10
Design Ideas to Make
Your Small Kitchen Look Bigger
Having a huge kitchen with a luxurious finish and high-end appliances is everyone’s dream, but not many of us have this privilege. However, when designed well, even the smallest spaces can look stunning and spacious.
We did our research and consulted our pro designers to put together the best of the best advice that’s out there. Here are 10 design ideas that can make your small kitchen look bigger.
1
Let Spaces Connect With an Open Layout
small kitchen

Open layout is one of the most popular floor plans in the interior design industry. It prioritizes opening up spaces of a home and creating an illusion of bigger-looking rooms.

Since there’s no set rule on where a specific room ends and where another starts, you could play around with the design and placement of furniture to make the best of the limited space you have.

When it comes to open kitchen layout, the kitchen isn't contained inside walls but extended into another room, such as your dining room or living room. This makes the entire space look big.

2
Bring Reflective Surfaces Into the Play
small kitchen
Another way you can fool the eye is by replacing surfaces with reflective materials. Reflective surfaces and mirrors bounce off light and colors, making the room look spacious.
In the kitchen, you can create this illusion by using high-gloss kitchen cabinets, shiny backsplashes and countertops, mirror doors, etc. These will make the space look enlarged.
3
Open the Windows to Light
small kitchen

While putting a window might feel like giving up storage space, it is so worth the tradeoff. Windows not only help with air circulation but also makes you feel as if your kitchen extends outside.

To take this a step further, you can incorporate different color lights to pair with natural light sources to create a layered look. This is another way you can make your kitchen look larger.

4
Pick Whites and Neutrals to Expand the Space
small kitchen

It’s a known fact that light colors reflect more light and give the illusion of more space. So it makes sense to choose whites and neutrals colors for your kitchen. If you are worried about spills and stains, you can go for a high-gloss finish instead of a matte one.

This combo of light colors and a high-gloss finish will add to your goal of making your kitchen look bigger.

5
Go for Monochromatic Themes
small kitchen

If you are bored of whites and neutrals then you can choose a monochromatic theme. You can pick one color and use different variants, shades, and hues of it throughout the kitchen. You can play around with texture, patterns, prints, and materials to bring the whole look together.

A monochromatic theme gives the illusion of a bigger room as it involves different shades of one color. On top of this, if you go for lighter colors and natural hues, you can create the perfect illusion of spaciousness.

6
Don’t Forget to Add Some Plants
small kitchen

Bringing greenery inside has become quite the trend in interior design right now. Plants not only liven up the space and invite tranquility, but also help visually expand a space when placed correctly.

Pairing low-hanging plants or flowy ivies with high ceilings will make your kitchen look taller. You can also put small pots of herbs on open shelves or the window sill to extend your kitchen beyond the walls.

7
Take Storage Up to the Ceiling
small kitchen

When you have limited space, storage can be tricky. One way you can get more storage is by utilizing every inch of your kitchen, from the floor to the ceiling. These floor-to-ceiling cabinets give your enough storage and keep your kitchen clean and clutter-free.

Moreover, taking storage up to the ceiling makes your kitchen look taller and takes the viewer's eyes off the compact space.

8
Opt for Open Shelves
small kitchen

Taking a step backward, you can go for open shelving. However, this only works if you have less stuff in your kitchen. Opening up the cabinets will make your kitchen more airy, spacious, and aesthetically pleasing.

If you’re worried about dust and maintaining open shelves, you can go for glass for cabinets as they will give a similar effect.

9
Avoid Large Door Knobs and Handles
small kitchen

In a small kitchen, anything huge will make the space even smaller. This is more prominent with door knobs and handles as they can also be a bother while walking. To avoid this, you can go for concealed handles and small handles like profile handles, recessed pulls, hidden touch latches, etc.

These will make your cabinets sleek, your kitchen seem small, and allow free movement in your small kitchen.

10
Minimize Clutter With Pull-Out Drawers
small kitchen

As we’ve already mentioned above, storage is limited in a small kitchen. And when you have way too much stuff, normal cabinets might not be enough to keep clutter away. Instead, you can install pull-out drawers to compartmentalize and organize your kitchen tools. This way, you can keep your counter clean and free from chaos.

Less Can Mean More With the Right Design

Kitchens have gotten smaller and smaller over the past few decades. There are several reasons for this, from skyrocketing real estate prices to modular kitchen designs to changing lifestyles. But just because you have a small kitchen, you don't have to compromise on the functionality or the aesthetics.

If you want to get your home interiors done or remodel your kitchen, make sure to use the above design ideas to make your small kitchen look bigger.

Author
Navya Deepika Battu
Navya is a lifestyle content writer with significant expertise in other niches, including tech and business. After work, she obsesses over beautiful poetry, hums to soul-soothing music, and binge-watches on Netflix. She also loves to have conversations that are anything but small talk.