Our Pride and Joy: A Fully-Equipped Kitchen Within 10.5sqm

1309

Japandi
HDB (BTO)
~1,100 sqft
3 br
Couple Living

As a couple who loves cooking and baking, it has always been our dream to have a large, fully equipped kitchen with lots of counter space. Life then threw us a curveball when we received our floorplan and realised that our BTO had a smaller, rectangular kitchen layout. Futhermore, our project had no service yard. Which meant that any kitchen space had to be shared with the laundry area too. Our kitchen island dreams were dashed. Nevertheless, we remained determined to make (some of) our dreams happen. With the help of our ID's careful planning and helpful suggestions, we've found a space for every kitchen appliance we hoped for. And with plenty of room for food prep too! Our kitchen is separated into zones. The prep zone includes the fridge, kitchen peninsula, and sink. The cooking zone lies adjacent to it and closer to the window for better ventilation. Finally, (with no other choice) the laundry zone is at the furthest end of our kitchen.
In an attempt to visually expand the kitchen space, we chose to go with an open-concept kitchen. We took things a step further by hacking the wall of our study room across the corridor and installing glass shoji doors instead. This results in lots of natural light in the day, making our kitchen bright and airy on all sides despite having a tall cabinet near the entrance.
- #openconcept
- #naturallight
Although we don't have a kitchen island, we settled for a spacious peninsula that still showcases a beautiful slab of sintered stone. It gives us plenty of counterspace for food prep (which on lazy days, can be done while seated on the bar stools). This sintered stone surface is used for both our countertop and backsplash as it is heat resistant, scratch resistant, and stain resistant. Our guests enjoy hanging out at the counter while we make dinner or clean up after a delicious meal. The water dispenser is also easily within reach from both sides of the counter, making it convenient for us to stay hydrated.
- #barcounterstools
- #countertop
To make cleanup as painless as possible, we decided to install a touchless kitchen faucet and complement it with a touchless soap dispenser. With these, we don't leave oily and soapy hand prints on the common touch points at the kitchen sink to clean up later! It also prevents cross-contamination when we work with raw food items. For the kitchen sink itself, we opted for a segregated large sink with one large section and a much smaller section at the side. The two sections of the sink allows for versatility, be it to have oily/non-oily or meat/vegetable sections during food prep. The black Silgranit sink is also hard wearing and easy to clean after everything else has been washed for the day. Having a dishwasher to the left of our sink allows us to conveniently pop in dirty dishes after giving them a quick wipe or rinse, saving us lots of time and energy.
We decided to install a gas hob as both of us prefer cooking with gas over induction stoves. The stainless steel top was also a conscious decision for its ease of cleaning and also eliminates any possibility of a tempered glass top shattering. This particular model was actually at the end of its production run and our original shop cancelled our order due to a lack of stock. Fortunately we managed to secure one elsewhere and we're loving how it looks in our kitchen. As we have an open concept kitchen, we selected a larger and more powerful cooking hood to minimise the oily fumes from our cooking. So far, it's working as intended!
- #gasstove
- #lecreuset
This feature wall at the end of our kitchen was a late addition to the renovation plan. Originally, there were drainage and gas pipes near the ceiling in this area, which were unsightly and would have collected dirt and grime over time. After many iterations, we settled on a feature wall down to the countertop area to conceal the pipes above. We decided against installing another set of cabinets here as it was too narrow for practical use and would have been more costly. We also installed a matching laminate countertop over the washer and dryer to create usable space above the machines. Sometimes, our plants occupy this area to soak up extra sunlight. Other times, we use the counter to sort our laundry fresh out of the dryer.
Squeezing our kitchen and laundry area within a small space meant that it would have been less convenient to install a full-sized laundry rack. Instead, we rely heavily on our dryer for most of our laundry load. Our carpenters very kindly agreed to create a niche within the feature wall to mount a collapsible laundry rack. This allows us to air dry small batches of cleaning rags or some of our more delicate clothes that would not survive a trip through the dryer. When not in use, the rack folds into the niche and is hidden by the door. Neat! We've also installed a retractable and scratch-proof insect mesh to help protect our cat, Sammy, and allow her to roam freely at home while the windows are open.