“Home idea with IKEA”: small yet noticeable kitchen

They say the kitchen is the heart of your home. And for this week's heroines it seems to hold true. Dija and her daughter Toma from Vilnius view their kitchen as more than just a place to cook. It's where they relax, chat, invite friends over and spend most of their free time. Despite the multifunctional role, the family is not entirely happy with the current state of their kitchen space. Interior designer Asta showed up to help them renew.

Before the renovation

The 9-square-metre kitchen had a lack of storage space, with many items stored on open shelves, inside glass door cabinets, on top on top of them or on the worktop. As a result, there was a constant feeling of clutter in the room. There was no dishwasher in the kitchen, which made the chores less pleasant. The only thing the family wanted to keep was the fridge in bright red colour.

Interior designer‘s task

To make the family's life easier by finding space for a dishwasher in the small kitchen.
To add more drawers so that every item can find its place and the space is uncluttered.
To make the room cosier to spend time in every day.
To fulfil Dija's wish for bright accents and colour contrasts in the kitchen.

More colour, space and comfort

The right furniture helped to enlarge the small kitchen. By combining METOD kitchen cabinet frames, it‘s easy to design a kitchen in exactly the size and shape one needs. Our interior designer decided to move the family's old fridge to another wall and fill the remaining space up to the ceiling with cabinets and drawers of different depths. She deliberately chose different colours for the fronts of the upper and lower cabinets: the white VEDDINGE fronts in and the black NICKEBO ones look extra modern and, together with the red accents, create the contrast desired by the owners of this kitchen. The fronts also serve to hide some new appliances: the oven, the extractor hood and the dishwasher.

METOD kitchen system is covered under a 25-year guarantee, while kitchen appliances are covered under a 5-year guarantee.

Three levels of storage

It is common to have two rows of cabinets in the kitchen. But after installing the drawer units on the floor and hanging a few more cabinets above the worktop, we realised that there was room for a third row right under the ceiling. This is the perfect place for cookware and kitchen utensils that are needed less often.

In the absence of electrical outlets in this kitchen, we employed smart solutions to install lighting above the kitchen cabinets and dining table.

Deep kitchen drawers can be fitted with lower inner ones. These are handy for neatly storing frequently used cutlery and cooking utensils.

The UPPDATERA holders keep plates from sliding around when you open and close drawers, protecting them from bumps and broken edges. Also useful when setting the table for a big feast, as you can easily carry all the plates to the table in the holder.

A separate drawer for spices is a convenient solution for those who cook a lot. Simply put your spices in uniform CITRONHAJ containers and mark them with labels. It will look nice, and you will always have the right spices at hand.

UTRUSTA pull-out work surface is the perfect solution if you lack a work surface in your kitchen. It doubles as a large chopping board when needed and makes gathering of cut produce or food waste effortless, when combined with an additional container.

A stylish way to avoid water waste

A modern BOSJÖN kitchen mixer tap is both nice to look at and practical. It has an integrated aerator that keeps the water flow just right and helps lower water- and energy-use – so you can lower your bills while pouring, washing and rinsing.

“Even a small kitchen can have a complete waste sorting system. Position the waste sorting bins near the sink, as this this is where majority of the waste is generated. To save space a few waste sorting bins can be conveniently placed under the sink.”

Asta Sušinskienė
IKEA interior designer

Even though the kitchen is small, the interior designer still managed to find space for a dining area. To make it cosier and more comfortable, the usual wooden chairs have been replaced with upholstered BERGMUND chairs neatly placed around the NORDVIKEN table, which can be extended if more guests are expected.

The wall space above the dining table was turned into a place for extra storage and decorations. Here, we have several open ENHET shelving units. They’re made of powder coated and galvanised steel that withstands many years of use, even exposed to humidity.

For easy access to the cabinets above and the items stored inside them, it's useful to have a step stool or stepladder in the kitchen, which can even serve as extra seating.

“Embrace the use of colours and textiles in kitchen interiors, breaking free from any perceived taboos. All you need to do is follow simple guidelines, such as ensuring curtains are not placed near the hob for safety reasons or opting for a restrained colour palette, incorporating only a few hues. In this kitchen, the predominant colours are black and white, creating a striking contrast, while red works as a vibrant accent.”

Asta Sušinskienė
IKEA interior designer

Would use so help?

If you'd like to renovate your home without a big investment or major repairs, you can always ask our interior designers for help. With your input and home furnishing style preferences, whether it be traditional or modern, our professionals will help you navigate our wide range of products and create a complete furnishing solution for one or multiple rooms, or for your entire home.

Have you missed this episode on TV3?

Watch it here, track all makeovers and get inspired.

What was done before?

In previous seasons, IKEA interior designers shared their tips on how to furnish odd spaces, adapt homes to changing life situations, and organise all belongings. We have organised kitchens, children’s rooms, and bedrooms, set up a home office in the living room, furnished a tiny one-room apartment, upgraded premises for family business, and so much more.