No wall units in kitchen. Practical?

Gotkeys

I have just purchased a house with a long narrow kitchen, approx 22' X 6'2" and I am currently designing the kitchen.

I was thinking of an L shape kitchen as this works best with windows, doors, etc. Approx measurements of base units are 1300 X 3700, saving space for a small table in the rest of the kitchen. Because of the narrow kitchen I didn't want to add wall units, but am worried about practicality, has anyone else got a kitchen like this? There is a cupboard under the stairs in the kitchen, which I planned to turn into a pantry. There will also be a separate small utility for washing machine, tumble dryer etc. 

Grateful to hear anyone's opinion.

maisie_cat

I haven't had wall units in my last 2 houses, this one does at present but I'm planning a rejig to create a pantry and then do away with wall units. I do love open shallow shelves though, I'm a lover of storing stuff in vintage glass jars, but the shallower shelves make using the worktops better and open up the space. The first kitchen I removed the wall units in was a narrow galley kitchen and it certainly helped to remove the units.

comeandgo

My daughter is not very tall and she has never had wall cupboards in her kitchen, she has a large pantry and has no problem using it, they are designing a new house and she will still keep to a pantry.

TELLIT01

I'm about 6 foot and would find bending to low cupboards all the time a literal and metaphorical pain.  I would want a couple of wall cupboards if only for crockery, glasses etc which are used on a regular basis.

[Deleted User]

Shelves rather than wall cabinets can look good, but they get greasy over time unless your extractor fan is first rate.  Maybe even if it is.

getmore4less

22'x6' but where are the doors, windows, heating, plumbing and outside walls for venting.
Floor plan


With 22' there is scope for full hight units for extra storage

phoebe1989seb

We fitted a kitchen in our last-but-one house with lots of open shelves (with masses of glass storage jars - great minds think alike, @maisie_cat 😉), although we did have a short run of wall cabinets to house cups, glasses etc.

This did give a feeling of spaciousness, imho, but it was a large, wide kitchen anyway.

The kitchen we've fitted in our current house also has a distinct lack of wall cabinets - we have just one open shelf 'unit' as well as a small cupboard with solid doors (again mainly for glasses) and a plate rack. It is a long, narrow-ish room and again I think the lack of a whole bank of wall cabinets creates a more open feeling.

On a different wall, where the room widens we have a large larder which is where all our non-perishable food - apart from veg etc - is stored.

Our base cabinets are mostly drawers (housing lots of crockery, cookware etc) except for some open  storage for wine, plates and cookery books in the island. Our saucepans hang from a batterie de cuisine.

This combination works well for us - particularly as drawers are far easier to access than cupboards - and with open shelving you can see where stuff is at a glance, although I agree it can get greasy 😃

FreeBear

Another one here without wall units. My kitchen is 3.4m by 2.4m with a run of units down each side. Not having wall units gives the impression that the space is bigger than it really is. Light coloured walls and plenty of lighting adds to the effect. The downside is a reduction in storage space which encourages a more minimal approach to kitchen life. Having gotten used to no wall units, I really don't want the hassle of having any again.

elsien

I have a narrow galley kitchen but I can’t see how (even after decluttering) I would fit everything in without wall cupboards. Although if I had a pantry it might be different. 

SameOldRoundabout

I don’t have wall units in my plan but I do have a break front larder, to store all the plates and cups at a convenient height without the need for wall units which I always think need some degree of symmetry. 

Rosa_Damascena

FreeBear said:

Another one here without wall units. My kitchen is 3.4m by 2.4m with a run of units down each side. Not having wall units gives the impression that the space is bigger than it really is. Light coloured walls and plenty of lighting adds to the effect. The downside is a reduction in storage space which encourages a more minimal approach to kitchen life. Having gotten used to no wall units, I really don't want the hassle of having any again.

I don't understand the hassle?