How To Make Your Small Kitchen Larger Than Life
No matter how tiny your kitchen may be, with the right tips and tricks you can transform your small kitchen into a space that is both functional and stylish.
Don’t let the size of your kitchen get you down – even the smallest of kitchens can go a long way if you maximise your kitchen space to its full potential.
Check out our top 10 tips on how to best transform your small kitchen:
1. The power of open shelving:
Never underestimate the usefulness of open shelving.
When decked with the right amount of kitchenware, open shelving can enhance the look and feel of any kitchen, by adding a decorative touch.
In addition, open shelving works wonders in helping to store away items and free up counter space in your kitchen.
However, depending on the size of your kitchen, it is important to balance out the amount of shelving you use. Remember that too many shelves can make a space feel cluttered and cramped.
With the right number of shelves, you can make your kitchen look and feel bigger and brighter.
2. Use your walls effectively:
The biggest battle many homeowners face with small kitchens is trying to keep everything behind closed doors. But let’s be honest, this isn’t always an option.
Utilizing the walls of your kitchen can help to further enhance your kitchen space.
Wall mounted hooks are a great way to store pots, pans and utensils as well as create more space in your cabinets for larger appliances.
Utensil racks and cookware holders which can be hung or mounted on the walls of your kitchen can also help to give you the extra storage space you need.
3. Ensure good lighting:
For many families, the kitchen is the heart of the home – which is why it’s essential for it to be a bright and functional space.
While trying to achieve great lighting in a small room can be tough, this doesn’t mean you should settle for a dull kitchen.
Consider countertops with higher gloss finishes as it helps to bounce light around the room.
Mirror finishes can also help to create the illusion of more space in your kitchen, by reflecting its surroundings.
There is also a variety of lighting options to choose from, like:
- Under-cabinet lighting:
Under-cabinet lighting is ideal for both night and day time usage and offers increased illuminance to better accomplish a specific activity, like food preparation and cooking.
- Flush mount lighting:
Flush mount lighting is mounted directly to the ceiling and can be a perfect way to keep a small space looking polished and visually open, without taking up any space around the kitchen.
- Pendant lighting:
Pendant lighting is a great way to style up your kitchen while boosting the brightness of a room. It not only offers a classical look but also provides subtle, ambient lighting.
- Recessed lighting:
Recessed lighting is embedded in the ceiling and works great for small spaces with low ceilings. It is a great way to make a room feel bigger by taking up less visual space in a room.
4. Get rid of counter clutter:
When it comes to small kitchens, organisation is key. The more clutter occupying your countertops, the more claustrophobic your kitchen will feel.
And while kitchens can be fun to decorate, those with a smaller space to work with should resist the urge to include too many decorative items in the kitchen.
Keeping your counters relatively clutter-free will create more open spaces and will turn your kitchen into a more functional space.
5. Invest in upper wall cabinets:
Investing in upper cabinets for your kitchen, is a great way to create more storage, while maintaining a clean and composed look.
Taking your kitchen cabinetry up to the ceiling helps to maximise storage and minimise dust.
It also adds height to a room and creates the illusion of more space.
6. Don’t display all your appliances:
Showcasing your beautiful stand mixer and fancy tea kettle is a great way to create personality in a kitchen.
But while displaying your best designer appliances can be a great style statement, it can also take up a significant amount of space.
Consider storing away items that you don’t utilise on an everyday basis, like your sandwich toaster, slow cooker or food processor to avoid wasting valuable space.
Doing so will not only make your kitchen space look roomier but it will also give you the right amount of space you need to cook up a storm without feeling too confined.
7. Transform your kitchen corners:
Kitchens are famous for having tricky corners, but if utilized correctly, these can be transformed into smart storage units.
Modern corner drawers are a popular option when it comes to tricky kitchen corners and it is the perfect choice if you are looking for additional storage options.
These contemporary V-shaped pull-out drawers transform a dead corner space into something super practical and disappear when not in use.
It also adds a stylish and sleek design element to your kitchen without taking up any additional space.
8. Choose your colours wisely:
Choosing the right colour for your kitchen can wonders in transforming the atmosphere as well as the perceived size of the room.
Pastels, creamy whites and light colour tones are great options for a smaller kitchen as they are known to reflect light and make the room seem taller by drawing the eye upward.
Bold colourations, are also very effective in brightening up a smaller sized kitchen. Contrasting colours can help to break up a space effectively and make a kitchen feel more inviting.
Learn more on how to Colour co-ordinate your home here
9. Opt for elongated patterns:
Elongated patterns have the power to reshape a room and are known for increasing the sense of openness and enhancing the feeling of movement and flow.
Decorating with stripes is a great way to bring some order to your space and it’s no secret that vertical stripes can be very slimming and give the illusion of height.
Geometric and striped patterns in a kitchen help to draw the eye vertically which helps to make a room appear taller than it actually is.
Depending on how they're used, they also add a crisp, polished element to a space.
10. Consider a rolling kitchen island:
When it comes to creating a functional kitchen, extra space is always a plus.
And a small kitchen is known for having very little counter space to work with, which is why a mobile kitchen island is a consideration worth making.
For prepping food, storing dishes and keeping items organized, a mobile kitchen island is a great way to make the most of your limited kitchen space.
A moveable kitchen island unit doesn’t only provide additional prep space but it can also easily be stored away when not needed.