Ideas For Remodeling A Galley Kitchen
Galley kitchens were once popular in certain smaller homes. At the time, confining the kitchen to a small galley space was seen as a good way to save space or use space efficiently. Today, however, many owners of those galley kitchens are finding that they need to remodel the room. How does one remodel such a small, confined kitchen in a way that makes it more functional? Here are some ideas.
Extend the cabinets to the ceiling
If the cabinets do not already reach the ceiling, have your cabinet maker extend them upward. These days, there are specialty hinges called drop-down hinges that you can mount to the top shelves in these cabinets. They make it possible to pull the top shelves down so you can access the items on them far more easily. This arrangement makes upper cabinets more useful than they were in the past.
Install a small, in-wall oven
In a galley kitchen, a typical cooking range takes up more space than needed. You're better off with a small, in-wall oven. Such an oven can be installed between the wall joists so it takes up far less space in your kitchen. There are even "shorter" models and "deeper" models. If you roast whole chickens or bake whole loaves of bread often, you'll want a deeper model. Otherwise, a shorter model is often adequate.
Choose a two-burner range top
Four-burner range tops are typical, but ask yourself how many times you actually use more than two burners at once. Most people rarely do, and there's often a workaround, such as making something in the toaster oven instead of on the stovetop. Choosing a two-burner range in your galley kitchen allows for more counter space, which is usually a premium feature in kitchens with this layout.
Put cabinets over the fridge
The space over the fridge is so often wasted in a kitchen. In a galley kitchen where space is in such short supply, you will want to put cabinets over the fridge. These can just be two small cabinets. They're perfect for housing things you don't use that often, such as holiday dinnerware or pie dishes.
With the ideas above, you can remodel your gallery kitchen and create more usable space within it. Ask your kitchen remodeling team for some more ideas, too. They can share other steps other customers have taken and also make more specific recommendations for the layout. For more information, contact a kitchen renovation service near you.
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