Caxton magazines staffWhen she redesigned her kitchen, interior designer Deborah Garth had to consider that it formed the main thoroughfare in her city apartment
In confined spaces, rooms have to do double duty. In Deborah Garth’s compact Johannesburg apartment the kitchen is not just to cook in, it’s also the dining area and the entrance. “I also wanted it to be an extension of the living room so that there is an easy flow between the sitting and cooking areas,” she explains. The original kitchen had an awkward counter which was intended to separate the two areas but in reality made them appear cramped.”
“We removed the counter and gutted the entire kitchen. It took over two months but it was worth it,” she says. Now it’s a slick, modern space that reflects the style of the rest of the apartment. Future Classics installed the kitchen and ensured plenty of storage space by fitting cabinets and appliances along two sides of the room. An island accommodates more storage space underneath as well as acting as a work surface and dining area. Transparent stools can be tucked underneath and visually take up no space at all. As she needed to keep the passageway clear, Future Classics custom-built a cabinet opposite the kitchen that has no exterior handles that could snag passersby and Deborah uses it to store glassware and cleaning equipment.
“While I wanted laminate floors I didn’t want cottagey-looking strip flooring so I went for large square laminate tiles that resemble porcelain tiles but are warmer underfoot. To create the illusion of space, I used reflective surfaces such as the glass splashbacks and the Perspex cabinet doors. The doors on the wall-mounted cabinets lift up with a double gas lift so that they are completely out of the way when open.”
Deborah’s space-saving tips
- Go for a wider oven. It makes the counters appear longer and you can double up when cooking.
- Large tiles visually expand the space.
- If you have a dishwasher then you only need a prep bowl.
- An island adds a prep area, dining space and storage.
Make sure to check out our kitchen image gallery for loads of inspiration
