My open concept kitchen and family room. I do love the design and am thrilled with all the new appliances, but every time I sit down to watch something, someone will go into the kitchen for a snack. The rattling of bags, running water, and scooping ice echoes through the space and provides a distraction. First world problems, I know.
This floor is about 900 sq ft and includes 3 bedrooms, a full bathroom, and the kitchen, meaning this room is our only communal space on this main floor. The previous owners built benches into the front windows, so we are stuck with that as our dining space for now (and fine with it.) But we've been in the house for a few months, and we can't decide what to do with the rest of the space.
Living in a compact home requires a different mindset. It's not about what you must give up, but about what you can cleverly incorporate. Every piece becomes a critical decision, balancing form with vital function. Furniture in a limited square footage area must work harder, serving multiple purposes while maintaining a sense of visual openness. This approach transforms a potential limitation into an exercise in intelligent, personalized design where every object has a clear and justified role.
There was a time when kitchen islands were considered the remit of luxurious, sprawling homes with ample room to spare. But with newer design evolutions bringing forth space-efficient, compact islands, you need not relegate this dream to the back of your mood board any longer. There is an island for every size and style, but it does help to ensure that a few elementary kitchen island mistakes don't end up making your space look confined and congested.