We design kitchens of all shapes and sizes for our customers in the Pittsburgh area. The most common size kitchen we see, though, is often smaller than what’s depicted in home magazines. If you have a smaller kitchen that you’d like to make appear bigger, we have ten strategies for you. Our team of experienced design consultants will work with you from your project start to completion and will find solutions for the unique challenges of your home through our Personalized Design experience.
1. Go with Light Colors
White kitchens are very trendy right now, but they offer more benefits than just being beautiful. Light colors are more reflective than dark colors and they will make your kitchen appear bigger as well as more open and airy. Light blues, greens, or pale yellows are other great colors to make your space look larger than life.
2. Implement Lines
Lines will stretch your space horizontally or vertically, depending on the pattern. You can create lines with your cabinetry, tiling, flooring, or decor. Direct the eye upward and make your kitchen appear taller with cabinetry that has vertical lines, such as with the island demonstrated below. The lines of subway tile will give the impression of a longer and taller kitchen as well.
3. Implement Reflective Materials
It’s common knowledge that mirrors and other reflective materials make a space look bigger, which is why they are often placed in bathrooms, living rooms, or hallways. Take that same mentality and apply it to your kitchen.
4. Expand the Visual Area with Glass-Paneled Cabinetry
Glass-paneled cabinetry will create unobstructed visual paths, which will make your kitchen look larger. It will also let you display your favorite dishes and treasures! If you can’t change your cabinetry just yet, you could also add clear chairs or glass pendant lights to your decor.
5. Minimize the clutter
Keep sight lines open by clearing off your countertops. Your kitchen cabinetry can include creative storage solutions to help you accomplish this. A cooking utensil drawer will eliminate the need for a kitchen caddy on your countertops. You could also have a knife-drawer installed in place of the traditional knife block set.
6. Install more lighting
The more shadows you have, the smaller the space will feel. Make your space light and bright by installing more lights. These lights can be added underneath cabinets to highlight your countertops and your work area or toe kick lights can be added at the base of your kitchen cabinetry. Lights can also be added inside glass cabinetry to illuminate its contents.
7. Hide Appliances Behind Cabinetry
Appliance cabinetry will blend your appliances in with the rest of your kitchen. This will keep your kitchen’s design congruent and sleek and help it appear larger. The photo below demonstrates how a dishwasher can be hidden behind a cabinetry panel.
8. Avoid contrast
Create a kitchen with little color difference between the space’s walls, cabinetry, tiling, countertops, and backsplash to create unobstructed visual lines that won’t make your eyes jump around. The kitchen below is a great example of this. You could also use the same material for your backsplash and countertops to blend the surfaces together.
9. Opt for an Undermount Sink and/or Single Bowl Sink
Undermount sinks sit under the countertop’s surface which hides it from view and creates a seamless view. Undermount sinks are perfect for high-traffic kitchen areas as debris on the countertops can easily be wiped into the sink. You could also opt for a sink with a single bowl to prevent the sink from dominating the working area of your countertop.
10. Install Open Shelving
If you have cabinet space to spare, consider installing open shelving. These will make your kitchen larger as they create unobstructed views, similar to glass-paneled cabinetry.
Next, tackle your small bathroom and make it look larger too. Then, get ideas on how to add personality to your kitchen design or how to make your new kitchen more efficient.
FAQs
In many cases, taking down a wall is all you need to do to expand the space of your kitchen. For instance, removing a wall enclosing a breakfast nook gives you length in the room. To add storage that takes up minimal floor space, consider adding a peninsula or an island with seating.
How can I expand my small kitchen? ›
In many cases, taking down a wall is all you need to do to expand the space of your kitchen. For instance, removing a wall enclosing a breakfast nook gives you length in the room. To add storage that takes up minimal floor space, consider adding a peninsula or an island with seating.
What colors make a small kitchen look bigger? ›
Keep colours light, bright and consistent
Bright white or cream is an obvious choice, but don't feel limited. Light greens, yellows, blues and even greys can work well too. Whatever colour you choose, try to make the cabinet doors and walls one consistent colour.
What color floor makes a kitchen look bigger? ›
Light vs Dark Colours
Here's a breakdown of how different shades affect the perception of space: Lighter Shades: Enhance natural light and give an open, airy feeling. Ideal for smaller rooms that need to feel more spacious. White: Perhaps the most effective colour for enlarging a space.
How to modify a small kitchen? ›
Small-Kitchen Makeovers: Ideas and Inspiration
Key elements in a winning kitchen remodel include ample work surfaces, efficient layout, well-thought-out storage, custom features, combined functionality (e.g., eat-in kitchens plus cooking and prep) and creative use of lighting, color and textures.
How to increase the size of a kitchen? ›
A common way to increase the size of a kitchen is to remove a wall that doesn't serve many purposes. For example, if it's a non-load-bearing wall. This step is more costly than the previous two, but it can have the largest impact on adding additional space to your kitchen.
What backsplash makes a kitchen look bigger? ›
Install a backsplash with strong horizontal lines, like shiplap or subway tile laid in a bond pattern. Those horizontal lines make the kitchen feel wider than it really is. Add open shelving to repeat and emphasize those lines and create a cohesive illusion of a larger space.
What color countertops look best in a small kitchen? ›
White also works exceedingly well in smaller kitchens when paired with flat front cabinetry because they help to make space look larger than it actually is.
What is the most popular color for a small kitchen? ›
Timeless Blue
"Light-reflecting blues tend to make small rooms look bigger; blue is recessive, and the white within the blue pigment will bounce light around," says Sloan. "This is why a pastel blue is always such a popular choice in kitchens.
How to remodel a small kitchen to look bigger? ›
The best small kitchen ideas use materials to an advantage. Reflective surfaces, such as ceramic tile, marble countertops, or stainless steel, subtly amplify the effects of natural and artificial light, thereby making small kitchens seem larger. In addition, adequate lighting improves functionality.
'When selecting flooring for a small kitchen, light and bright colors are often the best choices for creating the illusion of a larger space.
What is the most appealing kitchen color? ›
When it comes to kitchens, white, gray, blue, red, yellow, and green really shine. Each of these shades can do something different for the room, but they all help create a warm and welcoming space. Warmer colors such as red are believed to stimulate the appetite and are an excellent option for kitchens.
What type of backsplash makes a kitchen look bigger? ›
Any room can appear wider by using horizontal lines to your advantage. Try a long horizontal backsplash tile or subway tile to draw the eye across the room. You can achieve the same effect with horizontal tiled or herringbone flooring while enhancing the kitchen design.
What is the best color countertop for a small kitchen? ›
White is your best friend in a small kitchen. It reflects light, enhancing the sense of space and making the walls recede. When you include white on cabinetry, countertops, walls, and the ceiling, you create a seamless space without edges or boundaries.
