Not all of us have the luxury of a large kitchen with an abundance of counter and cabinet space. Many homes have a small area designated to the kitchen. Whilst a small kitchen can present its drawbacks there are some advantages too.
Having a smaller kitchen prevents hoarding unnecessary and unused appliances that so many of us have stored in the back of our cupboards. A smaller kitchen also prevents us from stockpiling pantry items that many of us forget about and inevitably go out of date and waste. By far the greatest pro of having a small kitchen is that it is a smaller area to clean! So there are some upsides to having a smaller kitchen area and it doesn’t need to appear small and pokey either.
Here are our tips to make your small kitchen appear larger.
White & Light Neutrals
White reflects light and adds to the appearance of space in any small room. Using white or a light neutral for your paint and cabinets creates a seamless effect. White need not be boring, in fact white kitchens are still considered “classic” and will not date. Mix it up and use several shades of white or light neutral if you dislike bright white.
Splashbacks
Splashback areas cover a smaller area of the kitchen than cabinets and are quite often used as an opportunity to add a splash of colour or texture. Tiling splashbacks with mosaics is quite popular. Mosaics come in a large variety of colours and textures that are ideal for adding character to your kitchen. Glass splashbacks are perfect for kitchens and this is especially true for smaller sized kitchens as their reflective surface adds to the appearance of space. Glass, tiles and mosaics are all available in a variety of colours, so the choice is yours to use either your splashback as a contrast for a feature or to have it blend seamlessly with your wall cabinets.
Polyurethane Cabinet Finish
Polyurethane is a hard, scratch resistant and highly durable paint finish for cabinets that suits any kitchen style. The reflective nature of a semi gloss or high gloss polyurethane finish on your cabinets adds to the appearance of space making it a perfect choice for smaller kitchens.
Handles
Rather than using traditional handles for your kitchen cabinets, use finger pull handles for your cabinets and drawers to create minimalist, seamless look in your kitchen.
Open Shelving & Glass Wall Cabinets
Caution should be used when considering open shelving or glass wall cabinets in lieu of standard wall cabinets. Whilst open shelving and glass wall cabinets can add to the appearance of space, this is only effective when items placed are organised neatly and not crammed together. This is not always possible in a smaller sized kitchen as storage space is limited. The storage space that open shelving offers is not equal to that of standard wall cabinets as items cannot be placed right to the edge of open shelves as they can in a cabinet.
Natural Light
Keep window coverings to a minimum to allow as much natural light into the area as possible. Should your window area be small or non-existent consider adding a sky-light to add natural light into your kitchen. Natural light not only adds the light and therefore appearance of space in a room it also saves on electricity.
Lighting
Downlights are an effective lighting option for the kitchen especially when set on a dimmer to alternate between bright and mood lighting. Pendant lights add character to kitchens and can be used as effective lighting when placed over benchtops or for softer feature lighting when dining. Under cabinet lighting prevent shadows on benchtops providing essential lighting for food preparation and cooking.
Appliances
“There is a place for everything and everything in its place” comes to mind when organising a small kitchen. Limit appliances that are to be housed on benchtops and choose appliances that are sleek and slim rather than bulky types. Have your microwave incorporated into your wall cupboards to avoid losing valuable bench space.
Kitchen Dining
An eat in area in the kitchen is popular for its convenience, especially for breakfast and lunch. Many smaller styled homes do not offer a separate dining room at all. If an eat in area is to be incorporated into your small kitchen choose slimline styled bar stools or chairs and table to avoid overcrowding the area.
Related Articles:
Kitchen Cleaning Tips to Survive the Holidays
Why people are turning to Quartz for their Kitchens
Tips for Designing your Kitchen Layout
Master Bathrooms & Kitchens have renovated many beautiful kitchens. Be sure to peruse our website for more renovation tips and inspiration or call us on (02) 9899 9330 for a quotation today.
See our video below of just some of our gorgeous kitchens.