Remodel Ideas for a Small Kitchen
by Clare Kaufman
Repair-Home Columnist
There's an easy formula to successful small kitchen design: organize and redecorate. These remodeling design ideas for a small kitchen can help you make the most of every inch of your precious space.
Organize
The secret of small kitchen design is flawless organization. Everything in your kitchen should have a place, preferably not on the counter. A free countertop or island makes your small kitchen feel and look bigger. Here are some remodel ideas to get that small kitchen in shape:
- Storage solutions. Those cabinets could do more for your small kitchen, couldn't they? Rotating shelving units, pull-out drawers, and shelf inserts can instantly double your storage space.
- Use the walls. Don't forget your vertical square-footage. The walls under cabinets can be used to suspend space-saving appliances, hang wine glasses, or install pot racks. Magnetic strips provide a convenient wall attachment for metal spice containers, knives, towel holders, and more.
- Workspace. A crucial remodeling design idea for a small kitchen: make sure you have elbow room. All you need is a 'triangle of efficiency': easy access between the three work areas--sink, stove, and refrigerator.
Redecorate
Now that you've made your small kitchen more functional and spacious, it's time to make it look bigger. Here are some design ideas for a 'big kitchen' makeover.
- Lighting. Artfully installed lighting can create the illusion of more space, both by exposing key work areas and producing shadows around the cabinetry. Install incandescent lighting beneath cabinets, recessed lighting in the ceiling, and even floor lighting under base cabinetry.
- Paint. Most small kitchen designers recommend pastel or white paint, which can open up a cramped space. But bright colors can also enhance the spacious optics, drawing the eye upward and making the ceiling appear higher.
- Cabinetry. Dark cabinets seldom have a place in a small kitchen--lighten them up by refinishing them. Repair-home can help you locate a cabinet refacing contractor in your area. Or replace them with open shelving.
- Decor. Less usually means more in a small kitchen--keep plants and knickknacks to a minimum. Large wall art, however, has the potential to expand wall space.
Your small kitchen doesn't need to be limited by its square footage. These remodeling design ideas can make even the smallest kitchen feel and look bigger.
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About the Author
Clare Kaufman works as a writer and editor for an online media company. She has completed a graduate degree in English.
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