Dreaming of a new kitchen? You’re not alone, and if your kitchen isn’t quite as big as you’d like it to be, you’re not alone there, either. While we’re all dreaming of open plans and kitchens the size of our entire first floor, walking into your kitchen each morning doesn’t have to leave you feeling disappointed. With the right design, your small kitchen can look just as light and stylish as one twice the size.
There are plenty of ways to make your kitchen, of whichever size, stylish and attractive. All it needs is a little thought, careful planning, and a little investment of time and money.
Styling a small kitchen is a challenge – you need to perfectly balance style and function. Once you have your overall theme and style in mind (do you want your kitchen to look ultra-modern? Farmouse? Scandinavian?), you need to carefully consider the details.
Consider:
· Smart storage solutions – consider pull-out storage that will hide clutter without making it difficult to access.
· Your lighting – you need lights that will illuminate primary workspaces, but will also make a statement. There’s a huge choice of pendant lamps available, so finding ones that suit the feel you are going for is easy. You can never have too much light over the preparation and cooking areas; they make such a difference when preparing meals!
· Limit clutter – if you want to have decorations out on your countertops and windowsills, try to keep it to a minimum and in areas that wouldn’t be used often for food prep.
· Keep colors light, especially if natural light is limited – if you want to choose a dark, rich color for your cabinets, you can. However, be aware that it may make your kitchen feel darker and more cramped. Dark colors are best used for accents (such as just the lower cabinets, an island, or backsplash) or in small kitchens with high ceilings.
There are lots of options that will help make the best use of the space available and make your kitchen feel bigger.
· Keep additional furniture to a minimum, and if you do need additional seating or a mobile island, avoid dark, bulky items.
· Choose appliances that are designed for the smaller kitchen. There are plenty of ovens, refrigerators, and sinks that are designed with space-saving in mind.
· Consider keeping your freezer elsewhere. Most of us have refrigerators with the freezer section at the bottom, but if you’ve got a small kitchen and more space elsewhere (such as a laundry room, basement, or garage) consider finding a smaller refrigerator and keeping your deep freeze (or another, larger refrigerator) in that space.
· Consider replacing some of the overhead cabinets with open shelving. Open shelving is practical and lets in plenty of light while making the room feel bigger.
· Only keep the essentials. It’s easy to end up with too many bowls, too much cookware, and other utensils you haven’t used in a decade. Be a little ruthless and just keep what you need.
· Look into smart storage solutions – don’t settle for shelves in all your cabinets; rather, look into smart solutions that ensure you have a place for everything.
Though strong colors can work, in general, the lighter your cabinets, countertops, floor, and walls are, the better. Pale colors help reflect light around the room, which makes it look bigger. If you want bold colors, look to appliances, a rug, and other decor that can achieve accents of bold color.
Not surprisingly, being the most reflective color, white is the most popular choice for a small kitchen. In fact, white is often the main color in even the largest of kitchens, for the same reason.
White is the ultimate neutral color and allows you to add accents of other colors without worrying about clashing. White works with any style and with any other color or texture – pair white with a butcher block countertop in a farmhouse kitchen, or with black marble in an ultra-modern kitchen. It all works.
The only downside to white is that it can seem cold and sterile, but it doesn’t take much to alter that with the right choice of accents and textures. Simply adding some plants, chopping boards, and soft furnishings can soften even an all-white modern kitchen.
One of the biggest problems with a big kitchen is designing the workflow. Above all else, a kitchen is the place in your home for storing food and making delicious meals.
In a big area, this means planning out where the cupboards are and making sure that they are close to uncluttered countertop space and the stove. Get this wrong, and cooking becomes a chore.
You won’t have this problem in a small, chic kitchen: nothing is too far away. But you still have to keep the essentials in mind.
When designing the layout, you need to ensure that there is enough countertop available to make preparing food a breeze. This may mean you need to have enough storage space to enable storing away those appliances, like food processors and toasters, which only get used occasionally.
If you study kitchen design and cabinet manufacturer websites, you will find that there are lots of cunning new storage ideas that allow you to pack in as much storage space as possible into a limited space. If you hire a designer, they will be able to show you just what is on offer and open your eyes – you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
An island needs to be a minimum of 4 feet by 2 feet, and you need sufficient space around it to cook and pass another person easily. Generally, your kitchen needs to be at least 8 feet by 12 feet, or you’ll struggle.
While islands look great and provide much-needed storage and preparation space, don’t try to squeeze one in if you don’t have space. If you install an island without enough room, you’ll constantly be tripping over the other people in your household and may have created a fire hazard, so it’s best to go without.
If your kitchen is almost big enough for an island, and you want more countertop space, consider an island on wheels. There are plenty of rolling islands on the market that are perfect for food prep, but can be pushed into a corner or under a bar when not needed.
If you fill a small space with dark cabinets, you run the risk of making it look even smaller. If done right, you can absolutely do dark cabinets.
You have two options:
· Choose dark cabinets (such as navy, grey, or green) and pair them with white walls, white backsplash, and white countertops. This will give you that splash of color you’re looking for (and cabinets that don’t look dirty as quickly!) without making the space feel small.
· Go all in. This is best done in small kitchens with high ceilings, but can look good in any kitchen. If you want to go this route, it will be worth your investment in working with a kitchen designer, even if you plan to DIY. The kitchen designer will know how to use your natural and artificial light to your advantage, so it’s not overwhelming. In most cases, you’ll need to choose just one dark color and use different textures to create interest. For example, pair dark green cabinets with dark green tiles, and accent with copper hardware, or black cabinets with a natural wood-finish countertop.
Designing the perfect small kitchen is not so very different from designing a large one.
Remember the essentials – enough countertop space to work on, as much storage as possible, the right appliances, and build from there.
Sure, if space is at a premium, you may have to rein in your fantasies a little, but that doesn’t mean your kitchen can’t be Instagram-worthy!
If your budget allows, get the best quality cabinets, countertops, flooring, and appliances you can. Be creative. Look around at what others have done and learn from them. Simple interior design ideas for small kitchens are all around you, so get scrolling on Instagram, Pinterest, and blogs (like this one!).
To get the most out of a small space, consider working with a kitchen designer. They design kitchens of all sizes day-in and day-out, and they’ll know all the little tricks that transform a small kitchen, from something you feel constantly add odds with to one that you can’t believe is yours.
Our Skipp designers have years of experience and know exactly what it takes to marry style with function. We can take you from your old, falling apart kitchen to one you can’t wait to use, in just 4 steps.
Step 1: With just one 30-minute 3D scan appointment, we get 3D images of your kitchen in order to get accurate measurements of your space.
Step 2: our proprietary kitchen design technology generates beautiful designs,which can be narrowed down and personalized to suit your style, needs, and budget.
Step 3: work with our professional designers to get that Instagram-worthy kitchen! We work with top brands to get timeless, beautiful and chic products for your kitchen remodel.
Step 4: work with our vetted contractors to remove the headaches and complete your renovation or remodel as soon as possible, to the best possible standard. It really is that straightforward! To start your renovation estimate, click here.
