How to choose a table for a small kitchen?

A small kitchen is one of the most pressing problems of many modern apartments, especially those that were built in Soviet times. In a limited area, it is rather difficult to organize a comfortable space where it would be convenient to cook and all household members would fit at the table, because the cramped layout, of course, does not imply a separate dining room.

Typically kitchen appliances are not a sacrifice detail, and it still does not happen less than a certain compactness, therefore all attempts to optimize the space are usually limited to experiments with a dining table. Fortunately, modern developers and designers have come up with a lot of interesting options for how to make it extremely compact and at the same time, as roomy as possible.

The kitchen table is usually not the smallest piece of furniture, but in a cramped kitchen you have to somehow get out. To solve this problem, they usually choose either a folding accessory, or a compact and somewhat unusual shape, so that such a piece of furniture fits well into the interior, allows households to stay comfortably and at the same time does not block half of the entire area.

Anyone who has traveled in a reserved seat carriage at least once, and even sat in the side seats, should understand what is at stake. The concept of such a kitchen table is very similar to that on a train, but it usually cannot turn into any shelf - it would be more correct to call it a folding table, since when folded, its tabletop occupies a vertical position, being pressed against the wall, and practically does not limit the space. Another good comparison for such furniture would be an ironing board - it is also often mounted on the wall according to the same principle.

Many representatives of the older generation would call such a mechanism simply folding, but it could simply change its size, while a real transformer should be able to turn into an object with a completely different purpose. In particular, half of the countertop is not just removed, pressing against the main one, but rises above it at a certain height, due to which shelves are obtained, as it were. On the one hand, it is not very practical to use them, because every time the table is opened, things need to be put somewhere, on the other hand, no one forbade multi-level serving!

This option objectively makes sense if, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the size of the countertop is enough for households even when folded., but for special occasions you need larger furniture. If the table is fully laid out no more than once every two to three months, then its shelves can really be used to store something.

What is really often ignored in our realities is the window sill, and in fact its width in some buildings with thick walls can be impressive. Even if the window sill in your apartment is narrow and does not exceed 15-20 cm, even they can be used wisely by installing a wider countertop on top of it. Due to the additional space, as if inside the wall deep into the room, such a table will protrude much less, which means that it will not greatly limit the free space. If the window is also located as if in a niche, shelves can be additionally placed under the tabletop, and if there is not enough space on the tabletop, it can be extended in different directions from the window along the walls.

This option is one of the most space-saving, but, alas, not for everyone. Households will now have to dine in constant proximity to the window, and if you do not want to do it in front of everyone, then this option will not work for you. You cannot shield yourself from the outside world with curtains, because they will take up space, so you only have to use blinds or Roman blinds. In addition, it is assumed that the view outside the window is interesting and attractive, because it is not very exciting to constantly look even into beautiful Roman curtains in front of your very nose.

A bar table is another popular solution for a cramped kitchen. Such a tabletop is never very wide, but its length is determined solely by the wishes of the owner. And although it is perhaps not suitable for full-fledged feasts, a rather simple snack after it will be very convenient, especially if there are not many households and guests in the apartment. An additional plus of choosing in favor of a bar counter is the fact that in fact we get a table-cabinet with drawers where you can store various kitchen utensils or even food. Especially advanced apartment owners even build a special refrigerator for wine into such furniture, so that the absence of a large table will not at all affect the comfort of the kitchen.

It should be noted that in the presence of a classic layout, the bar counter is unlikely to save space., since it usually has to be accessed from both sides - this way it will accommodate more people. Such a design solution is very appropriate in a small studio apartment, where the rack can act as a kind of border between two functional areas, without restricting the view of the entire room.

This method of turning a large table into a compact piece of furniture is widely known in our country and has been popular for many decades, since its essence is extremely simple - part of the tabletop is either hidden under others, sliding, or lowered at right angles to the horizontal - this part of the folded table can be move to the wall. Unlike a book-table attached to the wall or a table built into a window sill, sliding furniture does not weigh much and can easily be moved from the kitchen, where there is little space, into a more spacious living room, if the need arises.

This option for organizing the countertop is still a comparative rarity and can be seen far from everywhere, but it is possible that it is at such tables that the future of small kitchens is. The folded tabletop occupies the space that was allocated for one of the drawers at about the same height at which the dining table is usually located.The dimensions of the same drawer, in fact, also limit the size of the pull-out table, therefore it is usually not very large and is designed mainly for one, maximum of two people. The horizontality of the tabletop guides and the angle of the retractable legs must be carefully calculated, otherwise the tabletop may be skewed to either side.

Such a solution is one of the most modest, it does not have a large area and it is not always easy to align it horizontally, but it takes up the least area, because when folded it is impossible to guess that this kitchen also has a dining tabletop. Another thing is that while using such a table it is problematic to get to the large drawer under it, but, on the other hand, it not only unfolds easily, but also easily retracts back.

In conditions when a significant part of the inhabitants of cramped apartments complain about the lack of space, designers and furniture developers began to pay more and more attention to unoccupied corners. They can be found in almost every room, unless the furniture is custom made to fit perfectly. At the same time, even a relatively small piece of furniture with one beveled side allows you to productively use an unoccupied area without protruding into the center of the room. Kitchen corners are not necessarily sofas, but sometimes tables are also.

Another thing is that this version of the table is used very rarely due to limited access to it. On the countertop, as a rule, you can place a significant number of different dishes, but only one person can sit down to it.

At first glance, the material from which the legs and tabletop are made is not so important, but this point of view is erroneous. Furnishing a small kitchen and taking care of comfort from all sides, we must understand what advantages and disadvantages the use of each of the common materials from which kitchen tables are made. To understand what the choice of material affects, consider the main positions.

Of course, the most popular solution for a kitchen table of any size is wood, but here you need to understand that a wooden table can have a completely different nature. If the parts are made of solid wood, that is, a solid piece of natural wood, then such a product will be environmentally friendly (unless the picture is spoiled by varnish or paint), hypoallergenic, very strong and durable, and also stylish. True, such a purchase can hit the family budget hard, but it will last for several decades, and the average weight will allow you to move a small table throughout the apartment. Nowadays, it is customary to make furniture from pressed wood boards - safer and more durable MDF and very dubious fiberboard and chipboard.

Glass tables in the kitchens of our country are still considered a rarity, but today more and more consumers prefer just such a solution. Many inexperienced people are puzzled how such a fragile material can be used to make countertops, therefore, it is necessary to clarify that not window glass is used, but tempered glass - by analogy with the one from which kitchen aprons are made.

In terms of strength and durability, glass furniture may not be inferior to some samples of the same MDFin addition, glass is environmentally safe. A huge advantage of such a solution is the improved decoration possibilities, because various decorations, multi-colored sand, sparkles and even LEDs can be mounted on the transparent tabletop, which makes it seem that you are dining not at home, but in a decent institution.

Many consumers are very biased towards plastic tables, but some characteristics of plastic are forcing manufacturers to increasingly use it in a wide variety of industries. Plastic is very light, because it is very easy to move a table from it throughout the apartment or fix it on the wall, for its production you do not need to cut down forests or look for some high-cost resources, because plastic things are usually very inexpensive.

High-quality plastic does not cause complaints even from experts - it can have a good margin of safety for more than a decade of use, is environmentally friendly and does not produce harmful fumes, does not absorb pollution and belongs to hypoallergenic materials. Another thing is that the popularity of things made of plastic is largely due to the desire to save money on the purchase, and cheap varieties of plastic are no longer distinguished by either strength or safety in terms of toxic emissions, therefore, in a sense, buying such a table always poses a risk.

For the convenience of moving around a small kitchen, not only the dimensions are important, but also the shape of the table, which should fit into the situation, occupying unused space and not encroaching on constantly used aisles. For this reason, it is important to choose not only the type of countertop correctly, but also its shape.

Traditionally, the most popular solution is a rectangular (or square) table that allows diners to sit side by side or opposite each other. Such a piece of furniture can occupy a center position in the kitchen, or be pressed against the wall with one of its sides. Most of the above models of tables are sharpened for the rectangular shape of the table top - it is difficult to imagine a pull-out table, a table-window sill or a bar counter of a fundamentally different shape.

Another popular kitchen table shape is round. The demand for such a design is associated with ancient legends, in which round tables were regarded as a demonstration of equality, and therefore today some consumers are striving to choose such a form for similar reasons. It should be noted that in a small kitchen, such a step is usually not very justified - it would still be difficult to determine who is sitting at the head behind a small countertop, and the absence of corners with a too small diameter does not allow it to be more convenient to go around such furniture. For this reason, the choice of a round table for a small kitchen is usually determined solely by design features, because in terms of practicality it is somewhat inferior to a square table of comparable size.

If the emphasis in space saving is placed on the maximum practicality of each square meter or a special specific design, you should not be surprised that the table can be of absolutely any shape... Above, we have already mentioned a corner table, whose side directed to the center of the room can be beveled, but in studio apartments you can sometimes find a tabletop around a protruding corner - it kind of "hugs" the corner and allows you to occupy the space where no other furniture will not rise. If we talk about the pursuit of unusual aesthetic tastes of individual designers, then it should be said that the shape of the countertop can be absolutely any, at least differ from the correct one, although this is not always appropriate to save space.

If you are lucky with the kitchen and it does not limit you in choosing any table you like, you can consider yourself lucky, but the owners of a cramped kitchen will have to puzzle over how to choose a small functional, aesthetically attractive and inexpensive piece of furniture.In this case, it is definitely not worth rushing to make a final decision - it is better to think carefully and weigh all the pros and cons, compare your desires, possibilities and practicality of all the options under consideration. A good choice is when the purchased table not only does not clutter up the space, but also provides additional coziness while eating comfortably.

At the same time, you should not completely ignore the aesthetic design of the table, because appetite depends on mood, and health in general depends on appetite. It is important that the table is not just beautiful in itself, but in harmony with the kitchen setting - then it will not be a shame to invite guests there. If you are not sure if you clearly understand how to do this, seek help from a professional designer - although you will have to spend extra money, you will never regret buying.

All of the above information is general in nature, and it is already obvious to a good half of consumers. The situation is much more complicated when it comes to choosing a specific model. Each consumer should be guided by his own taste, but at the same time, you can give some really valuable advice that will help you not to make a mistake.

• If any folding mechanism is supposed to be in the table, pay special attention to the fittings when choosing. Often, a high-quality version of it can cost no less than a tabletop, since it is on it that the reliability and ease of unfolding the table depend. During the replacement process, it can be difficult to find a convenient position for attaching new hinges to an old tabletop, sometimes the material itself does not contribute to this, therefore it will be much cheaper to overpay for fittings once than to buy a new table in the near future.

• Often, the consumer is guided not only by ease of use and aesthetic design, but also at a reasonable price. There are cheaper solutions in the segments of kitchen tables made of any material, but it must be borne in mind that saving is always a risk. So, experts generally do not recommend buying cheap glass tables - truly high-quality, strong and durable tempered glass simply cannot be cheap.

• When choosing a table model, the consumer must be sure that it will not be a problem for him to fold or unfold the table if necessary. This point should be carefully thought out, since everything in the store may seem simple and obvious, but at home it will become clear that, due to the too close location of other furniture, it is not so easy to carry out any manipulations with a new purchase.

• In some cases, if you have to save space very much, you should focus largely on the ease of unfolding. At the same time, you need to understand that not every consumer is an adult man who loves to tinker with mechanisms and has a certain strength, and women and adolescents, if they live in an apartment, must also be able to lay out the table on their own. For this reason, it makes sense to choose relatively simple designs like book tables, but you should not rely on the type of furniture itself to mean convenience - be sure to test a potential purchase in a store before making a payment.
• On the contrary, original design solutions often involve a rather complex transformation mechanism.Such a product can captivate with its design, but here it is important to remember the same simplicity. Even if you live alone and love difficulties, first try to assemble and disassemble such a table, and then imagine that you will have to do this every time you get hungry. It is worth buying a masterpiece only if you clearly imagine this picture, but still do not change your mind.

• Unusual transforming models often experience certain difficulties in order to fit into the interior, where they are accompanied by more ordinary things, therefore they are often sold as a set - along with transforming chairs. If such an offer is available, it would be illogical to refuse it, because at least the problem of selecting accessories disappears, and the kitchen will definitely look quite holistic.

• The first example is a good example of using a kitchen window sill as a countertop. In the photo, he is busy mainly with non-food items, but there is a place for flowers on any table, and the laptop can be removed. Such a tabletop is not suitable for rich feasts, you cannot even seat numerous guests behind it, but you can eat behind it, and the huge savings in space seem obvious.

• The second photo shows a typical pull-out table, although this particular model has a certain drawback - it is devoid of additional pull-out legs, so the table top cannot be overloaded. On the other hand, the area of ​​such a table will not allow you to roam too much, strongly resembling similar furniture on trains, but on the other hand, during cooking, it can be removed completely so that it does not interfere with movement. With all the cramped space, two people just have to fit here.

• The last example shows how a bar counter allows you to zone a room in a studio, being both a kitchen table and storage for groceries. On the side of the kitchen, various drawers or even a mini-bar are probably built in, so the space under the countertop is not empty, also performing useful functions.

In the next video, you will find an overview of a practical kitchen table for a small kitchen.