This Tiny Kitchen Had Zero Counter Space — a Game-Changing Find Fixed That
Even if you’re not whipping up a cheffy five-course meal, cooking can require a lot of space. Meanwhile, most studio apartments — like Kayla Shannon’s colorful 375-square-foot Brooklyn home — don’t give their inhabitants the luxury of being able to spread out in the kitchen. However, what they lack in square feet they make up for in cleverness.
Kayla wasn’t going to let her small kitchen, with virtually no counter space, get in the way of her ability to cook delicious meals. (In the video of three small-but-clever Brooklyn house tours above, she describes it as being the “smallest, most-used space” in her home.) The fact that the sink is almost directly next to the stove, with no other chopping areas available, made Kayla feel worried at first that she’d be eating out a lot — but one item saved the day.
A Drop-Leaf Table Gave This Tiny Studio Kitchen More Usable Space
A drop-leaf table became the cleverest small-space solution in Kayla’s kitchen. While it’s unclear where she got hers, Wayfair is selling a similar option for less than $57. It’s made from pine wood, holds up to 100 pounds (that’s a lot of vegetables!), and comes with straightforward instructions for installation.
What makes it especially valuable for small spaces is that it folds to just a few inches within seconds when lowered to flatten against the wall. You wouldn’t even know Kayla’s table was there until she pulls it out to chop vegetables or stir up her homemade matcha.
“I’ve made some of my bombest meals, and fried chicken meals, in this apartment,” Kayla explains in the video above. “It really carries a lot of soul, and it makes me feel powerful because I can do so much in such a small space.”
Even if you’re not in your chef era, the table can be used as a desk, a spot to eat, or even a place to fold laundry. Plus, whenever you’re ready to move out, it can easily be removed. To learn more clever small-space ideas, visit the full House Tour.
There are many more brilliant small-space ideas and products to discover than just this table. Check out all the house tours featured in this post’s video roundup.