A selection of compact kitchen redesign projects from Santiago high-rise apartments. Each project uses the same floor area as the original — only the layout logic changes.
Compact apartment kitchens present recurring layout problems. These are the configurations we encounter most frequently.
All elements on one wall — the most common configuration in studios and one-bedroom apartments. The challenge is creating adequate counter continuity and storage depth within a single linear run.
Our redesigns typically introduce a peninsula or island element where space allows, or reorganise the linear sequence to create distinct zones within the same wall footprint.
Two walls meeting at a corner — a configuration with significant potential that is frequently misused. The corner zone is often wasted with a blind cabinet or dead space, eliminating the main advantage of the L-shape.
Redesigns focus on activating the corner with accessible storage solutions and creating a logical zone sequence around the corner rather than across it.
Two facing walls with a corridor between them — efficient in theory but problematic when the corridor width is insufficient for two people to pass. Common in apartments with a separate kitchen room.
Redesigns address the corridor width question, the zone allocation across both walls, and the traffic flow through the space when the kitchen connects to other rooms.
The kitchen as part of an open-plan living area — increasingly common in new developments. The challenge is defining the kitchen zone clearly while maintaining visual continuity with the living space.
Redesigns address zone definition, ventilation placement, and the relationship between the kitchen counter and the living area — including how the kitchen functions as a social space.
Every project is different, but certain outcomes are consistent across compact kitchen redesigns.
Redesigned layouts consistently produce more continuous, usable counter surface — not because the kitchen grows, but because fragmented zones are consolidated and dead areas are activated.
Storage that can be reached without moving other items, opening multiple doors, or bending to floor level for frequently-used items. Accessibility is as important as total volume.
The kitchen can accommodate two people performing different tasks simultaneously — the primary functional benchmark that most compact apartment kitchens currently fail to meet.
