Not all of us are lucky enough to be blessed with rooms of equal proportions. You might have an enormous, airy living room but small bathrooms. Your living room might be small but your kitchen might be spacious. So if you have a small kitchen and you spend a lot of time in it, don’t fret. Here are some tips on how to make a small kitchen work for you.
Colors, schemes & themes
The magic word when it comes to any form of interior design, color is an important element for all rooms. A good combination of colors can affect your mood positively and influence a larger feel of a kitchen. The best kitchen colors are said to be healthy shades of brown, peach, blue, yellow and pink. If you have a kitchen that is going in the direction of 3 colors, it’s best to follow the 60-30-10 rule.
Compact kitchens tend to look smaller if there are too many patterns everywhere. Make sure the countertops and cabinets have few contrasts by selecting complementary colors. Even the grain of your cabinets can help to influence the size of your kitchen. Horizontal grain on your cabinetry can achieve a larger feel. Try to place counter tops horizontally and along the lines of the grain.
Storage
Here’s where you can work wonders. Hang up your pots and pans! They add charm to your kitchen and also free up cabinet space. You could hang up your cooking ware on the empty walls or on your ceilings.
Use the back of doors. If we can hang clothes behind our door, why not hang spices and other supplies on the inside of your cabinet’s doors? It helps to save more space. If you’re not up to adding hooks on the back of your doors, you could install shelves for your condiments, spice jars and whatnot.
Use your backsplash. Your backsplash is the panel behind your sink. Don’t leave that space empty; put it to good use by hanging some regularly used cups and cutlery there. There is also sure to be room for a pretty plant or two.
Don’t buy or keep more than you need. If you rarely use your glassware or containers, give them away or sell them; leaving them to sit in your cabinets only collects dust and takes up space.
Glass
Instead of solid door fronts that give off a rather dense, austere look, switch to glass fronts. Glass fronts will not only make your small kitchen look larger and brighter, it’ll help you to easily locate that pesky plate that you’re looking for!
Lighting
We all know that proper overhead lighting can work wonders in small, cramped rooms. So utilize that aspect and you’ll have a cozy, brightly lit kitchen in no time. In the daytime, throw open your windows to let dazzling natural light in.
Another tip is to create an illusion of space under cabinets and counters by installing lights beneath them. Even above-cabinet and in-cabinet lighting can also be applied to enhance the space of your kitchen.
Countertops
You know how they say ‘Less is more’? Heed it! Clear your countertops of clutter. Leave only what you use regularly and either dispose or shelve the rest. Countertops that are loaded in accessories and items create an impression of little space.
No cabinets?
You might disagree and wonder what would kitchens be without cabinets. Here’s the thing: open shelving is a good option for small kitchens. It displays your pretty cookware and takes away the impression of dark areas that cabinets bring with them!
Islands
A kitchen island, that is. A kitchen island works well in a kitchen that has an open layout and one that doesn’t see much traffic. It acts as a work center and provides space for appliances too. When you’re not cooking, this counter can be used for eating or working off on.
Flooring
Another idea you can consider is your flooring tile. If your flooring tiles are square and small, they create an illusion of a small space. To achieve the illusion of a wider and spacious kitchen, go for tiles that are long and rectangular and place them on a diagonal.
What are some of your tips to make your kitchen appear bigger?