31 Clever “Small Kitchen” Ideas to Make the Space Feel Bigger

Cramped and dark rooms can make us feel low, whereas walking into a lighter, brighter room can instantly lift your spirits.

There is no reason why a small kitchen can’t exude some serious style and feel more spacious than it actually is.

A kitchen of any size can feel roomy if you know some simple design tricks to make the most of the space.

Many kitchens in urban areas such as London, New York and Paris are famously small,

yet they are arguably some of the most attractive kitchens around, reflecting both stylish city living and some ingenious space saving solutions.

If you have a small kitchen, there are a number of design tricks to create the illusion of a bigger space and maximise every square inch:

Changing the colour of your kitchen is a low-cost, simple update that will immediately make a space feel bigger.

White kitchens are on-trend and this is the best colour for visually opening up a space.

Geometric patterns can draw the eye vertically or lengthways to give the impression of a longer, taller kitchen.

Urban subway tiles can give the sense of opening up the most miniscule area. The thick black lines between the subway tiles give the illusion that the kitchen is bigger.

An unobstructed physical and visual path will make your kitchen look bigger. Clear plastic chairs, floating islands and bar surfaces, backless barstools or glass pendant lights all help to achieve this effect.

Open storage gives a more airy and spacious look in your kitchen. Remove some cabinet doors and take a step back – immediately you will see that there is an illusion of more space.

However, this trick can only be done if your cupboards aren’t currently bursting. If you have cluttered shelves you will only make the space feel even smaller!