Galley Kitchen Ideas

We can all agree to one thing, that a clean kitchen creates a welcoming atmosphere. Women spend a huge part of their day in the kitchen, cooking different delicacies for their loved ones. Every meal, be it an elaborate meal or just spaghetti, requires preparation before it is cooked and this preparation requires space.

Galley Kitchen ideas work with kitchens that are small, and lack space for the various kitchen appliances. The most important thing to remember while designing a galley kitchen is, that there should be sufficient aisle space between the two parallel kitchen counters, to facilitate easy movement during cooking. The other things to be kept in mind are color themes, lighting, space utilization, and furniture for the kitchen. Given below are galley kitchen renovation ideas to make your kitchen elegant and functional.

Wall paint helps small spaces look bigger. You can use pastel colors like ivory, peach, light brown, pale lemon yellow, pale pink, and other similar pastels for your kitchen walls, to make the place look bigger. Also, the use of white color in the kitchen gives it a pristine appearance. The color of the cabinets in the kitchen should also be towards the lighter shades.

The color of the kitchen countertops should also match the color of the walls and the cabinets. You can also think of kitchen backsplash, using light-colored material. This makes kitchen cleaning easier and gives your kitchen a good look. Glass, tiles, ceramic tiles, and marble are some of the materials that can be used for the backsplash. Make sure that these are also in light colors to help reflect the light from the window or the overhead light, making the kitchen look bigger.

Tip - sprinkle a little salt or flour over the pan. This will not allow the oil to splash while cooking.

Effective kitchen lighting is another important aspect that one must keep in mind. A galley kitchen should be well-lit, so that it appears bigger in size. If you have a window in the kitchen, ensure that your kitchen window treatment allows plenty of light to stream in. In case there is no window in your kitchen, go in for overhead lighting. Overhead lighting is one of the best kitchen lighting ideas, and will brighten up your kitchen.

When it comes to flooring, it is the appearance that actually counts. Match the color of the flooring of your kitchen with that of the walls, cabinets, and make sure it goes with the countertops as well. Ensure that your kitchen flooring is not dark in color, as dark flooring tends to give a closed look to the kitchen.

Tiles must be chosen carefully, as easy-to-clean tiles is what you would prefer. They should not be slippery. Do not just focus on the looks, but also check the material and the surface texture of the flooring you choose. Walk over the flooring to check if it produces too much of noise.

Other than tiles, you could also try laminate, wood or vinyl flooring. Wood is soft beneath the feet, while the maintenance may ask for some effort. Laminate can be used as a substitute to wood. It gives you a wood-like appearance, and is also durable. Vinyl is the easiest to install and comes with a vast variety of colors and patterns. Using ceramic tile designs that match with the kitchen furniture, is also a good idea.

Cabinet Ideas

Cabinets are an integral part of every kitchen. A lot of space is necessary to store all the cookware and appliances. Kitchen cabinets made of wood with glass doors will enhance the beauty of your kitchen. Alternatively, use pastel shades of lamination on your wooden cabinets. The cabinets can be made to go right up to the ceiling. This will make your kitchen look taller.

If your cabinets do not reach right up to the ceiling, there are ways to use this lost storage space. This space can be effectively used by storing less-used utensils, or by arranging beautiful dinner sets stylishly on top of these cabinets. Less used items can also be stacked in quaint baskets, and these baskets can be arranged artistically on top of the cabinet. Alternatively, you can make wooden shelves in the available space, and use them to store the kitchen items that are not required daily.

Open shelving in place of overhead cabinets will make your kitchen look spacious. These shelves can be made of wood, metal, luxurious stone or sleek chrome.

You can also think of laminating these shelves with a light color, that goes perfectly with your wall paint and the countertops. Care needs to be taken to see that these shelves are not cluttered with your bottles and jars. Another small galley kitchen idea is concealing the fridge and dishwasher behind cabinetry panels. This will make the small kitchen look neat.

Space Utilization

If the available space is not used optimally, it beats the purpose of a galley kitchen. Kitchen appliances like microwave and blenders can be placed on hidden shelves that slide out from inside of a cabinet. You can also place these appliances by installing shelves underneath the kitchen countertop. Slide-out mesh baskets, besides the cooking range, can be an ideal place to store your cutlery and other small cookware.

The aisle between the two kitchen counters should be at least 5 feet wide. Arrange for the refrigerator and the kitchen sink to be on one side, while the cooking range can be arranged on the other counter. Hang pots and pans on racks that are suspended from the ceiling, and you can also have cups hanging on wall hooks. This will minimize over-crowding the kitchen cabinets.

Kitchen islands add extra work space in the kitchen, which can be used for food preparation. If there is some space that you can spare in your kitchen, you can have an island created. This island can have small drawers that can hold your kitchen cutlery for you.

Another way to use the storage space is by building a floor to ceiling pull-out pantry. You can convert a part of your wall into a pull-out pantry and store your jars in it. It saves a lot of space. Roll out shelves can also be used if you don't want a pull-out pantry. This design also helps in saving space.