of redundant space can be utilised hanging things.
      • Hang things on the inside of cupboard doors
      • Hang aprons and oven gloves rather than storing them in drawers
      • Hang wine on the under side of fridge shelves
      • Think creatively even for hanging; magnetic knife holders will hang knifes far more space efficiently than a knife block.
      • Even think about hanging things from the underside of cabinet shelves.
      • How about hanging baskets to keep fruit, vegetables or bread?
  4. Cupboard Love
    • Drawers in cupboards:
      • Do away with cupboards and use drawers or use cupboards with drawers inside. Particularly useful to ensure things don’t lie at the back of a cupboard unnoticed for years.
    • Corner cupboard gadgetry:
      • Kitchen manufacturers have all kinds of clever mechanical devices to ensure space in the corner of a room can be used.
      • Be sure to search around for one that will suit you.
    • Upwardly Mobile:
      • Cupboard doors don’t need to open out.
      • If space is tight consider doors that will open upward
  5. Quick Fire (A few other suggestions)
    • Add work space with a pull out or flip up work top / counter. A good kitchen fitter can make something in keeping with the rest of the kitchen.
    • Wall mount taps:- If pipes can be run behind walls to the sink try putting taps (and spout) on the wall rather than taking up valuable counter space.
    • Use roller blinds instead of curtains or, if windows will take it use “perfect fit” blinds
    • Use fridge magnets, adhesive & magnetic chalk boards to keep lists and recipes cut from magazines tidy rather than have them scattered round the kitchen.

Every kitchen installation is different.

What works in one kitchen won’t work in another. The above ideas take no account of the aesthetics; to which we’d say consider:

  1. Lighting
  2. Reflective surfaces
  3. Minimising  colour combinations.

Get these right and the kitchen can feel far larger than reality.

To arrange for a consultation with a fitter of small kitchens (as opposed to a “small in stature kitchen fitter”): –