12 kitchen counters that are ideal for small homes

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Residência Vila Assunção - Santo André, Decolle Studio de Arquitetura Ltda Decolle Studio de Arquitetura Ltda Kitchen
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Kitchens in small homes can be something of a blessing and a curse. You obviously need a kitchen, but getting the right layout and combination of cabinets and worktop area can be tricky, especially when the proportions are small and hard to work with. 

Kitchen planners make it all look so easy and are experts when it comes to maximising the space in a tiny cooking area, so we've picked up some top tips from them! 

If you've been wondering how you can get enough counter space in your own small kitchen, come with us now as we show you some fantastic examples of small but usable worktops, as one of them might be exactly what you need!

1. Wraparound sensation

Now this is a really clever, bespoke kitchen design, which sees a ledge in the living room continued around the corner to create a self-supported area of worktop. 

A simple metal leg holds up the counter and has added so much prep space. It's also barely made a dent in the kitchen!

2. A multi-use counter

Now this idea we really love. Offering extra counter space when you need it and casual dining potential at all other times, this small but effective little table is the epitome of multifunctional and fabulous. 

So perfect for a small kitchen that needs to be able to adapt.

3. Serving up a treat

These small kitchen solutions are all so clever! 

Here, we see a serving hatch that can double up as extra worktop, without requiring any floor space sacrifice. It also makes for a really sociable cooking element, as cooks can chat to the family while preparing food.

4. Brilliant breakfast bar

This might be a small kitchen but it really packs a punch, thanks to the integrated breakfast bar that's also an extra worktop.

It creates a U-shaped kitchen layout that feels cosy but loses none of the practicality you'd expect a kitchen to have. A little sacrifice of floor space was well worth it!

5. Think outside the room

Unusual this idea might be, but we think it has real staying power. 

Using a wall outside of the kitchen to mount a handy little table has so much potential in terms of both dining and cooking prep, as long as you don't mind a couple of extra steps in the process.

6. Handy and rustic

It's all very well adding extra worktop to your small kitchen but if you don't pay attention to the aesthetics, it can fall a little flat. 

We really like this simple, cost-effective and pretty solution of building an exposed brick wall to support the counter, as it adds both style and function.

7. Divide and conquer!

Oooh, clever! We really like this stylish way to cover where the kitchen counter and breakfast bar meet as it also adds an extra work surface. 

The wooden accent is a great way to add height, as well as colour and a handy extra slice of counter space and we think it works so well.

8. Build those walls

Without the breakfast bar, this would have been a large, open kitchen but we really like the way the new addition encloses the area.

Adding a huge amount of extra prep space, it more than makes up for the closed-in feeling and we actually think it wouldn't have looked anywhere near as stylish without the bar.

9. Slim and superb

It might only be a thin slice of extra granite worktop but the new breakfast bar here is beautiful. 

Matching the rest of the kitchen perfectly, it almost creates a galley feel, which we like and doubles the usable worktop surface area.

10. From shelf to surface

These innovative wraparound styles really excite us in terms of how practical they are. Good looking and so handy, this extra slice of worktop creeps out of the kitchen to form the bottom wall shelf in a handy triple installation. 

So, not only do you get twice as much space to cook with, you also gain extra storage, which are both vital in a small home!

11. Freestanding wonder

Think about what you need from your kitchen and how you want it to perform. We bet you'd be willing to negate an open layout in favour of a stunning island. 

By mounting the sink in this one, there's uninterrupted worktop where it's needed the most and we always love in-kitchen dining solutions.

12. Double depth

We can't get over how clever all of these ideas have been and we've possibly saved the best for last.

Most breakfast bars need to double up as worktop space (meaning that diners need to keep their food close to them) but here, extra depth has been added to allow for relaxed eating and plenty of counter space.

For more kitchen inspiration, take a look at this Ideabook: 9 ingenious tips for saving money in your kitchen.

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