SLEEK GALLEY KITCHENS

New homeowners are choosing more compact options

When best-selling cookbook author Jenny Rosenstrach renovated her kitchen, she figured she would squeeze in as much storage space as possible. But over time, she found she had filled all the cabinets and shelves with useless things.

Last year, she decided to rip out about 20 percent of her cabinets to not only open the space up, but also to simplify; she purged useless gear and tools. Now, she says: “It’s so much better. I gave away three cabinets’ worth of small appliances, bowls and mugs, and I have not once said to myself, ‘Oh, I wish I had that back.’ ”

Turns out Rosenstrach is not alone. Recent research from the National Kitchen & Bath Association shows there is movement away from large cabinet-filled kitchens with appliances laid out in a triangular configuration to smaller galley or in-line kitchens, called such because the entire kitchen is laid out in one straight line. See KITCHENS, page 4