Options abound for kitchens! In the Reset House, the decision for the final (above) was based on my own particular direction for the home. But I wanted to share some more to illustrate how many just a nine feet long strip of casework can fulfill. Obviously, for any kitchen larger, there are nearly limitless possibilities. Take a look at a concept for a modern kitchen design I recently modeled for one example.
In the conclusion above, the decision was made to include a complete range and oven but only a half size refrigerator and small sink. This is a little out of balance for the average family. These particular selections are designed for two teenagers living in the Reset House on the same property as their parent’s house. They’ll certainly need a microwave and refrigeration space for drinks. A full oven can heat plenty of pizzas and other pre-cooked meals from the grocery store (or perhaps their mother). A small sink is adequate for washing a few dishes and produce. It is likely the microwave will get substantial use, but the burners less often, perhaps only occasionally heating water or a frying pan.
Reducing the kitchen appliances further, the range and oven are eliminated in favor of a toaster oven. Many college students are able to survive for years with this arrangement. A hot plate can be plugged in to complete this limited “kitchen.”
Going the other direction results in a full refrigerator-freezer combination and a double sink. Outside of hand washing the dishes, this is a pretty standard set of basic appliances. Unfortunately, now the counter space is incredibly limited. A fold out table or bar from nearby would be a help in food prep, but this kitchen would be unbalanced for practical use without incorporating the workspace and table areas to assist. Notice that the full size refrigerator requires removing the workspace to open the door, and it still sits in front of the window a couple of inches.
With a dishwasher, the tiny kitchen looks stuffed with stainless steel. The drop-in cutting board in one side of the sink provides a little more work area. As in the previous example, a fold-out bar or worktop would greatly assist in providing more practical work area. The stove is again to the left so that only the oven door is obstructed by the stair for optimal day-night sequencing as discussed in the Reset House article on Overlapping Spaces.
In the most trimmed version of the kitchen, the upper cabinets are replaced by open shelving. These are designed to eliminate vertical supports which is why they are a little thicker than standard shelves. This does not produce much of a space savings, but certainly produces a cost savings. Wall cabinets are more than $200 per lineal foot but shelves less than half that. Across nine feet this produces almost $1,000 in savings. There is less possible savings in the lower base cabinets in replacement with shelves because the counter requires significant support and the boxes of the base do this very efficiently.
This exploration focused on only basic casework configurations and appliances. Kitchen design is full of possibilities. Drawers, special storage racks, trash compactors, clever space savers, lighting, sinks, faucet fixtures, gas ranges, and islands only scratch the surface of the palette of options.
And I haven’t even mentioned finishes. Simple material selections are appropriate for this tiny house. But a larger kitchen would want a more complex palette to expand the tone and character of the space in a house used more than any other.
Continue to follow the articles here or reference the Reset House category to see the entire collection.