Any layout ideas for a tiny house kitchen makeover?

[ABC-life10]

We've been gutting our tiny house room by room, and now it's time for the kitchen. It's 9' X 9', which is a squeeze, but we'll make it work. Looking for ideas on keeping things efficient without making it feel cramped. What setups have worked for you?

 

[Liz1]

A 9x9 kitchen can feel tight, but using vertical storage, pull-out shelves, and slim appliances helps. Open shelving and light colors also keep it airy while maximizing space

 

[eDJ_]

First, I'm not in a tiny home yet. I'm researching and trying to incorporate ideas from RV's (which have tiny kitchens) and boat galley's. My background is in Industrial Design and have been influenced by the thinking of Walter Gropius (founder of the Bauhaus School of Architecture....where the home is a machine for living within) and Michael Reynolds (founder of the Earth Ship School of Architecture where the home is a self sustaining off grid entity)

Cooking is a favorite activity of mine and my home will have a "U" shaped kitchen which home economist claim to be the most efficient. It may have a movable work island which may double as a kitchen dining table and cabinet for cooking utensils storage). Since I'll be the principal occupant, a dining area may be a shared function of the living room.

The kitchen range/ovens I've seen in as small as 20" inches in width with a small oven and four burners. I've also seen small deep freezers which some RV'ers are converting to refrigerators operated on solar power. The range could be operated on propane gas. (of course I could build a simple Solar Oven to use outside). I was told that if one purchases a range to operate on gas to make sure to specify if it is to be used with natural gas or propane as the jet orifices are of different sizes and to change them is expensive. (something to remember if you buy used or from a liquidation place)

The range/oven, refrigeration, and kitchen sink are the three key items of the kitchen. Then there's the cabinets & storage. In such a small operation meal planning may be an addition to the manner of thinking that may not have been taken so serious before in a full sized home that had plenty of food storage room. Again, this will assume you are going by the grocery store more frequently if you use a tiny fridge. 5 cubic ft freezer converted to fridge ? Will you need larger ?

This is where I suggest using grid graph paper to sketch out ideas.

Here is a Youtube video of an RV'er who converted a freezer to a fridge using Solar & batteries.

 

[ABC-life10]

@Liz1 Grateful for these tips. Exactly the kind of stuff I was hoping to hear. We were already thinking about light colors and open shelving, so it's good to know we are on the right track. I appreciate the suggestions.

@eDJ_ Wow, that is a whole lot of wonderful information! Thank you for taking the time to share it all. You have given me a lot to chew on, for sure. The idea of using graph paper to map everything out first is a great piece of advice before we start building.