Small space living suggestions needed

Painted cabinets? No doors on the cabinets?

One thing that is easy and makes a kitchen great is under cabinet lighting. I vote you do that.

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Could you get a cabinet like Galliver mentioned and put that on the 26" dining room wall as a coffee bar, for the Keurig/kettle and mugs? If large enough, the microwave might go there as well. I know that dining room is getting cramped with the Hoosier cabinet & plant shelves already in there, but itā€™s a thought anyway. It happens to be exactly what I did in my last place that had a similar amount of counter space.

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I have a moderately small kitchen in a small flat (430 sqft I think? Though I have it configured as just a 1 bedroom so it feels spacious enough). Key things for me in the kitchen/ surrounding area:

  • I bought a fridge/freezer that had more freezer than fridge space so that I could batch cook more easily.
  • I make extensive use of the top of my over-counter cupboards and fridge to keep things that I donā€™t use all the time, such as my crockpot - so I donā€™t have appliances out cluttering the countertops most of the time and just retrieve them when Iā€™m going to use them with a little foldable step stool (e.g. Small Grey Step Stool | Dunelm)
  • I will say that I think your diagram looks like storage is going to be the biggest issue - totally agree with everyone saying that nearby additional storage looks like a good idea!
  • I use a fold-down dining table ( John Lewis & Partners Butterfly Drop Leaf Folding Dining Table and Four Chairs) to save space- I am particularly glad I found one where the chairs fold away as well, thatā€™s really helpful. Iā€™ll have one leaf out if itā€™s just me eating, but maybe you could just use your cabinet for that?
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One clever idea I have seen for chest freezers in small spaces is to get one that can substitute for something else ā€“ say an end table next to a couch ā€“ and cover it with a pretty piece of cloth. Not convenient if you need to access it every day, but workable for a once a week load up/transfer to a fridge freezer.

Alternatively, maybe somebody you know has a garage you could put one in/have access to? Again, not convenient for every day, but could become part of a weekly routine.

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You can have my mugs from my child dead fingers! (Jkjk I know no one is after my mugs/to each their own. I am impressed. :heart:)

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I think I would consider skipping a dining table/dining room entirely. Maybe keep a folding one under the couch or a gate leg as some have mentioned. Then you could use most of that 91" wall for cabinet/counter space.

Remembering some lessons from my grandparents Moscow apartment (<400sf). I donā€™t necessarily recommend living in this way but damn if they didnā€™t fit a lot into a small space!

  • tiny kitchen had a small table against the window with stools (not chairs!) that went underneath. There was just enough room on each side of the table to sit/stand by the stove.
  • nice dishes (China, glassware) lived in a China cabinet in the living room
  • the entryway/hallway was lined with bookshelves
  • the living room had 2 full walls of storage, open and closed, including bed linens forā€¦
  • the couch/futon that my grandparents unfolded to a bed every night.
  • folding table was under the couch for company. It was set up against the couch and people sat a bit low or used pillows. Stools from the kitchen, the desk chair, maybe folding chairs filled out the seating. (Note: coffee tables that raise up to a normal table have become popilar/widely available lately and may be worthwhile to buy new even, to optimize your apt)

The layout of this is pretty different to my grandparentsā€™ place but has some similar features. Lots of other society apt tours on YouTube! (some are kind of sad/terrifying though :frowning:) https://youtu.be/JrJg4LP5E0E

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Figure out which utensils you can make do without? For example, I havenā€™t had a 1t measure for yearsā€¦ I just use the 1/2t instead. Ditto small knives, medium sized things (unless by using them you can get rid of the large and small ones?) like spoons, bowls, plates, etc.

Things I have gotten rid of in the past 2 years prepping to move into a very small kitchen: salad tongs, unnesting bowls, extra loaf pans, garlic press, lasagna pan, pizza pan screen, sifter, egg separator, utensil holder, paper towel holder, oil holder, and spice rack (all had been on the counter).

Dishes: 7 small plates, 4 ā€œsaladā€ plates, 4 dinner plates, 2 other large plates I use for cooking, 4 meal size bowls, misc. other salad type bowls and too many tiny bowls. The tiny bowl collection needs to be either reorganized or culled, againā€¦

When we eat here, we fill the dishwasher once or twice and run out of various sized plates/bowls etc. daily, which is what I was after. Enough to feed us 2 complete meals and snacks, fill the dishwasher once, and not have to wash plates in betweenā€¦

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Love that tableā€¦ thanks for the link!

Itā€™s the absolute best! It really was a game changer for being able to have people over for dinner in my rather small flat.

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I would actually start from the other end. What is absolutely critical for all/most meals? If you could only have 2 pots/pans what would you choose? Basically start with an empty slate and ā€œshopā€ the old house. Get rid of any chipped plates, peeling Teflon, etc (you wouldnā€™t buy them!). Obviously ruthless decluttering is great, but if you arenā€™t sure if you use something or have a hard time letting it go, putting it in storage and proving to yourself that you donā€™t really have a use for it tends to work well to let go emotionally. Helps you appreciate the trade off for SPACE.

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When I lived in a 450 SQ ft studio I had this Ikea cart and stacked my pots and pans on the shelves.

I also used a cube storage as an open pantry.

I did have a very small dining table for two but with a breakfast bar available Iā€™d probably just use stools there and not put a table in. Breakfast bar seating plus a couple cute tv table things for the couch is all I would need.

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I have this table in white and I love it:

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Ooooo. I like the Norden - that looks really good for the space, if I decide to get a table.

My plan, heavily influenced by yā€™allā€™s suggestions, is to move in with my current stools to use at the bar. Then find some storage piece for the 25ā€ wall. And consider options for the back wall. I may decide the black moon shaped plant stand is too large, but I already have it and I think it would look fine in front of the window.

Iā€™ve always had a dining table, and I sit there a lot. More so than the couch. But for the next week or 2 Iā€™m going to sit at the kitchen bar in my house and see how it feels. One thing, if I donā€™t sit at the bar in the new house, I could put a storage piece (maybe cubes?) under it. But if I sit at it I will need a place for my feet to go.

Iā€™ve heard sitting on backless stools is actually good for your back bc it forces you to work your back muscles.

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Iā€™m guessing there is a reason the plant stand is going in the kitchen/dining and not other rooms, which I assume have windows?

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The IKEA Kallax fits well usually.

And the stools thing is interesting I was ALWAYS team no shoes/floor sit/ sit on a stool with no back. But Iā€™m learning at B1ā€™s OT that those are only good for most people, and adult people or child people who arenā€™t the most people need to do some serious work for those to be good choices. If I understand right, you should still start kids off that way, but be aware of signs they need more support.

A longwinded way of saying B1 has core issues and needs to keep up his exercises for unsupported sitting. And that I now claim undiagnosed core issues and not laziness and weakness for my weak core.

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My best advice for living in a small space: have less stuff. Itā€™s annoying but it works every time

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Elle, I mean, I probably have a weak core. Becauseā€¦ if thatā€™s a thing, how could I not have it? Kind of like brain fog. Of course I have it.

Gallons, because itā€™s not used as a plant stand. OMG :joy:- it just autocorrected Galliver to Gallons. It completely changed how I read that sentence into, ā€œLook Gallons, donā€™t be disrespecting my plant stand.ā€ Sorry. That cracked me up. Iā€™ll try again. Gallons, Itā€™s technically a plant stand but I am currently using it as an entryway landing pad. I could design a much smaller landing pad. Maybe itā€™s just too big for the apartment. Or maybe I completely need to change how I use it and start using it as a plant stand. I could possibly even put it on my balcony with plants in the summer and it would make the boring view more fun.

If I didnā€™t put the plantstand there I could more easily fit a table.

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Oh thatā€™s cool! Itā€™s totally up to you, IMO, if it needs to be a landing pad or it makes more sense to prioritize a table and reinvent the entry. I could also see it being a cool nightstand/headboard sort of deal? No disrespect to the plant stand it needs a place! :blush:

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Omg. That would be such a fun headboard! What a fun idea!

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For space saving dishes, have a look at Correlle. You can stack them in virtually no space at all.

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