Eight square metres well thought out beat fifteen badly arranged.

What we find on arrival

A closed kitchen, one window, beige tiles to mid-height, an original electrical panel with screw-in fuses, a cast-iron waste, and units that stop at 2.10 m under a 2.60 m ceiling. Sometimes a wall-hung boiler to integrate. Often a recirculating extractor that has never extracted anything.

What we do with it

The layout. L-shaped or in a line depending on the window and the door, the sink under the window when possible, the hob away from the door. Thirty centimetres of worktop each side of the hob is the minimum to cook.

Storage to the ceiling. The 50 cm above the wall units are a third more storage in a small kitchen. Full-height units for the oven and fridge, wall units up to the cornice.

Electrics to standard. Dedicated circuits, worktop sockets, residual current device: we take the chance, the wall is open.

Light. Lighting under the wall units, a ceiling light that actually lights, and the window cleared.

The boiler. Built into a tall unit with the ventilation it needs, not hidden in a closed cupboard.

Opening up, or not

In a 1960s block, the partition between kitchen and living room is often not load-bearing: it comes down in a day and the kitchen becomes a living space. We check at the visit. When it is load-bearing, a hatch or a wide opening with a lintel already gives a lot of air for little money.

What it costs

A small kitchen supplied and fitted in a standard range, with the electrics and walls redone, sits between 5,500 and 9,500 € excl. VAT and appliances. Fitting only of an IKEA kitchen you supply, with the room prepared, between 2,500 and 4,500 €. A complete studio kitchenette, units, sink, hob, oven and extractor, starts around 4,300 €. 6% VAT if the home is over ten years old.