Does your kitchen feel cramped? It can be tempting to imagine tearing down walls to open up your kitchen space, but unless you have the right layout, knowledge and budget, a complete kitchen remodel may be out of the question. That doesn’t mean you’re stuck with a petite kitchen space. Here are four simple tips to help you make your kitchen look and feel bigger today.
Add shelving
Cabinet and counter space are at a premium, especially in a smaller kitchen. These spaces are quickly filled with countertop appliances, pots and pans, silverware, towels and other kitchen essentials. So how can you create more space without knocking down walls? Shelving. Hang simple, but elegant shelving to give you more room to store your kitchen necessities and clear the clutter from your countertops. This will give you more working space and help you keep your kitchen from appearing cluttered. If you have a narrow kitchen, try installing longer shelves which will draw your eye into the room, making it feel more spacious.
Experiment with your lighting
Letting light into the room can help make it feel more spacious. Swap out traditional globe lighting for an airy geometric light fixture or pendant lighting if appropriate. Add additional lighting with bright under cabinet/shelf lighting. This will brighten up the kitchen, creating the illusion of more space, and work like task lighting for your countertops. If you have a medium or large window in your kitchen, don’t block it with blinds or heavy curtains. These block the eye from taking in the entire outdoor view, which can help make a cramped space feel even smaller. Instead, use the bare window to let as much natural light in as possible. The view of your outdoor space paired with natural light will help give your kitchen a more spacious feeling.
Just let it hang
The walls or ceiling can be perfect for displaying kitchen essentials in an artful or functional manner. Attach hooks under cabinets to store utensils without taking up counter or drawer space. Hang spoon rests on the wall as art or add magnetic strips above the stove or counter store your knives and make them easier to access. Adding a decorative pot rack can help you store your pots and pans without having to stack them on top of one another or constantly having to empty the cabinet just to get to the frying pan in the back. If you don’t have the wall space, see if a ceiling-mounted rack can be accommodated. Whatever way you decide to hang your pots and pans, be sure to mount the storage correctly so you don’t have your functional work of art come crashing down. Bonus tip: Purchase special racks to store your pot and pan lids or slide the lid handle down the pot handle to store them together.
Go bright
Dark tones can make a room feel smaller, so use a light-themed color palette to make the space appear larger. Make your kitchen feel open and airy by using white paint on all of the walls. Because it reflects light, it creates the illusion of having more space than you really do. Use similar shades for your counters and cabinets to avoid sudden changes from light to dark tones. If all white isn’t your thing, choose a vibrant yellow for an accent wall or add splashes of color throughout the room with towels, utensils, pot handles and flowers to draw the eye around the room giving the room a bigger look and feel. Have any other tips of your own? Feel free to add them in the comment section and let us know what's worked for you.
