Designing a small kitchen may seem like a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity to pull out some clever tricks for maximizing its function and increasing its visual size. Here are some of my favorite ways to do just that.
Consider using cabinets that open from both sides instead, or back-to-back shallow cabinets, so each side can store pieces within easier reach, preventing any items from getting buried.
If the island is moveable, it will also allow you to pull it up to the back counters or push it away when convenient, or even roll it over to another area of the home to serve as a buffet station or drink cart.
Using a bit of dark gray on a back wall behind surrounding white cabinets, like in this example, causes the back wall to visually recede, which actually helps make the wall look a little farther away.
This setup will look a bit more clean than a fully open shelf, and everyday items like glassware will still be easy to grab.
This gives you a great visually obvious spot to place items that a guest might want to grab, but without completely boxing in sight lines, so you still feel like you can see into and out of the kitchen to rooms beyond.
This kitchen solves that issue by using a floating countertop that extends a bit beyond the peninsula base, so there isn’t anything in the way of swinging doors, or your legs, as you move about.
Avoiding tripping over splaying legs by choosing backless seats that can fully tuck under the counter and table so they aren’t in the way when not in use.
If you build a counter around the opening, even extending it a bit to the other side, you can cheat out the functional size of your kitchen a little bit by borrowing some space from the adjacent room.
Breaking up drawers into compartments allows you to store more, more effectively.
Gathering items like a knife rack, a spoon bin, a mortar and pestle and a kitchen timer all on a tray or cutting board visually tricks our brain into seeing them as organized. It’s a quick trick that can make a big difference to your sense of visual organization.
Consider trading off 24 to 48 inches of counter for one or two extra full-height pantry cabinets, or cabinets that integrate your major appliances, for a more efficient use of space.
A clever pullout chopping station, complete with a chopping-block top, can be integrated into a set of drawers so you have it handy when needed and tucked away when not.
This setup leaves the center of the room still relatively open so as not to block conversation and sight lines, and allows for uninterrupted upper cabinets on your main walls for plenty of storage.