Turning a tiny kitchen into a chic and useful area can be a satisfying task. You can make your kitchen a fun place to cook and host by maximizing its design and functionality with the appropriate decorating tips. This article will walk you through useful suggestions like using light colors to open up the area, adding flexible, moveable islands for extra counter space, and going with minimalist or invisible handles to give the space a streamlined appearance. We’ll also discuss the advantages of open shelving, using vertical space effectively, and ensuring enough lighting. Using reflective surfaces, arranging inside cupboards, and choosing both attractive and practical pieces, these tips can help you maximize the space in your tiny kitchen and create a contemporary look.
Go for light colors
In small spaces, it’s essential to opt for light colors because these tones reflect more light, making the room feel brighter and more spacious. If you have very dark and old wood cabinets, paint them in light tones to give light to the space and make them look modern and stylish. Cover your walls with tiles in soft, light tones, and paint the ceiling white to emphasize the height of the space. Make it appear fresher and amplify the natural light. This feeling of height makes the room look more spacious and airier. If you love color, use it, but opt for soft tones to create uniformity in the room, and pick one that has a high light reflective value.
This scale goes from zero, which will absorb all the light, to 100, which will reflect all the light. So, the higher the number, the more light your walls will reflect, helping you maximize natural light in your kitchen. When choosing your kitchen color, consider this value to pick the brighter version of the color you like.
Mobile kitchen island
Versatility and multifunctional elements are essential in small spaces. A kitchen needs enough surfaces for food preparation. A mobile island you can position according to your needs is handy, especially in kitchens with minimal counter space. A mobile island not only provides additional surface area but also provides storage for kitchen utensils.
You can use it as an informal dining table or in tiny spaces. It can also be used as a serving table when you have guests at home. Measure your kitchen and where you plan to position the island to buy the right size without overcrowding the space.
Minimalist or invisible handles
Modern handles are gorgeous accessories. However, in a small kitchen, the best option is not to use handles. Handles take up space and can be annoying to bump into. If you’re remodeling your kitchen, opt for handles integrated into the cabinet. The kitchen will look modern, clean, and light.
If you already have your kitchen and you can’t have these systems, you can change old, large handles to a more minimalist design. This instantly beautifies your kitchen and makes it look lighter and modern.
Try open shelving
Don’t overdo it with upper cabinets. Try open shelving. Avoid cluttering the area with too many upper cabinets. If your kitchen is too small, think about freeing up some areas by putting open shelves, which give a much lighter look and feeling of spaciousness. This trend is popular in interior design, especially when the kitchen is integrated with the dining or living rooms. However, remember that you must love order and simplicity if you consider this idea.
If you have upper cabinets and cannot change them, an excellent visual trick is to paint them white. This lightens the space significantly since the upper cabinets are unified with the ceiling.
Use vertical space
In a small kitchen, we must use vertical surfaces to organize and access kitchen utensils. Accessories can be mounted on the wall to free up space on the work surface. For example, use a magnetic wall knife holder, a magnetic set of spices, a paper towel holder, or any other space-saving accessory. It is important not to clutter each of your walls with these accessories because the kitchen can look disorganized and cluttered.
Illuminate your space
One issue we can’t overlook is proper kitchen lighting. Light is the best friend of any small space in a kitchen. It’s essential to have different lighting layers to ensure functionality and a comfortable and safe experience while cooking. Here are some ideas to light up your small kitchen correctly;
- Incorporate functional and task lighting under cabinets to facilitate food preparation, such as individual under-cabinet lights. Or you can use an LED strip to get a uniform lighting effect on a budget.
- If your kitchen is integrated into the living room or dining room and you have an island, take advantage of this area to place one or more hanging lamps according to your style. Make sure you hang the lamp so it doesn’t interrupt visuals and movement.
- You can place simple decorative lamps over the sink or food preparation area. That way, you can use your walls to maximize the space and make your small kitchen look stylish.
- If you need more light, you can replace the ceiling light with a lamp with multiple bulbs or track lighting. The lighting effect is modern and sophisticated because the space has more contrast. This is a great and economical option if you can’t invest in a false ceiling. If you have open shelving or cabinets with glass doors, you can illuminate them. This gives a modern effect and makes it the focal point.
Functional and decorative pieces
Another essential trick in small kitchens is to have functional and decorative pieces. For example, invest in wooden cutting boards so you can decorate the countertop.
If you need a basket to hold fruits and vegetables, choose pieces that are functional but also contribute to the kitchen’s aesthetics. If you have liquid soap, try incorporating dispensers that provide visual order and beauty. In small spaces, we must be much more careful with the details. It is better to have a few elements but with better quality and aesthetics.
Organize inside the cabinets
When we talk about kitchens, order and organization are critical, especially in small ones. Take advantage of your cabinets using organizational pieces such as pots and organizers, shelf risers, glass and drawer organizers, etc. When it comes to these types of accessories, an ideal place to get them is Ikea. There, you can find many accessories and details that can radically change the function of your kitchen while decluttering the visible areas.
Cabinets to the ceiling
Bringing the upper cabinets up to the ceiling is an excellent visual trick in small spaces because it emphasizes the room’s vertical lines. Additionally, this avoids having a useless area that accumulates dust between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling. Bringing the cabinets up to the ceiling makes the kitchen look integrated and part of the architecture. So, if you are building your home or planning a major kitchen renovation, you may consider this design Tip.
If you already have this space above the cabinets, do your best to make the most of it. An alternative is to use baskets or boxes, which you can decorate and draw attention to. This storage area can be used to put things you don’t use daily.
Reflective surfaces
Mirrors and reflective surfaces give a feeling of spaciousness because they reflect the space and amplify natural light. If your kitchen is tiny, you can use this trick by hanging a mirror over the sink to create the effect of a window or use it as a backsplash. It’s an out-of-the-ordinary idea, but it can work very well to give the feeling that your kitchen is more spacious than it is and can provide a sophisticated and formal look.
Best of all, mirrors are inexpensive, easy to clean, and available in various finishes and colors. Even antique mirrors can give any small kitchen a romantic and chic look. If you are going to opt for this idea, don’t overdo it. Choose a specific area where there is more natural light and make it the focal point.
It should be noted that, like mirrors, glossy surfaces reflect light, helping to create a visual sensation of more space. So, in small kitchens, it can be convenient to use lacquered, polished, or metallic finishes.
