Flower Love
We all dream of living in amazing mansions and expensive apartment buildings, but the truth is that most of the time, we deal with challenging little places and become experts in rationalizing square meters.
The problem is particularly evident in our kitchens, where most of us struggle to push furniture and appliances together without realizing that there are ways to create beautiful yet efficient cooking paradises.
First of all, you can make a small kitchen look bigger with just a few smart solutions that improve the overall atmosphere. How does a small kitchen feel bigger? Let’s suggest some creative ideas:
The walls should stay white
Image source: Change design / build
Small kitchens are perfect when they are white as this color can properly reflect and diffuse light and make the most of the space you have by reducing the adjoining effects that walls normally have.
In fact, you can spread white across cabinets too, making the borders and edges completely seamless. Plus, white doesn’t have to be boring – there are many shades you can combine, as well as various textures and humble patterns that reduce the sterile effect. The moldings and the recessed panel cabinets also generate interest.
Let light in
Image source: Ben Gebo Photography
As in any room, the visual size of your kitchen depends on the amount of light you let in. The first thing you should do is enlarge the windows horizontally or vertically.
To do this, we recommend that you hire experts, as walls cannot always bear the load without being seriously damaged. Think of artificial faucets along with the windows, especially those that are positioned above the countertop so that you can easily cook without daylight.
Make the most of your floor space
Image source: Roy Campana Photography
Correct use of floors goes beyond visual design and places much more emphasis on ergonomics. If you have a small kitchen, choose decorative accessories that take up little space, such as islets, slender-legged chairs, narrow stools, or lots of shelves to accommodate utilities that leave the floor untouched.
What could be really useful in this case is following the mid-century architect Eero Saarinen’s design philosophy that small kitchen owners should focus on their vertical space rather than their horizontal space.
Position furniture correctly
Image source: Arnal Photography
This is the most important part of your job: you need to place furniture correctly! Placement means the world to your kitchen as sometimes even a few selected pieces create a mess and make the kitchen look small and cramped.
The reason we warn you about this is not aesthetic – we make sure you have enough space to move around and carry out everyday activities completely undisturbed.
For example, one of the paths that should be absolutely free is the one between the worktop and the refrigerator.
Go vertical
Image source: Brennan + company architects
To make room, get creative with vertical storage ideas. Just a few taller cupboards or additional shelves automatically mean less clutter on the worktop. So you can always bring them to the ceiling.
Put the seldom used equipment on the upper shelves and attach a magnetic knife holder and a rack for pans and pots. Mugs can also be hung on small pegs to free up extra space.
Nice built-in wardrobes
Image source: Bravo interior design
Shelves look great when neatly tucked between the wall studs, and modern designers take advantage of this fact. If the space between the walls doesn’t allow this, why not use built-in wardrobes instead?
That way, you can forget about inching it off and still keep all of your needed items. Installing cabinets doesn’t take too much effort, but you can still hire an expert to do it for you.
Glass is your friend
Image source: hoo interior design & styling
Kitchens look much more spacious with lots of glass surfaces to save space. You should use glass wherever possible.
We recommend glass cabinet doors and what appears to be floating glass shelves to display your beautiful china or your colorful spice jars. There might even be a glass table for breakfast, provided the tabletop is strong enough to withstand damage.
Shiny goods and reflective surfaces
Image source: KRAUZEarchitects
The best thing about shiny and metallic surfaces is that they look amazing in any color scheme, and you can use them anytime to showcase key and important parts of your kitchen.
The kitchen is indeed the perfect place for polished shelves and shiny surfaces, even if only porcelain-enamel cutlery is on display.
Cooper hints and enamel glaze make for the perfect reflectors and make kitchens look even bigger, brighter and more dynamic.
Don’t forget the floors
Image source: Martens JSC
Floors are important when remodeling a kitchen, and they are very important! The space can be increased by the floor, especially if the strips are positioned horizontally and wide or diagonally.
The colors should be neutral, but not too dark. We understand that light floors are not that ideal for the kitchen, but you should at least choose a lighter / darker shade than the walls and furniture.
Define lines clearly
Be strict about the lines as frequent variations can make the kitchen look disorganized and clumsy. However, this doesn’t stop you from adding vibrant styles and patterns, but rather leads you to an interesting vertical solution that makes the kitchen look modern and far more relaxing.
Sometimes a balck-and-white stripe pattern or even a simple backsplash for tiles is enough. When done right, it works.
Renovate
Image source: Cream & Black Interior Design
Depending on the location of the kitchen, you may be able to make small wall clearances, possibly where the kitchen is adjacent to a dining room or living room.
It won’t harm the spacious neighbor and you still get extra square feet to make the kitchen more open. The process is simple and doesn’t cost too much.
Use open shelves
Image source: Erotas Building Corporation
Needless to say, open shelves are far better suited to creating the illusion of spaciousness than closed ones. If possible, replace the closed ones or use a couple of floating shelves for an airy look.
When designing a small space you need to keep things simple, and any element that helps is more than welcome.
Eliminate all clutter
Image source: Furnishing Interiors Ltd.
Even the most crowded and over-the-top kitchen can look great without clutter. The impact of proper and periodic maintenance on space is simply amazing, even when it requires extraordinary storage efforts and solutions.
Hide all items that can be hidden and remove those that you would never use (broken appliances, blunt knives, broken china, etc.).
Avoid placing any objects on countertops or cabinets and cleaning them regularly to avoid the unpleasant effects of grease, heat and moisture. It’s not impossible – your kitchen can sparkle forever!