It is often said that tiny houses are built for just one person, but this does not have to be the case. For many people, a kitchen is an important part of their home, and they do not want to give up the ability to cook there because their house is too small. Tiny houses come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s possible to work around space issues with some creativity.
Do tiny homes have kitchens? Yes, tiny homes can have kitchens if desired. These can include smaller appliances like mini-fridges, countertop dishwashers, mini sinks, and multi-purpose counters.
This article will go over different ways you can include a functional kitchen in your tiny house design, even if you only have limited space available.
Pre-Building Considerations
Before you start building, take a few things into consideration
Make a Plan
When you first begin planning out how you want to design your kitchen, it can be helpful to make a plan on paper where you map out every single detail about what you would like in your kitchen and then figure out how best to fit all of these things into your tiny house. Depending on the size of your home, this might not even take very long. Still, it will help avoid wasting materials or space because you are sure that everything fits as planned instead of rearranging things after construction has already begun.
Think Small
Even if you have never designed a kitchen before, consider the simple fact that you might need to make everything smaller. Many tiny houses are built for people who do not cook and only need small, functional kitchen areas with enough room for making breakfast or heating some pre-made food. One important thing to remember is that while it may look cute to include lots of items in your design, they are just taking up space if they don’t get used.
Kitchen Design Options
Here are several options to make the most of the small amount of space a tiny house has for your kitchen. You can try all or just some of them, but you won’t regret what you chose when you see the results!
Counter-Height Kitchen Island
This idea may seem unusual at first glance, but what would happen if instead of having counters recessed into the wall or cabinets built on top, you put them on the side? This is possible because tiny houses are built on wheels, and wheels leave a lot of room for maneuvering. Making your kitchen in this way would look similar to a bar in appearance but with one huge difference; there will still be space underneath for cabinets or deep shelves to hold your dishes. In addition, you can put a cabinet on the side above the sink to hold dishes, baking sheets, or large pots.
Elevated Shelving
This is another unusual concept, but it works very well in small spaces where all available space needs to be used efficiently and still have room for things like a standard refrigerator, stove, and sometimes even a dishwasher. This would work because you would build your tiny house up higher than normal so that there is enough room below for everything you need to fit into your kitchen. If your design does not include stairs, you will need to make sure any countertops or other items are at an easy height for someone who may not want or can climb up.
L Shaped Kitchen
One big issue with small kitchens is that there isn’t a lot of counter space, so you need to plan carefully how you intend to use it. If you choose, putting in a U-shaped kitchen can be helpful, but what if your kitchen needs to fit into an L shape? This can still work, especially if one side has cabinets on top and counters below for food prep while the other section serves as storage underneath. You may also consider making this section larger than average and including two sections like this rather than one standard size.
No Floor Counter Space
If you are working on your tiny house design and having trouble fitting everything into the available space, why not just remove the floor altogether? You can make a space for appliances by putting them at counter height, then build your counters directly in front of them without using any floor space. You will need to be careful with this design as the appliances could damage your floor if they are not properly put down, but if it allows you to include a functional kitchen, why not?
An Island Hybrid
This is an idea that combines both elevated shelving and the counter-height island. What would happen if you had floating shelves on the wall above so their sides were level with a countertop below? By doing this, you will have enough room for everything your tiny house needs while still including a standard-sized sink and plenty of storage options all around. If you want to work with this design, you will need to ensure ample space on the lower countertop for things like stoves or dishwashers.
Recessed Shelving
One common problem with tiny houses is that there isn’t much counter space, so it can be hard to figure out how to use it or where certain things should go. Get around this issue by making recessed shelving slightly lower than the surrounding counters but still allows for items like cups and plates to fit within these slots. You do not even need to make shelves on each side of the sink if you would prefer having just one section, although it might look better if it has at least two sections because then it looks more symmetrical.
Countertop Dishwasher
Another idea for saving space when working with a kitchen in your tiny house is by including a countertop dishwasher that sits above the rest of your counters. This is perfect if you have just a few plates or cooking utensils to clean up each day but don’t want to depend on an outside source for this service.
Under The Counter Storage
Since there isn’t much kitchen space, it can also be helpful to include ways to store things like pots and pans below the countertops in cabinets so that they are out of sight when not needed. Even though you won’t use these spaces very often, it will help with organization and keep everything looking better than random items sitting down there.
U-Shaped Kitchen
One common design flaw for many tiny houses’ kitchens is that the cooking area is too small and doesn’t leave much room for movement around the kitchen. Get around this design issue by making your shelves thicker so that they curve around into a U-shape to create more space in the middle of the room while still allowing plenty of counter space on either side. If you put all of your appliances at counter height, then this will be enough for most uses, but if some things need to go below the main countertop, then you can make some cabinets deeper than others towards the back; just make sure that you do not waste space as well. This means lower-hanging shelves or even closed storage compartments instead of open shelves if you find it works best for organizing certain items.
Open Shelving Design
One space-saving idea that also creates a unique look for your tiny house is open shelving throughout the kitchen. When using this design, it’s important to ensure that everything has its designated place so nothing gets lost or cluttered on these open shelves. This is especially helpful when you don’t want to put every cooking pot and pan in cabinets underneath the countertops because they are not always used.
Wall Storage
Instead of going with a typical L-shaped design for your tiny house with one side of counters and another side that has all of your appliances, consider using walls instead. There are many ways to do this, including tucking your oven into a corner between two walls or making an entire wall purely dedicated to storage with cabinets and drawers. This is an easy way to add some extra space without increasing the footprint for your tiny house.
Summary
Some people don’t want to give up their ability to cook because they live in a small house. You can work around this issue with creativity and careful planning of all areas, including the kitchen. For example, you could build an island hybrid that combines elevated shelving and a counter-height island. Or, if your tiny house is on wheels, it’s possible to put the counters on the side so that instead of recessed into walls, they are built on top of cabinets. By doing this, you can fit in a normal-sized countertop where it’s easy to work. Using these tips and many more, you will be able to make your kitchen as functional as possible if you live in a tiny house with limited space.