Making Your Kitchen Look More Spacious
One of the hardest design puzzles is turning a tiny kitchen into something which looks both beautiful and spacious. If you feel that the room is cramped or poky, you’re not going to enjoy spending time in there cooking or socialising. There are however some classic design tricks which you can take advantage of to make the most of what you have.
1. Emphasise Ceiling Height
If you live in an older property with tall ceilings, then you can trick the eye into thinking the kitchen is bigger by making the most of the height. Look for extra tall kitchen cabinets to cut the amount of blank wall space above, or install open shelving to store either items you don’t use often, or plants or pretty decorative items. Draw the eye even higher by installing decorative mouldings or cornice around the join between the wall and ceiling, or opt for a striking light fitting to keep people looking up.
2. Maximise Storage
One of the main complaints about a small kitchen is that there is nowhere to put anything, which leads to people storing items on surfaces, which makes the kitchen look even smaller. You can’t squeeze more cupboards in if there is simply no space, but you can make use of every inch inside those cupboards. Look at options such as using the back of doors for hanging space for tea towels, putting cup hooks underneath shelves, or even converting the redundant space behind kickboards to use to store pots and pans or cake tins for baking.
3. Take Time to Consider Lighting
Small kitchens often feel dingy and cramped because the lighting isn’t up to scratch. Having a striking feature light has already been mentioned as a way of drawing attention upwards, but it’s not the only thing you should be thinking about. The temptation is to add in loads of lighting fixtures, but too many can make the room appear even more cluttered. Check out concealed lighting recessed into the ceiling, or under the cabinets. Try to use bulbs with a bluish tone where possible, as these give a feeling of daylight when natural light is lacking. Think also about the brightness of the bulbs you have chosen for your lighting, and this will have to be adjusted depending on the colour scheme you have chosen – darker colours on walls or cabinets will require a stronger wattage of bulb.
4. Keep the Colours Simple
The classic trick is to keep everything white to make a space look bigger, but this can also look cold and clinical. Perhaps a better tule is to keep your colour palette simple, by choosing one or two key colours and use these throughout. Coordinating colour choices on walls, tiles, flooring and cabinets will create a cohesive design which will by default make your kitchen appear bigger.
5. Ditch the Clutter
We’ve all got gadgets and clutter in the kitchen taking up valuable space. If you’re swamped by stuff it’s time to be ruthless. Take inspiration from Netflix decluttering expert Marie Kondo – things which aren’t useful, essential or bring genuine joy to your life should be donated to charity or recycled. Once you’ve got rid of all the extras and unneeded things in your kitchen set yourself a rule that no new item comes into the kitchen without you getting rid of something else first.
6. Use Shiny Accessories and Decorations
One of the tricks you’ll always see recommended to create space in a bathroom is to hang a mirror, and there’s no reason you can’t use this in the kitchen too. If you’re looking for items to display in your kitchen, artwork or other accessories, try to look for shiny, metallic finishes to reflect the light and maximise space. For example, if you’ve decided to go with the statement light idea, look for a copper or chrome fitting rather than a black one. Or choose copper coloured plant pots to put on your open shelving above the cabinets. If you’re not a fan of the metallics trend then look for similar items with a glossy white finish which will provide a similar effect.
7. Stick to White?
White is the classic choice for rooms which you are trying to make feel bigger. White kitchens don’t even go out of fashion, and this should be the starting point if you are in the market for a new kitchen. If you’re updating an older space to make it look larger than consider painting existing cupboards white instead. Choose the same shade for your walls, and keep the tiles simple white too. Look for a worksurface in wood or granite to contrast with all the white, and choose colourful accessories to add int some personality and a bit of colour. White doesn’t have to mean pure brilliant white – experiment with a range of shades to find the one which works for you. Alternatively, consider a paler pastel shade of grey, blue or even pink or green.
8. Choose Your Flooring Carefully
When choosing outfits we all know that vertical stripes trick the eye into thinking you’re taller, and that horizontal stripes can make you look wider. The same techniques can be used on your kitchen floor, especially in a galley kitchen. Choose planks or similarly shaped tiles, and have then running the length of the kitchen to make it seem bigger. Or run tiles diagonally to give the impression of a wider room.
9. Choose Smaller Items
When shopping, look for slimline appliances and furniture, and avoid anything which has chunky handles or legs. Instead, look for streamlined items which will help create that impression of space.
10. Glass Fronted Cabinets
If you’ve followed the previous advice to declutter and get organised, the last trick is to replace solid cupboard doors with glass doors. Not only will you be able to easily see what’s inside, but drawing the eye into the space usually blocked off by the cupboard door will increase the feeling of space.
