The Types Of Cabinets That Are Best Suited For Galley Kitchens

Galley kitchen layouts, with lateral counters and a narrow aisle in between, are compact, space efficient, and great for apartments. However, let's be honest, they can be a little tight to cook in. That is, unless you approach the space with some design and organization acumen to give it a more open feel. To make the most of your galley kitchen, take advantage of tall, narrow cabinets with minimal depth to maximize wall storage, instead of infringing on precious working space.

With a smaller, narrow layout like a galley kitchen, you can see everything in front of you — which could encourage minimalism, if you organize wisely. However, no matter how well you arrange things, wide or deep cabinets with large swinging doors at eye-level could quickly make the kitchen more crowded than it needs to be. Installing tall, thin cabinets could help lift some of your storage and free up eye-level space, giving you more breathing room to cook and move around in. Open cabinets in a galley kitchen are also a great solution to help the kitchen appear more spacious since they take up less physical space, and also could encourage you to pare down on excess items often pushed into the back of deep, bulky cabinets. 

When working with your current galley kitchen space or installing new cabinets, it's important to avoid the most common kitchen design mistakes like failing to include sufficient storage, not optimizing available counter space, or organizing items efficiently. Whether you choose minimalist open cabinets or tall, narrow cabinets with minimal depth, it's all about making the kitchen feel more open. If your space tends to get dusty or accumulate a lot of grease, open cabinets might not be the best choice since they could put the mess on display. In that case, go with tall and narrow cabinets with a hinged door instead.

If you're renting an apartment and must work with the cabinets you have, no worries. Painting the cabinets light colors or giving walls and cabinets a similar neutral shade (if your landlord allows painting) can minimize the compact feeling that dark colors can impart. Besides painting, you can also work with natural lighting and lighting fixtures to make your kitchen space more open and bright. And don't forget, the simple but often ignored key to maximizing kitchen space is keeping everything organized. Keep your galley kitchen simple and donate kitchenware that you don't absolutely need or use frequently. Galley kitchens might be small, but they do present a world of design and optimization opportunity.