Most of us would love a large, roomy kitchen, whether for cooking daily meals, hosting large gatherings, or simply as a comfortable location for hanging out with our family and friends. When you are shopping for a home however, you often have to start playing the give-and-take game, and an expansive kitchen may fall to the wayside in favor of location, number of bedrooms, or other items on your must have list. Also, if you are purchasing a condo or downsizing into an active adult community, you may go into the purchase knowing that the kitchen will be somewhat smaller than you are used to. If you’re lucky, you will have the available space, funds and patience to renovate your new kitchen into something functional and large enough for your needs. Sometimes though, a kitchen remodel isn’t in the cards, and you’re going to need to work with the kitchen you have. Luckily there are numerous things you can do to make your kitchen look and feel much bigger than it actually is.
Change Your Appliances
One way to instantly make a small kitchen appear larger is to swap out your appliances for modes that are smaller and take up less space. Slimline appliances can free up both wall space and surface space, and will allow your kitchen to feel feel more open. Do you tend to run your dishwasher only every couple of days? Swap your larger machine out for a smaller one that you will run daily instead. Think about the way you cook, and how much cooking you actually do. If you don’t typically prepare meals for a large number of people, you may only use one or two of your stove’s burners. This means you can consider swapping out your standard range for a two burner, compact model instead. Another way to save space is with a combination oven and microwave.
Even if you don’t feel that you can change your appliances out for smaller than standard models, you can change the look of your kitchen with integrated appliances. These sit even with the cabinetry in your kitchen, and have fronts that look identical to your cabinets, giving your whole kitchen a smooth and streamlined look and feel. Refrigerators and dishwashers are commonly available in many different integrated designs. You can also rethink your sink – a smaller, more compact sink will take up much less space than the typical double sink found in kitchens. This means you have can incorporate much more valuable surface countertop space into your small kitchen. For an even bigger space saver, look for a circular or oval-shaped sink. These takes up even less room and are more likely to fit into awkward spaces like corners.
Be Clever with Storage
Even bigger kitchens begin to look smaller if there is too much clutter out where you can see. With a smaller kitchen, it is even more important to have plentiful storage so that you can keep surfaces neat and clutter free. Exchange some of your cabinets for pan drawers, which are deeper and larger than regular drawers, allowing for neat stacking of cookware, and gives you a place to stash small countertop appliances so that you can leave your surfaces open.
For your remaining cabinets, consider adding pull out racks and carousels. This allows you to better organize the contents of your cabinets, so that you can pack more in a small space while still leaving things organized and giving you the ability to find things easily. And don’t leave small, awkward spaces unused. Even the most narrow slot can be used for cutting boards or for a pull-out spice rack. When you begin to think about these smaller spaces more creatively, you fill find that your kitchen has more space than you initially realized.
Finally, do not ignore the top and bottom of your kitchen when you look for storage solutions. If there is open space above your cabinets and/or refrigerator, use decorative baskets to stash items that you don’t use as often. Even if you need a small step ladder to get to them occasionally, it will be worth the trouble. if you have a built in eating nook, remember that the seating can also become storage if you opt for storage benches rather than plain cushioned seating.
Open Up Your Shelving
Removing your upper cabinets and switching to open shelving for your kitchen will immediately make the room appear larger and more open. You will need to commit to keeping these shelves neat and orderly, but you will appreciate the illusion of more space when you do this. If you are unsure about whether or not you can commit to this, try just removing the doors of your cabinets for awhile first to get yourself use to the look.
When you decide to make the full change, changing your wood shelves out for glass will give your kitchen an even airier and more open look. Aside from glass, another great option is to make sure the shelves are the same color as the wall behind them, giving the illusion that they are simply blending in to the space. You can use this open shelving for your daily use dishes and glasses, as a spice rack, for potted plants, or anything that you can make look decorative and keep neat and tidy.
Use Natural Light to Your Advantage
You’ve likely heard time and again that natural light can really open up any room. Small spaces flourish with plentiful access to sunlight, so experts always suggest you leave blinds and curtains open and windows exposed so that light fills all the nooks and corners of a space. In fact, if you don’t need the window coverings for privacy at times, consider removing them altogether. There are other things you can do in a small kitchen to make sure you are making the most of the light you have, both natural and electric. One thing you can do that will make a huge difference is to use reflective surfaces as much as possible. This means that as you redecorate, you should consider reflective options such as glass tiles, shiny finishes on floors, high gloss paint on your walls, and cabinets with a glossy finish. For countertops, look for laminate, quartz or stainless steel, as these are the most reflective of the commonly used materials. As light shines in from your kitchen window and bounces around the room off these reflective surfaces, it will give the illusion of additional space.
Another trick to increase the amount of light reflecting in your smaller kitchen is to hang mirrors on open wall space. Many people don’t think about mirrors as belonging in the kitchen, but a decorative one hung on a wall can really maximize the light available. Direct it towards the main source of light if possible, and look for something that is either frameless, or has a frame that fits the overall decorative theme you have going in the room.
Use Installed Lighting to Create the Illusion of Space
A small kitchen is the perfect place to experiment with different lighting techniques. Because of the type of work we tend to do in our kitchens, from reading recipes to chopping vegetables, a kitchen is a space where we need layers of both functional and aesthetic lighting. Many people use hanging pendant lights in a kitchen, but this crowds your field of vision and can overpower a small space. Instead, oft for lights that are mounted flush with the ceiling, but placed over work areas. Make sure these lights do not obstruct any sources of natural light, so if your smaller kitchen happens to have a skylight, proper light placement is crucial.
While flush mounted ceiling lights may be the best option overall, when you are working with a small space, you need to think outside the box and take a creative approach to lighting. Track lighting over the sink or stove may be useful, and wall lights rather than ceiling lights may be beneficial in some places. Layers of lighting are ideal because you can adjust the amount of light you need throughout the day.
Choose Colors that Open Up Your Space
From walls to cabinets and countertops, to textiles, the colors you use in your kitchen can make a huge difference in making your small kitchen appear larger. When choosing a paint color for the walls, shades that are known to reflect light are ideal, as they will help make sure light bounces around the space. While you may naturally think white is the best choice, there are other colors that may also be options. Blue for example, is a wonderful color choice when you are trying to make a small space feel bigger. Because it is reminiscent of the sky, blue hues tend to draw the eye outwards, blur hard lines and give you a sense of never-ending space. Green and yellow can also be great choices, but be sure to choose a shade with plenty of natural white tint.