Despite any gripes you may have heard, galley kitchens are a wonderful way to maximize a home’s small footprint and can make for delightfully cozy cooking environment. And, when you add in a few signatures of farmhouse style—like, say, open shelving, a skirted sink, or vintage lighting—they can suit a wide variety of country aesthetics. So if there isn’t room in your budget for a full-blown, knock-down kitchen reno, don’t fret! No matter how small, your galley kitchen can—and will—work for you.
What is a galley kitchen?
Originally named for the tight and efficient cooking quarters aboard a ship, a galley kitchen is most commonly characterized as a long, narrow space with two parallel walls. A walkway in-between allows for movement through the space, and all appliances and cabinetry are aligned along the two walls. (More often than not, there’s no room for free-standing pieces.)
That said, the galley kitchen has become so popular that variations definitely do exist. Some galley kitchens use just a single wall of cabinetry, while others replace the second wall with a freestanding island. Breakfast nooks have been known to be added in at the end, and some galley kitchens even wrap additional cabinetry around the shorter walls to stretch storage options as far as they’ll go.
How to maximize a galley kitchen:
When every inch of space counts, you’ll want to carefully strategize your galley kitchen layout. Consider concealing your refrigerator and dishwasher with cabinetry fronts for a more seamless look. Open shelving, in lieu of upper cabinetry, allows for a bit of breathing room, and gives you a chance to showcase family china and other treasures. And, while white kitchens do often appear larger, don’t feel beholden to the hue. You’ll likely be spending a lot of time in here, so it’s best to go with a color that always brings a smile to your face.
Below, we’ve rounded up 30 of our favorite galley kitchens to give you lots of ideas to help you design your own dream kitchen.
In search of more kitchen ideas? Check out these other kitchen design stories:
To make the small galley kitchen of their rental getaway Sea Roost live large, homeowners Ron Brand and Matt Albiani of Mate Gallery kept the walls and cabinetry simple and white, but then added color and pattern with a well-worn vintage dhurrie rug almost the full size of the floor space. They then cast a wide net for one-of-a-kind once-from-nature—or nature-inspired—finds, such as this mounted fish, purchased at a Montauk estate sale, to bring additional coastal character.
An antique 27-drawer workbench, deep green Hallman stove, and an earthy terracotta tile backsplash give the colorful galley kitchen in Amy Whyte’s magical Virginia Mountain Cottage a straight-out-of-a-storybook appeal.
A skirted farmhouse sink and laser-cut metal cabinet fronts are the stars of the show in the one-wall kitchen of a Greenville, South Carolina cottage designed by Whitney McGregor.
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A Retro Cottage Galley Kitchen
Marta Xochilt Perez
When paired with the circa-1950s metal sink and cabinet unit, breezy cafe curtains and a selection of old signs help this sweet-and-simple galley kitchen feel right at home in a Michigan lake cabin.
When combined with a subtly moody wallpaper, a sweet Smeg fridge, and a unique Gothic window, the vintage accents anchoring this Southern eclectic galley kitchen by singer-songwriter Holly Williams really amp up the charm factor. To echo the vibe, search eBay and Etsy for vintage fruit paintings and kitchen canister sets, then add in an antique crystal chandelier for a little hint of glitz.
A design inspired by a photo of a period kitchen, the open upper and lower cabinets give this tiny Texas kitchen a breezy, casual feel. Situated off to the side, the Smeg fridge *technically* breaks with galley kitchen design, but you know what they say about rules, right? Sometimes, they were made to be broken.
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A Pretty Period-Appropriate Galley Kitchen
Chase Daniel, styling by Maureen Hodges
Homeowner Melissa Duckworth looked to Benjamin Moore’s Historical Collection for colors that were just right for her early 1900s Texas farmhouse. In the tiny galley kitchen, which was previously the home’s hallway, she chose a timeless cornflower blue to pair with the reproduction wallpaper (“Larkspur 1872” designed by William Morris) and antique mint-colored—and mint condition!—enamel gas range she found on eBay.
In this extra wide galley kitchen by designer Whitney McGregor, patinaed light fixtures pair perfectly with chic brass hardware. Not pictured, but equally adorable and located to the right of the white stool: a small niche featuring a a custom window treatment and an antique letter cabinet.
Here, Texas designer (and star of HGTV’s One of a Kind!) Grace Mitchell swapped a second wall for an industrial-table-turned island, complete with a hole cut for the sink. The industrial-feeling Big Chill fridge rounds out the room.
White brick walls nicely offset the black cabinetry, exposed wood beams, and Edison bulb ceiling lights in this just-a-touch moody galley kitchen by Ferrarini & Co.
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A Rustic and Repurposed Galley Kitchen
Brian Woodcock
In their weekend home in the Tennessee countryside, brothers Seth and Chad Gilbert kitted out their tiny-but-mighty one wall kitchen with a host of second-hand finds. Serving as a second “wall” is an island wrapped in chippy blue wainscoting reclaimed from the home’s original front porch. The retro fridge was a $200 eBay score.
In designer Max Humphrey’s 1970s rancher, the galley kitchen’s floor space wasn’t wide enough to accommodate an island or table, but an easily movable stool tucked by the end wall still invites a second person to perch in the ample space. The flat-front cabinets are made of lacquered plywood and a glazed polka-dot terra-cotta backsplash lends whimsy.
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13
An Open and Colorful Galley Kitchen
Diana Paulson, styled by Jennifer Berno DeCleene
Rather than boxing in the galley kitchen with a full wall, designer Steve Somogyi of Chicago firm Steve + Filip Design, gave this Michigan lake house kitchen a large island that not only brings fun color to the space, but also keeps it open to the accompanying great room. The pantry, range, and refrigerator are all banked along the long back wall.
When the shape of this 98-square-foot kitchen didn’t allow for a long lean galley layout, these Texas homeowners took a different approach by outfitting each short end with cheery yellow cabinetry and coordinating appliances, and then adding a long table in between for work space.
On the opposite end of this Texas galley kitchen, the white range is surrounded by more sunny yellow cabinetry and a backsplash of eye-catching quilt-like cement tiles.
This tiny 8-by-12-foot galley kitchen is harder working than it looks, thanks to a hidden dishwasher drawer by the sink and doubly decorative and dutiful copper cookware on the wall. Other drawers (Homeowner Jennifer Dawson prefers them to door-front cabinets) house dishware. A hand-painted Portuguese tile backsplash serves up a fresh focal point.
Tend to change your mind a lot? Choose a simple, goes-with-anything color palette (like this rustic-chic white-and-gray galley kitchen by designer Loi Thai) and pepper in color with your accessories. We love the strong wash of blue here, but you could just as easily swap it out for something else when you're in the mood for a change.
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Patterned Floor Galley Kitchen
Studio McGee
Another way to reduce that hallway feeling is to break up your materials. Here, a patterned floor and dark base cabinets ground the space, while the upper cabinets in a lighter color draw the eye up toward the ceiling.
Light wood cabinets add a jolt of warmth in a space where white would have felt too cold next to the room’s gray floors. Black hardware and appliances pepper in a little drama.
Think you have to steer clear of dark hues in small spaces? That’s not necessarily true. Enveloped by white walls and floors, a wall of dark cabinets, countertops, and tile make a statement without overwhelming the modestly sized space.
Laurren Welch is a freelance editor, writer, and creative who covers lifestyle, interiors, entertaining, fashion, and more. When she’s not under deadline, you can find her styling blooms over at Garden Party L.A., scouring thrift and antique stores for hidden gems, and reminding her boxer pup, Monster, that he’s a very good boy.
Sarah Zlotnick is the Lifestyle Director at Country Living, where she covers a little bit of everything—small towns, life in the country, and, her favorite, antiques. A research buff at heart, she loves a deep dive into the history of vintage finds and uncovering the reasons behind old-as-time traditions.
