How To Make A Small Kitchen Feel Bigger | More Kitchens

Published: 7 January 2020

When it comes to designing a small kitchen, just because you don’t have a wealth of space, it doesn’t mean your kitchen can’t be aspirational and functional.

Packed full of small kitchen ideas that advantageously use clever design concepts to make a small space feel bigger, this month’s inspirational kitchen article will divulge interior secrets that are sure to brighten and expand the most important room in your home.

1. Use Modern Design

If you have a small kitchen that needs to feel bigger, first thing’s first: if possible, design the kitchen with this limited space in mind. It may sound basic, but with such a wide variety of kitchen styles on offer, it’s important to get right. For example, a linear kitchen design offers simplicity and clean lines, which lends itself perfectly to small spaces, whereas a traditional kitchen might appear dark and cluttered in a small space.

Using a combination of reflective high gloss door finishes and worktops will help bounce light around the room, ultimately making it feel bigger than it actually is. An ultra-modern concept, in linear kitchens less is definitely more, which is why they complement small spaces with ease.

2. Don’t Let Space Go To Waste

In addition to the overall design, it’s just as important that you don’t let space go to waste. Thinking vertically, floor to ceiling cabinets are a great way to maximise storage opportunities while making the best use of space.

That said, it’s important to plan carefully to ensure the room remains as open as possible. If you’re starting to darken the space, but running out of places to put things, think about alternative storage methods, for example open shelving which will help keep the area light, or corner units.

3. Definitely Declutter

We would always recommend that you declutter before you start a renovation project. In short, if you haven’t used it for over a year then it’s highly likely that you don’t need it, which ultimately means it’s taking up much-needed space.

If you do decide to keep a number of sporadically used items, it’s essential that you find a home for them, keeping work surfaces clear and putting everything away and out of sight. Designing a small kitchen ultimately comes down to clever storage concepts, which we’ll cover in more detail below.

4. Reduce The Use Of Tiles

One of the best ways to make a small kitchen feel bigger is to reduce the amount of tiling to either a little amount or none at all. Instead, consider an upstand which is much more subdued but still protects walls from splashes which can occur when cooking.

5. Use A Breakfast Bar Rather Than A Table

Rather than a kitchen table, consider a breakfast bar. Potentially offering a means of additional storage - depending on the design you choose - tall bar stools often comfortably fit under the table which will ultimately provide more free space than a separate table and chairs would.

6. Relocate The Washing Machine

Finally, in order to create space for storage consider relocating your washing machine. In short, it doesn’t have to be in the kitchen, so if you have an alternative area in the home that it could be housed, a garage for example, then use this to your advantage.

7) Carefully Consider Your Storage

As mentioned already, storage is one of the most important components when it comes to designing a small kitchen. It’s important to declutter to make the space feel bigger and equally significant that you find a home for everything, so that all cooking equipment and utensils are out of sight.

In order to increase the amount of storage in your small kitchen, clever concepts and ‘out of the box’ thinking are required.

Corner units are a fantastic small kitchen storage idea as they use every inch of space, which otherwise would be rendered useless. Similarly, they free up floor space and offer a uniformed look and feel.

Open shelving offers somewhere to put everything but doesn’t make a room feel dark. Unlike a cupboard, however, we wouldn’t recommend filling the shelf with all your knick-knacks as this can make the space feel cluttered, which ultimately defeats the object.

The key with small kitchen storage ideas is to be as opportunistic as possible, and to take advantage of any unique features. For example, if your kitchen features an alcove that most designers would consider an annoyance, think about incorporating some bespoke shelving.

Similarly, if you’ve got supporting walls or a pillar that need to remain in your kitchen that you’d otherwise remove, consider how you can utilise this to your advantage and whether there is any opportunity to include bespoke shelving.

Ultimately, making small kitchens feel bigger is all about using the space you do have wisely. Using clever storage options and rethinking the basics of kitchen design will get you a long way. For more information, check out our blog, or get in touch today.

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