Making A Small Kitchen Look Bigger

There is no reason a small kitchen can’t exude some serious style and feel more spacious than it actually is. A kitchen of any size can feel roomy if you incorporate some simple design tricks to make the most of your space.

If you’re wondering how to make a small kitchen look bigger, our talented dream team of designers has a range of clever design tricks to create the illusion of space in your kitchen, whatever its size.  Here’s a few of our top recommendations…

Be considerate where you place functional storage

While it may seem obvious, not all kitchens are designed with function in mind which can leave utensils and other important tool storage all over the place.  With storage as an afterthought, this often forces you to criss-cross all over the kitchen grabbing your cutting board, knives and mixing bowls.  Regardless of its size, we encourage all clients to incorporate functional storage options like spice drawers or pull-outs, cutting board storage or built-in utensil storage.

Maximize lower storage

With limited space a small kitchen it’s imperative to not waste an inch when redesigning your space.  Adding things like deep drawers for pots and pans storage is a great way to utilize a lower cabinet in your island or a long wall cabinetry.  Utilizing toe kicks is another smart space saving solution, which can be used to store flat items like cutting boards or serve ware or even to hide a feeding draw for your family pet.  Another must have in a small kitchen is a pull-out garbage and recycle combination.  Adding roll out shelves and additional door shelving to small pantry cabinets is also a great way to utilize vertical height in a kitchen.

Incorporate Mirrors

Mirrored backsplashes are an excellent choice to add to your kitchen as they allow light to travel further within the room and help the space feel more open.  Using one continuous piece rather than a tiled design will help the mirror to be more effective, and instantaneously double your space visually.  This custom antique-look finish used on the bar space below offers much more character than plain glass and adds significant interest to this space.

Keep cabinetry clean and light

We’re using clean here regarding the lines, not necessarily smelling like Mr. Clean (though that’s important too!).  By removing cabinetry hardware and opting for push hardware or integrated handles, you’re able to create a much roomier, sleeker small space.

Simple but effective, white kitchens will always be a top choice to make a space appear bigger and brighter.  White kitchens not only reflect light but also add endless opportunities to personalize your space.  Consider adding texture into the countertop material by honing a granite countertop or even adding in some type of unique 3-d tile backsplash.  The beauty of white is that it works whether your style scheme is sleek and modern or classic and timeless.  If white cabinetry isn’t your preferred style, lighter wood finishes and painted cabinetry can also work well to expand the perceived space of your kitchen.  Pairing light tones with lighter-colored countertops will help your kitchen look spacious and airy. If you’re using lighter colors to enhance your space consider painting your walls in the same shade. This will focus your eye on the whole area, allowing it to feel larger and lighter

Embrace open shelving or glass-front cabinetry

While open shelving once seemed like a trend when it started showing up years ago, we can now say it’s a design element we see sticking around!  While open shelving is a great way to make your kitchen feel more spacious a downside can often be the extra cleaning they require to keep them and your items on display from getting dusty.  If you’re not ready to commit to open shelving, consider choosing upper cabinetry with glass fronts.  This type of cabinet gives the illusion of more room since the eye isn’t stopped by a cabinet door.

It’s vital that small kitchen layouts are planned meticulously so that there is enough countertop space for prepping, enough thoroughfare space for moving around the room comfortably, and clever small kitchen storage ideas to keep the room neat and tidy.  To get started on your kitchen redesign contact our Dream Team today!