Small kitchen ideas help you make the most of tiny spaces. If you set up a small kitchen the right way, you can have plenty of storage, enough room to prepare food, and space to add some furniture.
Many small kitchen designs can look as open and stylish as big kitchens. You just need to be clever with how you arrange everything.
We have a guide to help you find the right size for your kitchen island. You can find the best ideas for small kitchens below. Check out these expert tips and start transforming your kitchen today.
Choose a Curved Island
Instead of a kitchen island with sharp corners, consider one with rounded edges. This can make your kitchen easier to move around in. The design team at Studio OSKLO chose a curved island that not only matches the house’s style but also creates more walking space in the kitchen.
Hide Your Charging Station
If you charge your devices like phones or iPads in the kitchen, consider hiding them in a drawer with built-in outlets. Designer Sarah Robertson created a setup like this, which keeps the counters clear for cooking and checking recipes.
Make It Monochromatic
A kitchen painted all one light color looks bigger. Designer Ashley Gilbreath painted her Florida kitchen a light blue—Languid Blue by Sherwin-Williams—to make it feel airy and light.
Build Storage Into the Island
In a floating house that couldn’t be made bigger, designer Colleen Dowd Saglimbeni added an island with built-in shelves. This provides extra storage without the clutter of closed cabinets. The open shelving encourages you to keep things neat.
Add a Dining Nook
If you don’t have a dining room, you can make part of your kitchen a place to eat. This might be hard if your kitchen is very small, but interior designer Rudy Saunders made it work in his small apartment. He used a small round table and three stylish chairs. You just need to find the right furniture and keep the area neat.
Add Sleek Open Shelving
Increase your storage and decorating space with industrial-style open shelving. Designer Caren Rideau added small sections of shelving in a kitchen, which helps keep counters clear and lets you see what you have easily.
Use a Reflective Backsplash
Mirrors can make a small area feel bigger. Since a mirror might not be safe in a kitchen, try a reflective backsplash instead. It can be made of shiny stone or tile. In a kitchen designed by Becca Interiors, they used shiny black tile that reflects light, making the whole space feel larger.
Keep Lighting Simple
In a small kitchen, you want to avoid anything too big that takes up a lot of space. Keep things like lighting simple yet functional. For example, in a kitchen designed by Banner Day Interiors, there are three sources of light on one wall. They’re small and don’t overpower the room but still light it up well.
Open the Layout
In some homes, like a guesthouse designed by Alison Pickart and Katy Polsby, opening up the kitchen to the living room makes the space better for chatting. If you like talking with friends or family while cooking, consider opening up the kitchen to create a more inviting space.
Hide Your Appliances
To reduce clutter in a small kitchen, find ways to hide appliances. In an English Country-style home, designer Dane Austin made a special spot to tuck away small appliances like mixers and toasters. This helps save counter space and keeps the kitchen looking neat.
Paint the Cabinets Two Different Colors
Using two colors on your cabinets can really brighten up a small kitchen. Designer Laquita Tate also used a mobile kitchen island which helps the kitchen feel more open because you can see through to the other side.
Add Millwork to Your Island
If your small kitchen feels too crowded to add decorations, think about adding custom millwork to important features like the kitchen island. This adds interest without cluttering the space. For example, in a kitchen designed by Gillian Segal, the island has beautiful millwork on the sides, which enhances the look without changing the room’s layout.
Make It Vibrant
Just because a kitchen is small, doesn’t mean it has to be dull. Designer Matthew Boland painted a kitchen in Florida a bright orange (Energetic Orange by Sherwin-Williams) to make it cheerful even on gloomy days.
Choose Shorter Cabinets
In a small pool house kitchen, designer Leyden Lewis chose shorter cabinets. These cabinets close up to hide dishes and cups, keeping the kitchen looking tidy.
Choose Light Wood
Designer Annie Anderson used light-colored oak cabinetry and light marble in her kitchen. The lighter colors make the kitchen feel bigger. She also didn’t use curtains so that more natural light could come in through the window, helping the room feel open and spacious.
Build Into the Wall
Adding built-in cabinets or a large cabinet against the wall can make a small kitchen look stylish and organized. This creates a neat separation in the room without taking up too much space. Designer Blair Moore installed custom cabinets to neatly hide a coffee bar for her clients.
Install Floating Shelves
Instead of upper cabinets, use floating shelves. This gives everything a place without blocking light or creating shadows. Clara Jung from Banner Day Interiors did this in her design firm’s office. Bulky cabinets at eye level can make a small space feel even smaller.
Go All White
Using a monochromatic (all one color) palette with lots of light makes any kitchen look bigger. Elizabeth Pash chose this style and added small touches of light blue and different textures to make the kitchen feel modern and welcoming.
Embrace Its Charm
Sometimes the charm of a kitchen is more important than practicality. In Francesca Grace’s kitchen, the beautiful tiles were too special to replace. She made other small changes to make her kitchen work for her. Even though it’s not very big, it shows that bigger isn’t always better.
Use That Weird Alcove
If you have an odd little alcove, turn it into a space for snacks, drinks, or coffee. Designer Betsy Wentz turned one into a special nook with sliding barn doors and made it stand out by adding wallpaper.
Distract With Patterns
In a small New York City apartment, the galley kitchen was fine for Kerri Pilchik’s clients. She added a patterned floor runner and Roman shades to add some personality to the space. Shiny cabinets reflect light to make the kitchen look bigger, but it’s the patterns that really draw attention away from the narrow shape.
Raise the Roof
Actually, raise the ceiling. If your kitchen is small and you can’t make it bigger by expanding into other rooms, think about making the ceiling higher like Erin and Ben Napier did. This makes the room feel instantly larger.
Break Up the Space
If your kitchen is too small for everything you want and you have an extra room, use it to create different areas for cooking or storage. Philip Mitchell designed an extra cooking area that can inspire anyone with a small kitchen who wants more space, like for a double oven.
Force the Eye Elsewhere
Use dark colors and shadows to make people look away from your small kitchen and toward something beautiful, like the ocean. Designer Kelly Cook painted a kitchen with her client’s favorite dark paint, Farrow & Ball Down Pipe. She says, “When everything is the same dark shade, it makes a shadow box effect and your eye looks out to the ocean.”
Make Your Own Island
In a small kitchen design by Corinne Mathern Studio, a counter-height table works as both an island and a place to eat. You can move this table against the wall or out of the room when you need more space.
Paint Each Portion
A fun way to organize and make a kitchen look bigger is to paint different areas in three shades of blue. Designer Garrow Kedigian did this to add depth. Painting the lightest blue up to the ceiling makes the ceiling seem higher and the room feel more open.
Paint the Floor
Designer Kevin Isbell made a kitchen feel more open by painting a large, glossy, checkered pattern on the floor. The light and bright colors match well with the fabric of the cafe curtains.
Install a Set of Doors
Designer Matthew Ferrarini suggests installing pocket doors that can hide the busiest part of your kitchen when not in use. This is especially useful in open floor plans and studio apartments.
Lighten Up
To keep a small kitchen from feeling too dark, BHDM Design painted only the bottom half of the walls a dark color and used a lighter color on top. They added natural wood elements to connect the kitchen to the outside forest.
Cover the Clutter
If you have a farmhouse sink or exposed plumbing that looks worn out, try covering it with a sink skirt like they used to in old English country kitchens. Designer Leanne Ford used this trick to hide the mess and keep things looking neat.
Utilize Your Island
The side of an island where people hang out can be more useful. Designers at Hecker Guthrie suggest using cabinets there instead of just a plain piece of wood. This is great for storing things you don’t use often.
Create an Appliance Garage
If you don’t have much counter space, think about adding a small storage area within your cabinets for appliances, like designer Natalie Chong did. She kept her coffee machine in a cubby and hid her blender behind a push-to-open panel.
Make It Double as a Mudroom
In a Georgia home, designer Laura Jenkins converted some kitchen cabinets into a mudroom space right by the back door. This area hides a coffee station and pantry too, which helps the room feel bigger and more organized.
Maintain a Neutral Palette
Using colors that are calm and neutral can make your kitchen feel more spacious and peaceful. For example, Lauren Nelson Design used a soft green color, handmade tiles, marble countertops, and green cabinetry to make the kitchen feel like a part of the outdoors.
Choose a Happy Color
To brighten up a long, narrow kitchen, do what designer Nickey Kehoe did: install bright pendant lights. She used lights that change color from top to bottom, which makes the kitchen look brighter and draws your eyes upward.
Build In Kitchen Necessities
In a kitchen designed by Sarah Robertson, there’s a slide-in cutting board and a drying rack next to the stove. This makes cooking and cleaning very easy because you don’t have to find space for these items in other drawers or cabinets.
Use Faux Brick
Add some style to your small kitchen with the look of exposed brick. Designer Lynn Kloythanomsup chose classic red brick for a kitchen in San Francisco, but she used faux brick tiles to get the look without the bulk. “It’s like a thin brick tile,” she explains.
Add a Nook for Bench Seating
Consider adding a nook with built-in bench seating to make the most of your dining area, like designer Nannette Brown did in a small, dark kitchen in a New York apartment.
Clear the Counters
If you don’t want to hang pots from the ceiling, use a small rail on a shelf instead. Designer Augusta Hoffman set up a small rod in her kitchen to hang a few important cooking tools for easy access.
Use a Pull-Out System for Bottles
If you love wine but don’t have space or money for a wine fridge, try a pull-out storage system from Thomasville Cabinetry. It’s great because you can also use it for other drinks, like water and soda, if you don’t always have wine.
Opt for a Countersplash
Using the same material for your countertop and backsplash makes the kitchen look smoother and more unified. Designer Melanie Millner used Cielo quartzite for a kitchen in a European-style home in Georgia. She also added a small display shelf made from the same material to enhance the spacious feel.
Work With Smaller Appliances
To save counter space, consider a built-in electric cooktop. A slim version with two burners, like the one used in a pantry designed by Rob Klein and Amy Kreutz, gives you more room to store groceries and prepare meals.
Use Your Green Thumb
Plants can make any space, including small kitchens, feel happier. If your kitchen gets good sunlight, take advantage of it. ETC.etera added a large plant on top of the fridge to make the kitchen feel brighter.
Add Task Lighting
In small kitchens, extra light is important. Designer Corey Damen Jenkins put light fixtures over the countertop and sink. These lights not only make it easier to see what you’re doing, but they also add a stylish touch.
Make a Breakfast Bar
If you don’t have space for a breakfast nook, try adding a breakfast bar. Designer Amir Khamnejpur designed one that serves as both a dining table and a kitchen island. It’s a smart use of space in a stylish kitchen.
Warm It Up With a Rug
Adding a rug can make a small, cramped kitchen feel warmer and more inviting without making it feel smaller. Interior designer Michelle Nussbaumer chose a rug that adds color and pattern, as well as texture-rich materials, to enhance the space.
Add a Skirt
If you don’t have closed cabinets under your kitchen sink and need to hide things like trash bins and cleaning supplies, use a fabric skirt. Scott Meacham Wood did this to keep things out of sight.
Opt for Glass Doors
In a design by Balsamo Antiques and Interior Design, tall glass doors make the kitchen seem larger. The black lacquer paint shows that cozy, dark colors can work well, too. The kitchen has a modern yet timeless look, with open shelves that display antiques from around the world.
Pare Down
Do you really need 25 extra bowls? Cut down your kitchen items to just the essentials, and you’ll see how much more space you have. In a kitchen designed by Veneer Designs, reducing clutter lets the beautiful materials stand out.
Keep It Classic
Subway tiles are great for making a kitchen look wider. Nicole Hollis Studio recommends laying them horizontally from the backsplash all the way up to the ventilation hood. Using a simple, one-color scheme adds a timeless feel.
Add a Runner
Colorful runners are perfect for long, narrow kitchens. Romanek Design Studio used one to add fun and contrast to the kitchen with a white marble backsplash and matte black tiles.
Make It a Jewel Box
Garrow Kedigian’s kitchen design is a stunning mix of glamorous and simple styles. To get this look, use metallic finishes and bold lighting. This kitchen proves you can combine luxury and minimalism beautifully.
Create Flow With Color
Linking areas with color can make a big difference in small spaces. In a home designed by Justina Blakeney, pale green paint connects the kitchen and dining area. This color matches well with the Moroccan clay tile backsplash and ombre bar stools in the living room.
Choose Dark Accents
Adding dark accents in areas where shadows already appear can make your small kitchen look bigger. For example, a kitchen designed by Charles Cohen uses a dark backsplash that is not only beautiful but also makes the space seem longer.
Streamline the Space
Choosing an all-white kitchen can make the room feel bigger because white reflects light. Smooth, shiny cabinets without handles and a cooktop that matches the countertops make the kitchen look cleaner and brighter, just like fashion designer Liz Lange wanted.