Galley, Ho!

Smart Design for Small Kitchen Spaces

The galley kitchen, simple and unassuming, still holds its own in modern home design. With its trim aisle lined on either side by countertops, cabinets and appliances, the galley is a model of efficiency. For this, we thank Austria’s first female architect, the visionary Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky.

In 1926, Schütte-Lihotzky was subcontracted to design the kitchen for 10,000 compact housing units in Frankfurt. After conducting time and motion studies, interviewing housewives, and drawing on her own extensive knowledge of workflow, Schütte-Lihotzky developed the most thoughtful, efficient kitchen the world had yet seen.

Her breakthrough Frankfurt Kitchen had countertops at equal heights, a divided sink, a gas stove, a drying rack, built-in storage and other amenities still commonly found in today’s kitchens. Home chefs could easily reach from the fridge to the sink to the stove and back again, in one fluid path. It wasn’t fancy, but it got the job done beautifully. And while today’s galley kitchen is typically less industrial looking than this original prototype, the basic layout remains the same.

What the galley lacks in showiness, it makes up for in productivity. Los Angeles-based architect and interior designer Kate SvobodaSpanbock explains that “a good galley kitchen is designed for efficiency both in size and circulation, and efficiency is a prerequisite for elegance in design.” When cooking for a modest crowd, she notes, a galley kitchen can demand less of the chef’s time and energy than the same meal prepared in a more grandiose space.

Finding the balance between smart storage and open workspace is the key to designing a smart galley kitchen. “Fewer movements are better, so balance the desire to have things put away, with the degree of obstruction created by doors and drawers,” Svoboda-Spanbock says. She also recommends slightly deeper counters and a full 18 inches of space below upper cabinets. Strategic open shelving keeps appliances and canisters handy without losing valuable counter space, while drawers and pullout racks make it easy to see items stored below waist level.

Designing a smaller kitchen has other distinct advantages. The cost of remodeling a galley kitchen will generally be much less than revamping a larger space with an island. Plus, your remodel dollars can go farther within the project. For example, if your countertop square footage is minimal, you may have budget left for the expensive range and hood you’ve been drooling over. If you only have a handful of cabinets and drawers to outfit, you can splurge on premium hardware (a cost well worth the benefit, Svoboda-Spanbock notes). A fancy faucet or intricate backsplash make a stylish statement within a smaller kitchen without breaking the bank.

A small kitchen allows more freedom to experiment with color as well. Christi Clayton of Projects: A Giffin & Crane Company exclaims, “Have fun with color! Color makes us happy, so pick a happy color!” Bigger tiles on the floor can make smaller spaces look larger and take away some of the “bowling alley” perception. Choosing a colorful countertop (Clayton recommends Caesarstone quartz, which comes in hues ranging from candy apple red to “Blizzard” white) keeps your design expressive and fresh. “Kitchens are a reflection of personal taste, which means there is no right or wrong choice.”

Clayton recalls one of her favorite galley kitchen remodels in Santa Barbara. “We turned a white and very monochromatic, cottage-style kitchen into something sleek and sophisticated.” Custom-built oak cabinets, buttermilk countertops and oversized backdrop tiles transformed the humble kitchen into a much warmer and more inviting space. “If I were a cook, this is the kitchen I’d love to work in. You’re never far from the refrigerator or wine cooler!”

With thoughtful planning and color savvy, a galley kitchen can be just as magnificent as its more expansive counterparts. And there’s something wonderful about honoring a design created by a social activist and female pioneer almost 90 years ago.

– kim carmel

SOURCES: here desiGn and architecture heredesign@verizon.net prOjects: a GiFFen & crane cOmpany www.projectsgc.com reed interiOrs www.reed-interiors.com jed hirsch cOnstructiOn www.jedhirsch.com mOntecitO kitchens www.montecitokitchens.com the kitchen cOmpany thekitchencosb.com