Unless you have a huge budget and plenty of space to extend outward or upward, transforming a small kitchen into a larger space, isn’t always possible, no matter how frustrated you may be with its size. However, with some clever space saving design tips, there are plenty of ways to gain some extra wiggle room in a bijoux kitchen, and without spending a fortune, too.
If you’ve got a small kitchen but can’t afford to move to a bigger property with a bigger kitchen, and don’t have the budget to turn the small room into a much larger one, you might be interested in the following tips designed to make the most of what little space there may be in a kitchen. Just remember that while you may think DIY remodeling is the solution to your small budget woes, mistakes made because you don’t really know what you’re doing, can be costly and inconvenient to fix. So, wherever possible, hire a professional remodeling company to help you with some, or all of the 8 tips below:
- Make use of height
If your kitchen is blessed with a tall ceiling, be sure to have cabinets and other storage solutions added, that take full advantage of that fact. A ceiling high cabinet can hold a lot of stuff, and the less stuff you’ve got out on countertops, the roomier your kitchen will look and feel.
2. Opt for open shelves
While still giving you plenty of space for storing all manner of kitchenalia and other items, open shelving takes up less room and helps give a kitchen a more open look. You could also take advantage of floating shelves to make even more use of narrow parts of your kitchen that aren’t quite wide enough for a cabinet.
3. Make effective use of organizers
Try putting Lazy Susan inserts into corner shelves where possible, or similar rotating storage devices wherever they will fit; you’ll be amazed at how much storage space this gives you, freeing up other areas of your kitchen to become less cluttered and full looking.
4. Explore in-built storage solutions
Things like pull-out cutting boards, open storage on the side of kitchen cabinets and in-cabinet trash cans all help give you more usable space in your kitchen, more of the time.
5. Try roll-out shelving
For cabinets at ground level, roll-out shelves can work amazingly well as a storage solution and can be easily added to cabinets that are already in your kitchen.
6. Consider a rolling kitchen cart
While kitchen islands remain incredibly popular among homeowners, for anyone with a small kitchen, such an addition can serve to make the space feel even smaller and more cramped. How about using a rolling kitchen cart, instead? Functioning as a kitchen island when you want it to, or even a buffet cart when entertaining, it can simply be stashed away under a countertop when not in use.
7. Think about lighting
Kitchens that are well-illuminated don’t just look more inviting, but look more spacious, too. Have under-cabinet lighting installed (LED is preferable) to make it brighter when working in the kitchen, and help create the illusion of space.
8. Consider colors
If your kitchen has been painted, papered, or tiled in dark colors, consider changing to lighter colors for a fresher, roomier look in a small space. Painting your cabinets in lighter colors (or having new, lighter colored cabinets installed) will help give a brighter, lighter feel to the space, too.
Don’t give up on your small kitchen; consider the space saving tips above and talk to a local remodeling company about the many other different ways to increase functionality and style in your little kitchen.