Cozy Ideas For Little Kitchens

Smart design alleviates any crowded feel, and Loren says she and Scott do not miss having more space because they've so carefully used what they have. "I ended up not having to get rid of anything because of all the storage. Now I even have an empty shelf," she says.

The Kantors' pantry disappears into the surrounding cabinetry until it is pulled out, providing access from both sides. It includes lighting so a cook can see what's inside, and each wire shelf is tall enough for cereal boxes and vinegar bottles, which makes it easier to stock and keep organized.

On the window wall, a counter-height built-in with stools replaces a cafe table with four chairs that Loren says "was so wasteful of space." The ingenious built-in, designed by Springfield, W.Va., cabinetmaker Carl Sanford, has a rounded end that slides out to reveal extended counter space and a deep storage drawer. Another, shallower drawer offers yet more storage. The unit, fitted with electrical outlets, can be used for dining or as counter space for the food processor or mixer.

Like the Kantors, Jeffrey Willis relies on clever design in the kitchen he redid in his century-old U Street townhouse.

The narrow galley space begins under the stairs in the front hall and runs along a wall toward the back of the house. A counter separates the kitchen from an adjoining dining room, so the cook can be with his guests without a crowd gathering in his work space. The kitchen, 8 feet 4 inches by 9 feet 4 inches, also is open to a living area at the rear of the house, overlooking a patio.

At first, Willis was daunted by the space. "I almost really blew it," he says, by trying to leave plenty of space for the dining area and placing the counters too close to each other. "I realized then it would be a hallway," he says, and decided on narrower counters, sacrificing a few inches of counter space. "These four inches made all the difference."

Pots and pans hang on a rack underneath the staircase. "I sort of hemmed and hawed about what to do with them, but I wanted a cook's kitchen. I like to see the pots," he says. Hanging cookware also leaves more room in the cabinets for pantry supplies and plates.

Willis also attributes his kitchen's open feel to design details such as the brick wall on each side of the house. "The other thing is unity with the spaces around it. If I'd made [the kitchen] too separate, it would shrink. The exposed brick echoes exposed brick, and the hardwood extends [from the kitchen outward]."

"The architects had to talk me into the galley," Willis says, "but it's the right thing."

Visual connection also benefits the compact, 8-by-10-foot kitchen in the rear of Connie Caldwell's Capitol Hill townhouse. The galley space, behind a narrow living room, includes a lineup of conventional and Advantium ovens, a range, counters, cabinets, and a refrigerator along one wall. Across from them are more cabinets and a sink beneath a window.

When she renovated the space about six years ago, Caldwell chose weathered-looking green wooden cabinet fronts for almost everything in the space, including pocket doors that enclose a side-by-side washer and dryer.

"It's such a small kitchen," says Caldwell. "I wanted as much continuity as possible, so I had the front put on the dishwasher and refrigerator."

She has made use of every cranny: A skinny cabinet adjoining one under the sink reveals a dish towel hanger that slides back into place when not in use, an idea contributed by designer Kirk Johnson of Creative Kitchens in Bethesda. "That was a stroke of genius, as far as I'm concerned," Caldwell says.

"You can do anything in this kitchen you can do in a larger kitchen," says Caldwell. "You just don't wear yourself out doing it."