1. Make It Light And Bright
Lighter rooms give the illusion of being roomier than darker spaces. But going white doesn’t mean boring. This kitchen from This Old House shows that by using various shades of whites and naturals helps add dimension to the room, while the white subway tile and crystal hardware knobs add a little texture and class.
2. Trade The Cabinets For Wrap Around Exposed Shelving
Ample storage space in a kitchen is essential to its functionality. But cabinets can be bulky and in a small kitchen can take up more room than they provide.
Consider ditching the overhead cabinets all-together and going with plenty of exposed shelving. Taking it all the way up the wall and wrapping it around the room, as shown in this kitchen featured in Elle Décor, will give you the most room possible while helping to give a personalized and unique look.
3. Create The Illusion Of More Space With Glass Inserts In Cabinets
You can either buy cabinets that come with glass-paneled doors or you can take the project on yourself following many of the DIY tutorials available online. Either way, the results are sophisticated and help trick the eye into thinking that the room is bigger than it is.
4. How To Get Away With Color
If sticking with whites and neutrals just isn’t your thing, don’t worry. You can still make a room colorful without closing it in. Try to keep the colors as bright as possible with the accents remaining in the white family as shown in this HGTV featured kitchen. This small space pops in a way that white just wouldn’t be able to do thanks to a brilliant use of contrasting colors.
5. Put Shelving Across Windows
Getting an apartment in a big city usually means sacrificing space, especially in the kitchen. Even worse, you’re usually given awkward layouts that make storage space even harder to come by.
This kitchen featured in Elle Décor is part of a downtown Manhattan apartment in which the windows take up nearly the whole wall. The natural light it provides is great but when space is scarce, wall space becomes necessary. Get creative and install glass or metal shelving across the windows, giving you both adequate storage space and an awesomely urban backsplash.
6. Hang Your Pots
Even in some larger kitchens, the struggle to properly and conveniently store pots and pans is real. Save yourself the cabinet space by hanging your pots up. It gets them out of the way and gives you easy access to them.
7. Create An Eye-Catching Focal Point
This kitchen featured on This Old House goes against the “keep it white” grain and instead opts for warmer tones and rich wood. But it doesn’t feel closed in because the designer was brilliant in their use of the backsplash. With plenty of shine, the tiles not only reflect plenty of light around, but it draws the eye in as a focal point to help elongate the room.
8. Squeeze In Seating Where You Didn’t Think You Could
Just because your space might not be big enough to provide a traditional eat-in kitchen, doesn’t mean you can’t get creative. There are plenty of ways to build-in units, fold-out tables, and countertops, which can double as both counter space and seating areas.
This wrap-around unit featured on HGTV shows how building a narrow bar countertop off of the existing island and utilizing compact seating can provide plenty of eating room.
9. Open The Kitchen To Other Rooms
When you’re already short on space, losing walls isn’t always an option. But if you can spare it, opening up your kitchen to the surrounding rooms is a great way to make it feel bigger.
One option is to create a pass-through space in the wall. Another is to widen the doorways as shown in this kitchen shown in Southern Living where the dining room feels like a continuation of the kitchen instead of two completely separate rooms.
10. Use Geometry To Trick The Eye
Don’t worry, there is no math in this remodel. But just as stripes and prints are used in fashion to elongate and draw the eye to make clothing more flattering, the same tactic can be used in your small kitchen to help make it a little roomier. Bold tiles on the floor and long stripes on the wall trick the eye into thinking that the room is bigger than it is, as shown in this Traditional Home kitchen.
11. Utilize Every Space For Storage
When you have a small kitchen, the trick is to leave no space unused. Every nook, cranny, and corner can help give you more room. Built-in cutting boards and spice racks help keep counters and cabinets free, as shown with this photo featured in Southern Living. And there are plenty of clever ready-to-buy storage solutions that don’t require having to hire a contractor.
12. Take Advantage Of The Above-Cabinet Space
Many kitchens leave empty space between the tops of the cabinetry and the ceiling. But that is space that can be put to good use. Building additional small cabinets above the existing cabinets can give you a place to store the things that don’t get a lot of use or a surplus of supplies like paper towels and dish detergents. Adding glass panels to the doors as shown in this House Beautiful kitchen keeps the cabinets from closing in the room and provides a classy way to showcase your existing kitchen-wear.
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