A small kitchen is something that is often unavoidable. The house only has a certain amount of square footage in which to work and only a certain portion can go to the kitchen without a major expansion.
When looking at a small kitchen remodeling, planning is essential. Every square inch must count in the kitchen design to maximize the usable space.
Here are four key design elements important for a small kitchen remodeling project.
- Mirrors Work Magic
Mirrors have been a designer trick for visually expanding a space while keeping a small footprint. That trick works well in a kitchen. Because mirrors reflect the room in front of it, it tricks the brain into thinking there is more to the room than there really is. You might wonder how to use a mirror in a kitchen. Mirror makes a great back splash material. It makes it look like a room sits beyond the cabinets. If you have a sink that faces a blank wall, adding a mirror above will expand the space and give the person washing dishes something to look at. Well-placed mirrors can reflect light coming in from windows and brighten the space. Mirror is easy to keep clean with a bit of window cleaner and a paper towel, making it the perfect choice for a kitchen material. - Think Upward
Every cubic inch of a small kitchen must count. A small kitchen is the last place you want short upper cabinets. Some like the space above the cabinets for decorating. However, that decorating space really needs used as valuable storage. Keep the decorations for the walls instead.Think of it this way. Short upper cabinets typically have two shelves while tall cabinets have three. If you go with cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling, you are effectively increasing the amount of storage you have in those cabinets by 50 percent. That is an efficient use of space.Thinking up also includes how to use ceiling space. A pot rack hung above an island serves as much-needed storage. Some even incorporate lighting for double duty. - Contain Kitchen Clutter with Trays
Clutter is the bane of any kitchen. In a small kitchen, it can overwhelm the countertop space quickly. Use trays to contain clutter in the kitchen. Every lower cabinet should have roll out trays so you can get to items in the back. These trays offer the perfect place to put clutter away. On the counter tops, trays are also a good choice for keeping spices together or other items in a single marked space. - Incorporate Open Shelving
One way to open up a small space visually is to choose open shelving over closed cabinets. The open shelves offer great storage places, but do not have the bulk of the cabinets. You do not have to have open shelving everywhere. But, shelves around the stove or sink makes a difference in the visual feeling of the place.Open shelves are great options for odd areas of the kitchen. Some kitchen layouts are awkward. If you have a nook or a place where deep cabinets will not work, add shallow shelves. You can store spices and other small items in that area, maximizing an odd space.
You can make a small kitchen functional, efficient, and quite stunning with the right elements. Expanding the visual space with open shelving and mirrors makes a small room a bit larger. Keeping counters clear of clutter and open helps enlarge the space as well. Maximizing storage space though is essential which means taking cabinets to the ceiling. Make your small kitchen remodeling project a success by using these key design elements.