A well-designed compact kitchen can have it all without compromising on practicality.

WATCH: Tara's tips on how to plan a kitchen

When it came to creating a small galley kitchen on a budget for a granny flat, the Better Homes & Gardens team thought of a genius way to increase bench space without making the open-plan room feel cramped.

The solution was to attach lockable castor wheels on the bottom of a flatpack kitchen island bench! Now the kitchen and living areas feel distinct, but the portable island can be moved to expand the living space when needed.

Here’s a brief overview of how the team achieved this compact kitchen transformation . You can design a flat pack kitchen to suit your needs at selected hardware stores or IKEA.

In most cases, they’re simple to put together and install.

• Flat-pack cabinets, components and bench tops to suit

• 600 x 300mm tiles for splashback

Drill; spirit level; clamps; 28mm chipboard screws; heavy-duty castors; masking tape; jigsaw fitted with laminate cutting blade; tile adhesive; 6mm notched trowel; 3 and 1.5mm tile spacers; tile cutter; angle grinder fitted with diamond blade; grout; silicone sealant

Assemble flat pack kitchen cabinets according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Join cabinets and install. Adjust legs to make level and plumb. Screw to walls. Add castors to bottom of kitchen island.

Lockable castors hidden beneath the kitchen island.

Cut and install benchtops. Use jigsaw to cut holes for sink and cooktop.  Fit wraparound benchtop to island, cupboard doors and drawer fronts.

To tile splashback, cut tiles as required. Spread adhesive on back of tiles and use spacers to create gap between tile and benchtop. Grout between tiles and silicone between benchtop and tiles. 

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