5 Must-Have Features for a Small Kitchen
A designer shares tips on creating functionality and style in a compact space
Not everybody wants or has space for a sprawling kitchen. And a compact kitchen doesn’t mean you have to skimp on style and functionality. As a designer in Toronto, I often advise clients with small kitchens on how to maximize their tight layouts. Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks for making the most of these small spaces.
Going without knobs or pulls not only makes your tight kitchen look more spacious, it also gives you a bit more physical space when every inch counts. With this arrangement, you can move around in the kitchen right up against the cabinets without worrying about snagging your clothes or bumping your hip.
2. Open Shelves
If your kitchen feels cramped, removing all or some of your upper cabinets might be the best option for you. This is a sure way to open up the visual space around the room, making the kitchen appear much larger than it is.
Plenty of light is important in a small space, and upper cabinets can sometimes cast a shadow over the countertops, making the workspace feel darker than necessary. So skipping those uppers can really open a space up. Running tile on the backsplash to the ceiling can also help visually heighten the look of the room.
If you’re worried about losing the storage from ditching upper cabinets, consider a hardworking island, if you have the space, or consult with a design pro to really maximize your lower cabinet storage with pullouts, drawers and other high-functioning components.
Find a kitchen designer
If your kitchen feels cramped, removing all or some of your upper cabinets might be the best option for you. This is a sure way to open up the visual space around the room, making the kitchen appear much larger than it is.
Plenty of light is important in a small space, and upper cabinets can sometimes cast a shadow over the countertops, making the workspace feel darker than necessary. So skipping those uppers can really open a space up. Running tile on the backsplash to the ceiling can also help visually heighten the look of the room.
If you’re worried about losing the storage from ditching upper cabinets, consider a hardworking island, if you have the space, or consult with a design pro to really maximize your lower cabinet storage with pullouts, drawers and other high-functioning components.
Find a kitchen designer
Open shelves are another option. You want your shelves to have a depth of at least 10 inches. This is important if you want the shelving to hold dinner plates or other wide items. Open shelves also allow you to easily change your decor with the seasons, giving you a dynamic focal point that will keep your small kitchen feeling new and fresh.
Choosing the same color for your shelves and walls can help the shelves visually disappear, creating an airy vibe and letting your stylish dishes and decorative items pop. But keep in mind: With open shelves, be prepared to stay a little more organized, and plan to do a little extra dusting.
Shop for display and wall shelves
Choosing the same color for your shelves and walls can help the shelves visually disappear, creating an airy vibe and letting your stylish dishes and decorative items pop. But keep in mind: With open shelves, be prepared to stay a little more organized, and plan to do a little extra dusting.
Shop for display and wall shelves
3. Pattern
Bringing in a large design statement like a bold pattern can help detract from your minimal square footage and give your tiny space a big personality.
Plus, a little goes a long way. Using a dramatic pattern often works better in a small kitchen than in a large one because a small area of pattern can deliver just the right amount of style. With a larger area, too much pattern can overwhelm the space.
Bringing in a large design statement like a bold pattern can help detract from your minimal square footage and give your tiny space a big personality.
Plus, a little goes a long way. Using a dramatic pattern often works better in a small kitchen than in a large one because a small area of pattern can deliver just the right amount of style. With a larger area, too much pattern can overwhelm the space.
The floor is an often-overlooked area of a kitchen for adding style, but it’s the perfect place for a high-impact design element.
A patterned floor will give the illusion of a greater expanse of space. This black-and-white diamond pattern in a Salt Lake City kitchen by Maven Home Interiors creates a timeless look, and running the pattern diagonally creates the appearance of more square footage.
50 Tiny Kitchens Full of Big Ideas
A patterned floor will give the illusion of a greater expanse of space. This black-and-white diamond pattern in a Salt Lake City kitchen by Maven Home Interiors creates a timeless look, and running the pattern diagonally creates the appearance of more square footage.
50 Tiny Kitchens Full of Big Ideas
4. Corner Storage
As I’ve noted, every square inch counts in a small kitchen, and that means you can’t allow dead corners.
Designing a corner is often a tricky affair that requires a delicate balance between form and functionality. Notice how the open shelves in this Seattle kitchen wrap around a corner to maximize storage and display space while maintaining an open feel. Also note a few of the other tricks mentioned in this article, such as using light colors to visually recede cabinets, playing with pattern and running backsplash tile all the way to the ceiling to add visual height.
As I’ve noted, every square inch counts in a small kitchen, and that means you can’t allow dead corners.
Designing a corner is often a tricky affair that requires a delicate balance between form and functionality. Notice how the open shelves in this Seattle kitchen wrap around a corner to maximize storage and display space while maintaining an open feel. Also note a few of the other tricks mentioned in this article, such as using light colors to visually recede cabinets, playing with pattern and running backsplash tile all the way to the ceiling to add visual height.
A corner countertop cabinet is another idea worth considering. Extending the cabinet all the way to the ceiling maximizes storage but also makes the room feel bigger by drawing the eye up. A win-win.
Or consider a corner sink. Since work at the sink is often stationary, corner placement leaves space for another person to move freely, putting away groceries, preparing ingredients, accessing the fridge or tending food on a stove.
One thing to keep in mind before making this decision is that corner sinks tend to be smaller than standard ones. If you use a lot of big dishes and utensils, this may not be the best option for you.
New to home remodelin
One thing to keep in mind before making this decision is that corner sinks tend to be smaller than standard ones. If you use a lot of big dishes and utensils, this may not be the best option for you.
New to home remodelin
It might not seem like a big deal, but protruding cabinet knobs and pulls can take up a consequential amount of visual and physical space.
A “handleless” kitchen features cabinets with a lip or touch latch. This approach creates a seamless, minimal look without visual interruptions. And that’s important in a compact space that you want to feel more open.