Smaller Post & Beam Kitchens: Less Space Does Not Equal Less WOW Factor!

Like houses, kitchens come in all sizes, and like houses, I’ve seen some spectacular large kitchens and some spectacular small kitchens. You see, when it comes to kitchens, size only matters in the cook’s eyes. I myself own and LOVE a smaller kitchen. I have plenty of storage space thanks to excellent help I received while planning my kitchen and I don’t have to run a country mile or an obstcicle course around a center island to get what I need. My stove, sink, and refrigerator form a perfect work triangle and everything I need is within a step or two. It’s exactly the way I like it!

I love my kitchen. It works equally well whether I’m cooking for two or for twelve.

I’ve seen some extremely clever uses of space in smaller timber frame kitchens. If you get the right person to assist, or if you’re really good at spacial relation reasoning yourself, a smaller kitchen can be a true work of art.

What a clever use of counter space: a long spice rack topped with an “eating bar”.

The following pictures of smaller post and beam kitchens are both excellent examples of a galley kitchen. Originally the kitchen areas on ships and later, planes, the purpose of a “galley” is to fit every cooking utensil and supply needed for an extended period of time in a small and efficient space. These two kitchens have that and more!

This post & beam galley kitchen is done using bead board to give it a cottage feel as it’s in a second home on a lake in Vermont…

…while this galley kitchen is done in the Arts & Craft style as the primary residence in a larger post and beam home.

The smaller kitchen is no less important than the larger kitchen. True, it occupies less space, but it still remains one of the main focal points of the home. Well thought out post & beam kitchens will always exhibit the owner’s individual personality and taste.

This kitchen is owned by a family that runs a horse farm. Their love for the country life is perfectly reflected in the choice of rough sawn timber while utilizing period fixtures and appliances.

The love of warm wood tones and clean, sleek lines are immediately apparent in this NH post and beam kitchen.

The Early American vernacular is immediately recognizable by the tin-punch cabinet faces and the use of a colonial red in this farm-house kitchen.

I’ll close with a slight divergence from kitchens but still in the family; a great post & beam bar area that would work just as well as a kitchen area. I LOVE this bar!