Small Spaces by Christine Brun

You really don't have to wait for the perfect house to improve function in your kitchen. While you might wish for an enormous kitchen, often the best chefs can function perfectly well in a compact yet well-planned area.

I've interviewed restaurant owners who design their own kitchens, and a surprising number have little kitchens. Success, in their estimation, can depend on roll-out drawers that hold pop-up food processors or perhaps open shelves that allow them to grab the necessary baking pan or saute pan in one quick motion.

If you take the time to analyze exactly which pots and pans you use all the time, you may be surprised to learn that you need only a couple of sauce pans, frying pans or baking dishes. In the middle of prep, you might take just 30 seconds to wash a pan or a cutting board and then reuse it. When I remodeled my kitchen, I did gain more storage, but most of that was due to the fact that I eliminated duplicate equipment pieces. There is a kind of joy that comes from being well-prepared but not over-encumbered by stuff.

In the pictured bungalow kitchen, the island can only be between 24 and 30 inches and not the grand size we often find in larger kitchens. However, the basic function is saved: There can be a small prep sink and adequate workspace on either side of the sink. A prep sink might be as small as the typical bar sink at 12 inches by 12 inches, but if it has a garbage disposal, the size is not a stumbling block, from a functional point of view.

You might consider a rolling island if your kitchen won't allow even the 30 inches depicted here. Check out a Ballard Designs Creston island, which is 48 inches long but only 20 inches deep. From Walmart to Pottery Barn to Williams-Sonoma, there are affordable off-the-shelf ways to create a better work area without a total remodel of your kitchen. I particularly love the zinc-top, rolling Abbott island, 50 inches wide by 28 inches deep and 36 inches high, from Pottery Barn, for its rustic styling.

Perhaps in your kitchen, a drop-leaf table might work out better if you push it up against a wall and raise only the leaf when you need to spread out and work. Another inexpensive way to gain a very narrow work surface might be to scout out a sturdy hall table or a sofa-back table. The height will generally be only 29 to 30 inches, so you might want to then put another top on top of the table. Provided the table is well built, it should be able to support a piece of granite or butcher block that can add another 2 inches in height. Search the stone yards for remnant pieces. Years ago, few yards would bother to sell small pieces of marble or granite, but these days, I would imagine you can negotiate for a scrap more easily than in the past.

Another way to easily improve function might be to install shallow shelves above a work area. Lots of good cooks like their measuring cups, small glass bowls and plates stored on open shelving. While traditional chrome restaurant shelving remains popular, remember that it is generally 18 inches deep, and that might exceed the optimal depth for a tiny kitchen. Instead, check out all of the options from sources like Ikea, Pottery Barn, Ballard Designs or even Target and Walmart.

I like the idea of adopting Target's Chrome Microwave Cart for a tiny rolling island. It is 21 inches wide by 15 inches deep and 34 inches high. The top is solid rubberwood, and the body and three shelves are shiny chrome — just like restaurant shelving. Don't exclude antique malls or community garage sales either, because sometimes, quirky, one-of-a-kind items can easily transform your kitchen too.

Christine Brun, ASID, is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of "Small Space Living." Send questions and comments to her by email at christinebrun@sbcglobal.net. To find out more about Christine Brun and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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