Even a small kitchen can be efficient

All of us who follow the trends in decoration and design are well aware of the craze for mega-size kitchens. I've got nothing against these grand spaces, but it always warms my heart — and my design sensibilities — to visit small kitchens that sparkle with both efficiency and style.

Boat owners have long known that, with disciplined use of space and creative selection of essential kitchen tools, a small kitchen works wonderfully. The same is true for those of us (me included!) who live in homes with relatively small kitchens. We have all learned to arrange our spaces to comfortably and efficiently utilize the essentials — stove, sink, refrigerator and counter space — and to enable us to relish those memorable moments we spend in our kitchens with family and friends.

I have a good friend who loves to cook, but was frustrated by the fact that the kitchen in her cottage-style home was not only small, dark and cramped, but poorly laid out. She had to circumnavigate a butcher-block island to get from the sink to the refrigerator and physically move the island in order to open the door of the dishwasher. The few counter surfaces were crammed with appliances, and she had to bend her 6-foot frame to the floor to locate things on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or pots in a lower cupboard. She felt the only way to be happy was to make her kitchen bigger.

But then she spent a fortnight in a small seaside bungalow cooking, baking and entertaining in a kitchen the size of a large closet, and learned that it wasn't size that was important but, rather, feeling happy in the space. The essentials were minimal but all there, as was adequate surface area and the right layout of appliances — all in a tiny space that was light, airy and easily accessible.

Taking her cue from the vacation experience, she went home and renovated her own cottage kitchen to make it lean, efficient, cheerful and airy, and sacrificed storage of nonessential items to make room for more people. Here are some of the things she did to get more efficiency in a small space — renovating without expansion, but making the space feel as though it were much larger:

• Define the space: Don't try and make one small kitchen serve too many functions. For instance, eliminate or move the junk drawer, and don't make the kitchen serve as a catchall for bills, junk mail, homework assignments and odds and ends. If your object is to make it a cooking center, concentrate on that goal. If possible, allow some seating, even if it's just a couple of tall stools pulled up to a counter for guests. Remember, a lonely cook is usually not a happy cook.