Small Kitchen Fitting

Plenty of homes around Blackburn and Darwen — terraces, older stone houses, flats — have a small kitchen, and there's nothing second-rate about that. A compact kitchen that's been thought through and fitted precisely can be a genuine pleasure to use: everything in reach, nothing wasted, no awkward dead corners. The trick is planning the space honestly and fitting it accurately, which is exactly the sort of job we like.

In a small or galley kitchen, flow is everything. The old sink-hob-fridge work triangle shrinks to a few steps, which is efficient if it's arranged well and maddening if it isn't. We'll help you work out where each thing wants to go, so two people aren't fighting over the same metre of floor. If you're still settling the layout, our kitchen planning guide goes through the options for a tight room.

When floor space is tight, go up and go clever. Tall units use the full height of the wall for the same footprint. Corner carousels and pull-outs turn the dead corner — usually wasted in a small kitchen — into proper storage. Drawers beat low cupboards for getting at what's at the back; a slim full-height pull-out swallows tins and bottles; an integrated bin keeps the floor clear. Small decisions, but they're what make a little kitchen feel generous.

Light makes a small room feel bigger. Lighter unit colours and worktops, a reflective splashback, and satin or gloss doors all bounce light around. Under-cabinet lighting is worth it in any kitchen and especially here — it lifts the worktops at night and takes the gloom out of a north-facing terrace. We wire it in as part of the fit.

You don't have to give much up to fit out a small kitchen properly. Slimline dishwashers, narrower ovens, induction hobs, combination microwave-ovens and integrated fridges all help a compact room work without feeling cramped. Whatever you choose — see the suppliers we fit — we'll fit around it.

Lancashire's older houses are rarely built square, and a small room shows every wobble. Walls bow, floors slope, corners aren't quite ninety degrees. We fit within the existing structure — no knocking walls about — and scribe the units to the room so they sit tight to the wall with no ugly gaps, even where the plaster has a mind of its own. It's slower than fitting in a perfect box, and it's the difference between a kitchen that looks fitted and one that looks bought. You can see our recent kitchen work in Blackburn, and we cover Darwen and the terraced streets right across East Lancashire.